Trimming inches off your thighs requires the right combination of exercises and a healthy diet. Doing countless numbers of squats will not help you shed weight from your thighs; it is not possible to spot-reduce weight. Losing weight from the thighs requires decreasing your overall body weight. Combining strength training workouts that include targeted exercises with cardiovascular exercise and a balanced diet will help you lose weight and slim down your thighs.
Calorie Intake
Weight loss requires burning more calories than you consume daily. Create a deficit by decreasing your daily calorie intake. Track your meals for one week to see the average number of calories you consume, and then subtract 500 from your daily average to lose about 1 lb. per week.
Healthy Eating
Your diet should revolve around unprocessed foods. Natural foods take longer to digest, and they fill you up faster, so you eat less. Stock up on vegetables, fruits, whole grains, healthy fats such as olive oil and seeds, low-fat dairy, lean cuts of meat, skinless poultry and fish. Limit processed foods that are high in sodium, saturated and trans fats, chemical preservatives and refined sugars, which encourage weight gain.
Strength Training
Engaging in upper body strength strength training workouts three days per week helps build muscle and increase metabolism to aid in weight loss. Work opposing muscle groups on the same day. Train the chest and back on Monday. the biceps, triceps and shoulders on Wednesday; and the abs on Friday. Compound exercises work more muscles at one time so that you burn more calories with each movement, so try pushups, bent-over rows, situps, overhead shoulder press and triceps dips. Perform each exercise for four sets of 12 to 15 repetitions. Train with moderately heavy weight so that your muscles are approaching fatigue by the last few repetitions of each set.
Leg Workouts
Lower body workouts help tone the legs and butt. Train your legs one to two times per week. Lunges, squats, glute bridges, hamstring curls, leg extensions and standing calf raises recruit each muscle in the legs. Perform each exercise for four sets of 12 to 15 repetitions.
Cardiovascular Exercise
Cardiovascular exercise helps burn stored body fat. Perform 30 minutes of cardio before breakfast five days per week. Glycogen stores are depleted first thing in the morning, so doing cardio on an empty stomach is more likely to burn stored body fat as fuel, notes Bodybuilding.com. Go for an outdoor jog, ride a stationary bike, jog on a treadmill or try a group fitness class such as indoor cycling.
References
- Bodybuilding.com: Compound Exercise
- "Weight Training Manual"; National Federation of Professional Trainers; 2006
- MayoClinic.com: Weight Loss Basics
- "Sports Nutrition Manual"; National Federation of Professional Trainers; 2006
- Bodybuilding.com: Cardiovascular Basics
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