Athletes make it look easy, but they didn’t roll out of bed one day looking fit and ready to tackle the world of professional sports. They train hard, and one benefit of their hard work is toned legs. But you don’t need to spend tons of time at the gym to slim down your thighs. You’ll just need a bit of dedication. By following the thigh exercises described here, you’ll be on your way to slimmer legs in no time.
Place your feet shoulder-width apart on the crosspiece – the bar you rest your feet against to activate the weight resistance – with your toes pointing forward.
Sit on the leg extension machine with your knees bent.Place your ankles behind a padded bar connected to a weight stack.Extend your legs until they’re straight by lifting the padded bar with your legs. This engages your quads as the muscle flexes.
Sit on the leg curl machine with your legs straight out in front.Place your ankles over the padded bar, attached to a weight stack.Push your legs down instead of up to engage the hamstrings.Stretch your legs out between sets.
Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart about 2 feet away from the wall.Slide down until you’re in a sitting position, thighs parallel to the floor.Hold this position as long as you can, but aim for at least 20 seconds before rising back up
Stand straight with your feet shoulder-width apart.Inhale deeply and bend your legs slowly until your thighs are parallel to the floor (squat down as if you are about to sit in a chair).Keep your back and shoulders straight and stick out your butt as you squat.Exhale, keeping a slight bend in your knees.Come back up by straightening your legs.
Stand with your feet spread at least shoulder-width apart; the farther apart your feet are, the more you’ll work your inner thighs.Turn your feet so your toes face out.Move your hips back and stick out your buttocks.Inhale and bend at the knees, lowering as far as you can.Exhale and rise slowly while maintaining a straight torso.
Take a giant step forward with one leg.Bend your knee all the way until your front leg is at a 90-degree angle. (Make sure your knee doesn’t go beyond your toes.)Hold the lunge for a few seconds.Straighten your front leg slowly and step back so feet are together.Repeat the move with the other leg.