Best exercises for toning up the dreaded t-h-i-g-h-s??

[dimitryet]

Hey gals.

I'm a 26 year old girl, about 168cm tall and weight fluctuates between 53-57kg, depending on my eating habits and so on. I'm nowhere near underweight as I have quite shapely hips and thighs. I'm a very comfortable size 8 (AU sizing) but my problem area is DEFINITELY the thighs. I just hate them!!

In terms of exercise I am very lucky in the sense that I walk to work every day (about 3km each way, 5 days per week), but naturally I am doing this quicker every time and it hardly feels like a work-out...its just routine now. Usually 1-3 other nights per week, with social life and work commitments permitting, I will walk an extra 5km and alternate between jogging, running and walking etc.

But I just can't seem to tone these thighs up and I hate them... they are my most disliked feature! Even when I was at my all-time low weight (about 51.5kg, end of 2011) I still had wobbly thighs.

Any help at all is GREATLY appreciated!!! x

 

[joannejojo]

@dimitryet Squats.

 

[stevej66]

@dimitryet I say keep walking to work but switch up those extra 5km you do 1-3 times a week for some strength training of your lower body, especially for your hams and quads. Weights are your friends.

 

[getupjohnnyboy]

@dimitryet The distribution of fat on your body is determined by genetics, but if you want to gain more muscle in your thighs, then I'd recommend stopping with so much walking (this builds endurance more than strength) and start doing lifts (e.g. Squats) and other quad exercises like leg presses and maybe hamstring curls as well. There's no guarantee this will help, as I'm sure you already know you can't spot reduce, but if you want more muscle tone, you first need, well, muscle!