The thighs are made up of the inner thigh muscles called adductors, the outer thighs called abductors, the front of the thighs called quadriceps, and the back of the thighs called hamstrings. Slim your thighs by doing cardio and thigh exercises. The treadmill is an excellent tool for burning fat. Incorporate some side steps into your treadmill routine to work your inner and outer thighs and burn 60 percent more calories than walking straight, according to a September 2009 "Shape" article titled "Walk Your Way to Leaner Legs."
Treadmill
Step 1
Warm up by walking for five minutes on a treadmill at a light intensity, and work up to a moderate intensity. Aim for a 6 on a scale of 1 to 10. Think of a 1 as sitting down and a 10 as sprinting at your maximum speed.
Step 2
Hold the handrails of the treadmill and turn your hips to the right, stepping your right leg over your left as you walk. Rotate through two minutes of side stepping right, two minutes of side stepping left and two minutes of walking straight. You do not have to hold the handrails when you are walking straight.
Step 3
Walk on a treadmill for 60 to 90 minutes a day. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend 60 to 90 minutes of moderate exercise most days of the week for weight loss and maintaining weight loss.
Step 4
Cool down for five minutes when you're done by walking slower to reach a light intensity of 1 out of 10.
Ball Hamstring Curl
Step 1
Lie on your back with your arms at your sides. Place your palms flat on the floor. Straighten your legs and place your heels on the top center of a stability ball. Point your toes toward the ceiling and pull your toes back.
Step 2
Squeeze your glutes and raise your hips and back off the floor so your body forms a straight line from shoulders to heels. Keep your head, shoulders, arms and hands on the floor at all times. Squeeze your abs too.
Step 3
Raise your hips upward, bend your knees and roll the ball toward you until your ankles are in line with your knees. Place your feet flat on the ball to support yourself. Your body should now form a straight line from shoulders to knees. You should feel this in your hamstrings in the back of your legs.
Step 4
Straighten your legs, roll the ball forward and lower your hips back to the starting position.
Tap Squats
Step 1
Stand about a foot in front of an exercise bench with your back to the bench. Point your toes forward. Put your hands on your hips.
Step 2
Bend your knees and reach back with your hips toward the bench. Lean forward slightly and keep your back flat. Touch the bench with your buttocks but do not sit down completely.
Step 3
Stand back up straight. You will feel this in your quads in the front of your thighs.
Tips and Warnings
- Do two sets of 12 to 20 reps of the ball hamstring curl and tap squat three days a week. High reps and low weights are the way to slim and tone your muscles without making them bigger, according to "A Guide to Personal Fitness Training."
Things You'll Need
- Stability ball
- Treadmill
- Exercise bench
References
- "A Guide to Personal Fitness Training;" Mary Yoke, M.A.; 2003
- "Shape;" Walk Your Way to Leaner Legs; Jeanine Detz; September 2009
- CDC: Losing Weight
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