Everybody has and needs fat. You need body fat to live and protect your organs and bones. So, not all body fat is bad. Problems, however, start occurring when you have excess fat in your body.
Excess fat forms when you take in more calories than you use. In other words, if you eat more fat than you burn, you get fat!
The body stores fat in different parts of the body, based on genetics. Fat can settle on the lower abdomen, hips, and thighs.
Aside from normal fat increase, thigh fat may also be caused by hormonal imbalance, improper diet, pregnancy, or a combination of some or all of these factors.
Thigh fat can be hard to lose. So if you have stubborn fat hanging on to your thighs, we explore simple exercises that will help you replace those thunder thighs for lean, silky legs that can sport sizzling shorts, jeans, or bikinis.
8 Simple Exercises to Get Rid Of Thigh Fat At Home
1. Leg Up
This will enable you to shed fat from the lower body.
Guide:
- On the floor, lie on your back facing the ceiling.
- Keep your palms at your sides facing the floor.
- Raise both legs to make an angle of 45 degrees with the ground.
- Your legs should be pointed straight up.
- Stretch your hands to your legs.
- Hold for a few seconds before slowly bringing the legs to the floor.
2. Leg Stretch
This will cause better blood circulation, which you should feel by the third set.
Guide:
- Sit upright while your legs are straight, kept together, and stretched.
- Spread your legs wide apart.
- Breathe in and bend to touch your left toes with both hands.
- Attempt to touch your knees with your head. Hold the movement for a few seconds.
- Slowly raise your head, exhaling as you do so.
- Do the same for the right toes.
Read Also: 9 Exercises That Will Burn Your Inner Thigh Fat Fast In 2 Weeks
3. Air Cycling
Air cycling is a very effective exercise for fat loss because it combines cardio with muscle toning
Guide:
- Lie on your back, with your eyes on the ceiling.
- Lift your legs straight up, 90 degrees off the ground. Your calves should be parallel to the ground while your thighs are perpendicular to the ground.
- Move your legs in a forward cycling motion.
- Cycle your legs for a minute or two and relax.
- Move your legs in a backward cycling motion.
4. Lunges
Lunges are an excellent workout for the inner thighs. They also touch the glutes, helping to shed a few extra pounds from your butt too.
Guide:
- Stand straight
- Step forward with your right leg and bend your right leg to form a 90-degree angle at the knee. Your right leg should be stretched out straight behind you.
- Repeat the movement with your left leg.
Read Also: 7 Easy At-Home Exercises to Tone Stomach, Bum and Thighs
5. Trace the Letters of the Alphabet
Guide:
- Lie down facing up.
- Lift your left leg straight up and trace A-Z with it. Do not bring down your leg till you’ve traced all the letters of the alphabet.
- Repeat the movement with your right leg.
- Breathe in and out to aerate your system and relax in-between.
6. Curtsy Lunge
Guide:
- Stand straight with your feet shoulder-width apart. Your upper torso should be straight and upright.
- Cross your left leg behind the right.
- Squat down into a curtsy position.
- Squeeze your glutes and push your body straight up while returning your left leg to the starting position.
- Repeat the movement with your right leg.
To increase the challenge in the exercise, use dumbbells to enhance the resistance. If you don’t have dumbbells, you can carry a backpack of books on your back.
Read Also: 7 Best Exercises to Get Rid Of Cellulite on Thighs, Legs and Bum Fast
7. Lunges with Dumbbell
Guide:
- Stand straight while holding a dumbbell in each of your hands. Your feet should be shoulder-width apart.
- Your hands should be straight and by your side, holding the dumbbells steadily. If using dumbbells are too challenging, discard them and do the exercise without weights. You can add the dumbbells later on.
- Step forward with your left leg and bend your left leg to form a 90-degree angle at the knee as it lands. Your knee should not go past your toes. The left leg should be perpendicular to the floor while your thighs are parallel to the floor.
- Your right leg should be in a kneeling position at about an inch or two above the floor.
- The dumbbells should not shake but remain straight and steady in each hand throughout the exercise. To increase the difficulty level of the exercise, do a bicep curl while you perform the lunge. Your torso should be upright throughout.
- Push your body back up and place your left leg at the starting position. Ensure you place your weight on your heels.
- Repeat this movement with the right leg.
Read Also: 7 Easy Exercises That Will Burn Your Inner Thigh Fat Fast In Two Weeks
8. Plie Squats
Guide:
- Stand straight with your feet shoulder-width apart. Your toes and knees should be pointed to the sides.
- Slowly drop into a squat position until your butt is parallel to the floor. You can place your hands on your hips or behind your head. Your torso should be straight and upright.
- Rise up slowly while squeezing your glutes.
- Repeat the movement.
Read Also: Tone Your Thigh Fast In 4 weeks: 30-Day Thigh Fat Burning Challenge
Why You Shouldn’t Spot Train to Lose Thigh Fat
Is it possible to train one muscle or an affected area to lose fat? Spot training to lose fat is a myth, as most fitness professionals have come to discover.
It won’t work because it only targets small muscles. Instead of spot training, perform workouts that target multiple major muscle groups at once like lunges and squats.
You will also burn fat faster when you mix muscle training with cardio exercise.
Do 15 to 30 minutes of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) workouts or 30 minutes of cardio thrice weekly.
Read Also: 7 Easy Exercises That Will Burn Your Inner Thigh Fat Fast In Two Weeks
Conclusion
Losing thigh fat is best done through an integrated approach. Subcutaneous (just under the skin) fat and intramuscular (within the muscle) fat can be reduced by cutting calories in your diet and using the simple exercises described above.
Ensure you speak with your doctor before starting a new exercise regimen.
Read Also: 10 Easy Exercises to Get Rid Of Leg Fats Fast In Two Weeks