Toned arms, chiselled abs, lean legs, Kim K butt… everyone has a body part that they wouldn’t mind changing or that they have been trying to change with no success.
A common area my clients and 28ers want help with is their thighs. You may not be able to spot reduce, but this doesn’t mean all hope is lost. You can work on target areas, like your thighs, through the right training, nutrition and isolated exercises. The key thing to remember is that you need to achieve overall weight loss first and then look to tone the targeted area and not the other way around.
Lean legs are a popular request from my clients and 28ers, especially the inner thighs. So if you don’t want to skip leg day then try these moves and prepare to feel the burn.
1. Side lunge
Stand with your feet shoulder width apart and take a lateral step to the right, keeping your left foot planted on the ground. Lunge with your right knee, ensuring it does not push past your toes and keep your left leg relatively straight. Push off your right leg to return to the starting position. Repeat with other leg.
2. Sumo Squats
Start in a standing position but with your feet wider than hip width apart and your toes pointing at 45 degree angles. This is a wider stance than your traditional squat and will target your inner thighs and glutes more. Lower into a squat, bending at your hips and knees and keeping your chest up and knees out. Pushing through your heels, return to the starting position.
3. Curtsy Lunge
Instead of a traditional reverse lunge, step your left leg behind you and to the right so that your thighs cross, bending both knees as if you are curtsying.
4. Dumbbell Deadlifts
Holding a pair of dumbbells in each hand, stand with your feet hip-width apart and a slight bend in your knees. Keep the slight bend in your knees and hinge at the hips to push your butt back and lower your torso until it is almost parallel to the floor. Make sure you keep your chest up and the dumbbells as close to your body as possible. Return to the starting position.
5. Resistance Band Side Leg Raises
Loop a resistance band around your ankles and lie on your side on a mat with your feet stacked one on top of the other. Lift your top leg up to the ceiling, keeping tension on the band and your hips stacked one on top of the other. Repeat on the other side.
6. Alternating Jump Lunges
Start with your feet shoulder width apart and arms long by your sides. Take a controlled step back with one leg to get yourself into a lunge position. Jump up with an explosive motion, getting both feet off the floor. Switch legs in mid-air so that your back foot is now in front. Land softly back into your lunge and repeat the movement.
