Exercising at home should never be boring. Space and financial limitations might preclude buying an arsenal of home exercise equipment, but a few pieces give you choices. Even if your thighs are your only trouble zone, getting a simple set of resistance bands, a medicine ball and a core board will let you tone your thighs and other core muscles. Many exercises are possible to perform without equipment, as well.
Adductor Squeeze
This exercise, performed lying on your back, trains your inner thighs. A medicine ball is the usual object to be squeezed during the exercise. Squeeze a pillow, exercise ball, foam roller or football if you prefer. Place the ball just above the knees and against your inner thighs, with knees bent and feet touching the floor. Relax the rest of your body, with your arms at your sides. Pull your abdominals in to support your lower back. Engage your adductors by pressing your thighs together against the ball. Squeeze for five seconds and release, but do not drop the ball. Perform the desired number of reps or go until you have fatigued your thighs.
Core Board Crossover Lunge
Lunges are a classic exercise to tone your thighs, especially the quadriceps in the front and the hamstrings in the back. The crossover lunge challenges the inner thighs to bring the front leg across the front of the body from the basic lunge position. The outer thighs abduct the leg back outward to the side of the body, so all parts of the thighs work during this exercise. A core board provides stabilization training to recruit more muscle activity. To begin, stand to the left and slightly behind a core board that is flat on the floor. Place your hands behind your head or on your hips. Raise your left knee to waist level. This is the starting position. Place the left foot on the core board by bending both knees and rotating your body to the right. Your left leg will cross the midline of your body. Bend the knees until your left thigh is parallel to the board. Lift your right heel. Next, shift your weight into your right leg and drop your heel to the floor. Return to the starting position, then step your left leg out to the left side in line with your right foot. Bend the left knee and straighten the right to do a lateral lunge. Repeat on the other side. You may also perform this entire exercise without the core board.
Resistance Band Lateral Leg Extension
The resistance band lateral leg extension exercise trains the outer thighs. This exercise looks simple, but the alignment of your hip and leg decide whether you're working your abductors or gluteus maximus. The largest of your buttocks muscles, the gluteus maximus, will take over this exercise if you bring your hip backward into extension or rotate the hips outward. Instead, stand with a band around your ankles and both feet pointing forward. Place your hands on your hips and monitor their position so both hips point forward at all times. Move your left leg out to the side and pull the band. Do not turn the foot or move your leg backward. Stand directly in front of a wall if you need to. Bring the left foot to the floor hip-width's distance from the right. Repeat on the right side.
You also can wear ankle weights or use body weight alone to perform lateral leg extensions.
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