The good news if you are looking for exercise to tone the hips, butt and thighs is that you use the large muscle groups you need to work --- quadriceps in your thighs and gluteus in your butt --- in almost every form of activity. To really target the muscles, though, choose weight-bearing exercises that also get your heart pounding: Cardio will help burn fat to show of your toned legs and butt. As with any exercise program, if you have any injuries or concerns consult your doctor.
Running
Running is a versatile all-around exercise for your legs and is also great for burning calories and boosting cardiovascular fitness. To target the muscles in your hips, butt and thighs, Richard Brown, author of "Fitness Running" recommends hill running and interval training. When you run uphill your stride changes, and you use your quads and glutes more than you would running on a level surface. Interval training, where you pick up your knees to run faster, similarly works your butt and thighs.
Elliptical Training
An elliptical trainer is a great choice for a total hip, butt and thigh workout. Elliptical trainers come preset with a variety of programs, which provide you with a good starting point. Choose high levels of resistance to work your hips and thighs, and raise the incline to really target your butt. Once you are comfortable with the machine, personal trainer Derek Noble, in his book "The Body Noble" recommends using the manual settings to create a more challenging workout. Try including one-minute sprints to boost your fat burn and dropping low while pedaling to really work your butt.
Yoga
If you are looking for an alternative to the high-impact of aerobic exercise yoga offers a gentler way to tone your hips, butt and thighs. According to "Yoga Fights Flab," you are constantly toning in a yoga workout because your muscles are working against your body weight, plus the continuous movement and focus on breathing technique makes it a good cardio workout. Yoga is an especially good exercise if you are overweight, because it strengthens gradually. Poses like Warrior and the Extended Side Angle pose challenge your legs, while also improving your flexibility and lengthening the muscles to give you a lean body shape.
Weight Training
Weight training can produce fast results even if you don't do any additional cardio. According to "Lean and Hard: The Body You've Always Wanted," a 1997 Louisiana State University study found that six weeks of high-intensity circuits helped the subjects lose an average of 6 lbs. of fat and gain an average of 10 lbs. of lean muscle. Target your hips, butt and thighs with squats, lunges, and lateral moves like hip adduction and abduction using either machines or free weights to increase the intensity.
References
- "Fitness Running"; Richard Brown; 2003
- "Yoga Fights Flab: A 30-Day Program to Tone, Trim, and Flatten Your Trouble Spots"; Glenda Twinning; 2004
- "The Body Noble: 20 Minutes to a Hot Body with Hollywood's Coolest Trainer"; Derek Noble; 2005
- "Lean and Hard: the Body You've Always Wanted in Just 24 Workouts"; Mackie Shilstone; 2007
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