Lower-body workouts that incorporate hip, thigh and butt exercise enhance your appearance while improving athletic performance and overall functionality. This type of exercise program requires a sculptor's eye that focuses on muscular balance, coordination and symmetry. Incorporating at least 30 minutes of aerobic activity on most days of the week will reduce body fat and enhance the visibility of the fruits of your workout labor.
Closed and Open Chain Exercise
Closed chain exercises, such as squats, lunges and leg presses, keep your foot in a fixed position, whereas open chain exercises, such as side leg raises, keep your foot in a free position. Both have their benefits, but closed chain exercises are weight bearing and exert compression forces on the knee. The National Osteoporosis Foundation recommends weight bearing exercise for maintaining bone density, and exercise specialists on the American Fitness Professional Association website explain that compression forces stabilize the knee joints and prevent injury. Closed chain exercises such as the squat and lunge work multiple muscle groups, including the hamstrings, quadriceps, and gluteal muscles. The inner and outer thighs function as stabilizers. Perform these exercises at the beginning of your workout, then perform open chain exercises for the inner and outer thighs.
Balance and Symmetry
The quadriceps, in the front of the thigh, extend the knee, while the hamstrings, in the back of the leg, bend the knee. The hamstrings should be about 80 percent as strong as the quadriceps, explains Sports Coach Brian Mackenzie on his website. Many people, especially women, have a hamstring/quadriceps muscle imbalance that impedes athletic performance, increases susceptibility to injury and destroys the symmetrical appearance of the lower body. Traditional hamstring curl equipment, often unsuitable for certain body types, is often the culprit. The stability ball leg curl might solve the problem. This closed chain exercise also works the gluteal muscles and the core. Lie supine with your knees bent and your feet on the stability ball, separated at about hip-width apart. Draw in your belly and lift each vertebra until your spine assumes a bridge position. Remain in the bridge as you bend and extend your legs for eight repetitions. Roll back to the starting position and repeat the sequence three times.
Abductor
The abductors, or outer thighs, move the leg away from the center. Numerous spot-reduction myths surround these muscle groups: It's impossible to lose inches around your outer thighs, but resistance training strengthens, tones and defines these muscles. When performing side-lying exercises, lifting the top leg works the outer thighs, and lifting the bottom leg works the inner thighs. These exercises are effective, especially when performed with ankle weights or resistance bands, but they are more functional as closed chain exercises. The band walk is a closed chain abductor exercise. Wrap a circular band around your ankles and stand in an upright position. Take a big step to the right and bring your left foot in to meet it. Take eight steps to the right, eight to the left and repeat the sequence four times.
Adductors
The adductors draw your leg toward the center of your body and stabilize your inner knee. A hand towel and a waxed wood or linoleum floor create a slide board for inner thigh exercise. Stand upright with a towel under your right foot. Separate your feet so that they are slightly wider than hip-width apart. Contract your right inner thigh and slide your right leg toward your left, keeping your foot in contact with the towel. Perform 15 repetitions and change sides. A wider stance adds challenge to the exercise.
The Best Butt Exercises
The American Council on Exercise, or ACE, is a fitness research and certifying organization. In 2006, it financed a University of Wisconsin, La Crosse, study to determine the best gluteal exercises. The quadruped, an old-school exercise performed on all fours, was at the top of the list. Kneel on your hands and knees. Bend your right knee so that your foot is perpendicular to the ceiling and squeeze your right butt cheek as you lift you leg for 12 repetitions. Add challenge by wrapping a resistance band around your ankles, or by placing a small weight in the groove of your knee. Add variety and inner thigh work by lifting the leg on the first count and tapping the knee on top of the opposite calf on the second.
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