Get ready to fire up your quads and hammies with these thigh exercises.
Add your faves to your current routine or combine them for a full workout.
What youcando is develop lean muscle in a targeted area.
Peter Ardito
Enter these 10 thigh exercises, which can help you build a strong lower body.
The moves go beyond just targeting your thighs.
They’ll also strengthen yourhamstrings, glutes, and calves and even hit your core too.
Peter Ardito
Consider this series your go-to butt and thigh workout when you’re ready to break a sweat.
Do this thigh workout three or four days a week.
It gets your heart rate up (bonus cardio!)
Peter Ardito
and recruits yourinner-thigh musclesto help you quickly switch directions.
A.Stand with feet together and arms by sides.
B.At the last step, lift left knee up with right knee bent, swinging right arm forward.
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That’s one rep.
Do 20 reps as fast as possible.
A.Stand with feet shoulder-width apart.
Then, squat down, bending knees to 90 degrees.
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B.Jump up explosively, using strength in legs and butt to propel upward.
Land as softly as possible with knees bent in the squat position, keeping weight back over heels.
A.Stand with feet together and hands on hips.
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Focus on squeezing inner thighs.
C.Swing left leg back out to the left side and repeat.
Do 15 reps. Switch sides; repeat.
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A.Lie faceup with arms by sides and palms facing down.
Lift left leg up and point left foot as if reaching out with toes to touch the ceiling.
B.Rotate left leg slightly outward.
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Try not to lift left hip off the floor.
C.Trace the circle 5 times in a clockwise direction, then repeat in a counter-clockwise direction.
Switch sides; repeat.
Do 5 reps on each side.
Dumbbell Squat
Not many moves beat the squat in terms of functional thigh exercises.
A.Stand with feet slightly wider than hip-width apart.
Hold a dumbbell in each hand, racked over shoulders.
B.Engage coreand sit hips back to lower into a squat.
Keep chest tall and back flat, and don’t allow knees to move forward past toes.
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Stop lowering when thighs are parallel to the ground or when form is compromised.
C.Press into mid-foot to stand and return to starting position.
(Try adding all these otherlunge variationsto your thigh workouts too.)
A.Stand with feet hip-width apart, holding a dumbbell in each hand.
B.Lunge forward with right leg.
Keep torso perpendicular to the floor with weight evenly distributed between legs.
Align front knee over front ankle, keeping weight in heels instead of toes.
Left knee should come to about an inch above the ground without touching it.
C.Straighten legs and return to starting position.
Continue for 30 seconds.
Switch sides; repeat.
Ballerina Plie
Channel your inner ballerina with this thigh exercise move.
The plie utilizes your hamstrings, quads,abductors and adductors yep, your whole thigh.
A.Stand with feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart and toes pointing out.
B.Bring arms out straight in front of body, tuck tailbone under, and lower into a squat.
Keep torso tall and contract glutes.
Go as low as possible without allowing knees to move past toes.
Repeat for 40 seconds, then pulse at the bottom of the squat for 20 seconds.
(Plus, it’ll stretch out the hip flexor on the opposite leg.)
A.Stand with feet together and arms by sides.
Take a wide step forward with right foot and lower into a deep lunge position.
B.Place hands on the floor on inside of right foot.
Press right knee into outside of right shoulder.
Squeeze and hold the contraction for 10 counts.
C.Release and push off the floor with right leg to return to standing.
Switch sides; repeat.
Do 3 reps on each side.
A.Stand with weight on right leg, right knee slightly bent, and hands on hips.
C.Open left leg out to side of body and straighten leg out into a full extension as shown.
A.Lie on left side with left elbow bent below shoulder and right hand behind head.
B.Hover left leg slightly off the floor with foot flexed.
Engage inner thigh to lift left leg higher.
C.Slowly lower left leg back to hover above the floor.
