No matter how long you’ve been working out, there’s always that one spot you can’t seem to tone up, like your thighs. But according to Molly Canu, who’s a personal trainer at The Fit Inn in New York City, there is a way to slim and tone your thighs, and it’s not as hard as it seems.
You Can’t Spot Reduce
“The unfortunate part of weight loss is that you really cannot spot-reduce fatty areas,” claims NASM-certified personal trainer Molly Canu. But don’t lose hope. You can work on building muscles in a specific area, and sometimes that’s enough to see favorable results in trouble spots. So here are some effective solutions.
Try Deadlifts
Deadlifts will give your hamstrings, your booty, and your back a great workout and make your backside firmer. Just stand holding medium-sized dumbbells in front of your thighs. But keep your arms by your sides and your knees bent slightly. Now lean forward at your hips, lower the weights as much as you can in the process and keep the weights close to your legs. Look forward, squeeze your glutes and pull yourself up. Do three sets of 12 reps.
Side Lunge To Curtsy
Hold a 10-pound weight in your right hand, and lunge left, bringing your right hand to your left foot. Lower your butt as much as possible and sink back into your heels. But keep your toes pointing forward and your left knee bent at 90 degrees. Then push off with your left foot and get to a curtsy position with your left leg crossing behind your right leg while pressing your weight overhead. Do three sets of 15 reps, and you’ll see the results right away.
Goblet Squat
Goblet squats hit a lot of lower body muscles, including the muscles in your inner thigh. Keep your feet shoulder-width apart. Hold a dumbbell with both hands at chest level. Then push your hips back, bend the knees, and lower yourself toward the floor until your thighs and the floor are parallel and your elbows touch the knees. Push through the heels and return to your starting point. Do 15 reps.
Sled Pushing
With sled pushes, you take large steps, stay low, and use your legs to push your weight. If you don’t own a sled, place two dumbbells on a towel and push the weight across the floor for 45 seconds. This is a great way to work the major muscle groups in your lower body.
Weighted Reverse Lunges
Stand with your feet together and a dumbbell in each hand. Place your weight on your right leg and take a big step back. Lunge, lower yourself to the ground until both knees reach a 90-degree angle. Then return to a standing position. Do 12 reps on each leg, and you’ll build lots of muscles in your thigh area.
