Your thighs consists of three primary muscle groups: hamstrings, quadriceps and adductors. All three are located at distinctly different locations on your upper leg, which means the exercise machine that best tones these muscle groups is different for each group. To determine which machine is best for you, choose which muscle group of your thighs you want to tone the most.
Muscle Groups
Before you select which exercise machine is best to tone your thighs, it helps to understand what muscles you are focusing on training. The hamstrings are located on the back of your upper leg, the quadriceps on the front and the adductors on the inside of the thighs. Each muscle group serves a specific purpose in your leg functions. The hamstrings and quadriceps enable you to extend and bend your legs, while the adductors make it possible for you to pull your thighs together.
Thigh Adductor Machine
The thigh adductor machine engages you in an isolation strength exercise that emphasizes your adductors, but also involves your gluteus and hamstring muscles. Adductor machines feature a seat and arm handles for you to stabilize your upper body during the exercise. Your legs are typically positioned at a 90-degree angle, but some machines possess extended leg levers that force your legs into a nearly fully extended position. The leg levers form a "V"-shape during the rest position. Resistance is applied when you squeeze the adductors to bring your legs together. Maintain control the pace of every repetition, especially as you return to the starting position.
Leg Extension Machine
The leg extension exercise is an isolation strength exercise that targets your quadriceps. The movement consists of extending your lower legs, which, with your upper legs, form 90-degree angles in the starting position. The leg extension machine features a seat that is angled slightly backward to help keep your upper body in place once resistance is applied. Handles at the sides of the seat further help you stabilize yourself during the exercise. The resistance is applied at a padded lever that is positioned across the front of the lower portion of your shins. This positioning of the padded lever concentrates the effort of the extension on your quadriceps.
Lying Leg Curl Machine
Your hamstrings are effectively targeted with a lying leg curl machine. The machine requires that you lie stomach down on a bench and wrap your heels underneath a padded lever. Handles underneath the bench at head level serve to help stabilize your body during the curl movement. This curling action is opposite to the extension movement of a leg extension machine. By applying the resistance to the back of your legs, your hamstrings are called into action to execute the curl. Though there are standing leg curl machines, a horizontal leg curl machine provides a larger range of motion and therefore engages more of your hamstring muscles.
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