Having access to a gym for your leg toning routine is convenient, but not always necessary. In fact, a little bit of creativity goes a long way when designing home exercise programs. Your furniture, household items and a few resistance bands provide a wide selection of thigh-toning exercises -- even in apartments with a minimal amount of space.
Pillow Exercises
Turn you pillow into a balance board by placing it on the floor and using it for one-legged squats. Stand upright, placing one foot on the pillow. Unclench your toes to provide a wide base of support. Lift your other foot a few inches from the floor, and engage your core muscles as you bend your standing leg to a half squat. Perform 10 repetitions, and then change sides. The pillow squat works the hamstrings, quadriceps and gluteal muscles, while strengthening the muscles that support your feet and ankles. If your knees wobble in as you perform the one legged squat, you might have weak inner thigh muscles. Use an over-sized pillow to work these muscles. Lie supine with your legs lifted and your knees bent. Place the pillow between your inner thighs and squeeze it with both legs. Perform 20 repetitions.
Bed Exercises
Use your bed to increase the range of motion of traditional leg exercises. To work your outer thighs, lie on your side, close to the edge of the bed. Straighten your legs and lower both feet to the floor, stacking one foot on top of the other. Keep your knee facing straight ahead as you raise your top leg. Perform 15 repetitions, and then change sides. Roll over on to your stomach to work your hamstrings and gluteal muscles. Begin with your legs straight and your feet on the floor. Lift both legs on the first count. Keep your legs lifted as you bend both knees. Then, extend your legs and lower both feet to the floor. Perform 15 repetitions.
Towel Training
A hand towel on a waxed wood or linoleum floor offers a variety of creative legwork opportunities. Stand upright and place the towel under one foot. Work you inner and outer thighs by sliding the leg toward and away from your body; work your hamstrings and gluteal muscles by gliding the leg behind you, as you bend your front knee to perform a lunge. Perform hamstring bridges by placing a mat on the floor and laying supine on the mat. Begin with your torso on the mat, your feet on the floor and a towel under one foot. Lift each vertebra until you are in a bridge. Stay in the bridge as you slide the towel along the floor to straighten and bend your leg. Perform 12 repetitions, and then change sides. If space permits, add a hamstring challenge by lying on a bigger towel with your legs extended and your heels on the floor. Stabilize your heels and slide your torso forward to bend your knees. Extend your legs and repeat for as many repetitions as space permits.
Bands and Bed Rail
If your bed has a bed rail, or if you have a four poster bed, get some resistance bands and create a homemade leg machine. Secure a band to one of the rails or posters and attach the other end of the band to the ankle closest to the rail. Lie diagonally across the bed and move the working leg toward the attachment point. Lift your leg a few inches form the bed, and use your inner thighs to draw it toward the opposite leg. Perform 10 repetitions and then switch sides. When you finish both legs, roll on to your stomach, situating your body so that it is perpendicular to the attachment point. Slowly bend the working leg to perform hamstring curls. Do 12 repetitions on each leg.
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