A great set of hips and thighs can be shaped at home. Read on to find out now!
Shaping Slimmer Hips and Thighs #2
Active Lifestyle Perfect hips and thighs can be yours with these exercises you can do at home.
Consult your physician before starting any diet and/or exercise plan.
If you've been in search of some ideas for at-home exercises that can help you tone up your hips and thighs, you've found the right feature! It's hard enough to work these areas on a regular basis, let alone find specific exercise information that can help you target these areas effectively. But we've done some of the work for you by providing you with ideas for four exercises and a routine that will serve you well not only in the gym, but also at home. These sample exercises can be done with no gym machines at all and can be used alone or combined with hip and thigh exercises that you do at the gym to create an all-encompassing hips and thighs workout plan that help you shape an incredible body.
Lateral Leg Lifts
Muscles Worked
Thighs (outer) or Tensor Fasciae Latae
Butt or Gluteus Minimus/Medius
Position and Movement
Standing upright with your hands in a neutral position, simply raise one leg out to the side to about a 45-degree angle and hold for a two count. Do this movement in a slow and controlled fashion to work the muscles effectively. Hold onto a stable object if necessary to maintain your balance.
Tip
To make this exercise more challenging, keep the workload constant by not letting your foot touch the floor until your set has been completed.
Thighs (outer) or Tensor Fasciae Latae
Butt or Gluteus Minimus/Medius
Position and Movement
Standing upright with your hands in a neutral position, simply raise one leg out to the side to about a 45-degree angle and hold for a two count. Do this movement in a slow and controlled fashion to work the muscles effectively. Hold onto a stable object if necessary to maintain your balance.
Tip
To make this exercise more challenging, keep the workload constant by not letting your foot touch the floor until your set has been completed.
Dumbell Squats
Muscles Worked
Thighs (front) or Quadriceps,
Thighs (back) or Hamstrings,
Butt or Gluteus Maximus or Minimus
Position and Movement
Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Stick your chest and butt out slightly while holding dumbells at your sides. Keep your back straight throughout the entire movement. Bend at your knees and bring your hips back as your body moves down. Bend down to near a 90-degree angle, and then slowly return back up to a standing position.
Tip
Keep your knees slightly bent when you've returned to a standing position. Make sure that your knees don't pass over the tips of your toes.
Thighs (front) or Quadriceps,
Thighs (back) or Hamstrings,
Butt or Gluteus Maximus or Minimus
Position and Movement
Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Stick your chest and butt out slightly while holding dumbells at your sides. Keep your back straight throughout the entire movement. Bend at your knees and bring your hips back as your body moves down. Bend down to near a 90-degree angle, and then slowly return back up to a standing position.
Tip
Keep your knees slightly bent when you've returned to a standing position. Make sure that your knees don't pass over the tips of your toes.
Lateral Step-Ups
Muscles Worked
Thighs (inner) Hip Adductors and Gracilis
Position and Movement
Lie on your back with an exercise ball held gently between the bottom half of your legs. Elevate your legs until they are pointing towards the ceiling. From this position, squeeze the ball for a count of three then release. Repeat this squeezing motion for the number of specified reps of the set you
are performing.
Tip
You can raise the exercise ball to a lower angle and hold it there while you perform this exercise. This will incorporate more overall thighs as well as some lower stomach work.
Thighs (inner) Hip Adductors and Gracilis
Position and Movement
Lie on your back with an exercise ball held gently between the bottom half of your legs. Elevate your legs until they are pointing towards the ceiling. From this position, squeeze the ball for a count of three then release. Repeat this squeezing motion for the number of specified reps of the set you
are performing.
Tip
You can raise the exercise ball to a lower angle and hold it there while you perform this exercise. This will incorporate more overall thighs as well as some lower stomach work.
Lunges
Muscles Worked
Thighs (back) or Hamstrings,
Butt or Gluteus Maximus or Minimus,
Thighs (front) or Quadriceps
Position and Movement
Step forward to move downwards toward the floor in a controlled manner until your back knee comes close to touching the floor. Push with your front leg while squeezing your butt to move back into the upright starting position. You can switch legs each rep, or do one full set with the same leg then switch legs.
Tip
This is another great exercise that can be done at home with simple household objects like soup cans in place of weights.
Thighs (back) or Hamstrings,
Butt or Gluteus Maximus or Minimus,
Thighs (front) or Quadriceps
Position and Movement
Step forward to move downwards toward the floor in a controlled manner until your back knee comes close to touching the floor. Push with your front leg while squeezing your butt to move back into the upright starting position. You can switch legs each rep, or do one full set with the same leg then switch legs.
Tip
This is another great exercise that can be done at home with simple household objects like soup cans in place of weights.
