Abs have crunches. Arms have curls. Butts have squats. Thighs have...what? A whole lot of resentment, that's what.
Fortunately, there are plenty of thigh exercises out there to help you achieve stronger, sculpted legs. Strength and conditioning specialist Holly Perkins designed the ultimate thigh workout to help you strengthen and define every inch of your lower half so no muscle goes untouched. While some of the exercises use your bodyweight for resistance, as you get stronger and develop more muscles, it's important to add resistance.
“Muscles become larger when you add more and more resistance. But when you only do bodyweight exercises, you eliminate the progressive resistance because your body weight always stays (roughly) the same,” Perkins says.
Ready to power up those thighs? Here's the workout: Perform two sets of 10 to 12 reps for each exercise, resting 1 minute in between sets. When using weights, aim for a load that will require you to struggle to finish the last two reps of each set.
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1) Leg Press
Take a seat in the leg-press machine. Place your feet hip-width apart in the middle of the footplate. Press the weight, release the support bar, and lower the footplate until your legs are bent at 90 degrees. Push with your heels as you press the plate back to the starting position. This is one rep.
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2) Squat
Holding two dumbbells at your sides, stand with your feet hip-width apart and toes turned slightly out. Keeping your chest up, push your hips back and lower your body until your thighs are parallel to the floor, or as far down as you can go. Return to the starting position by pressing through your heels. Hate squats?
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3) Bench Step-Up
Holding dumbbells at your sides, step up onto a sturdy bench with your right leg. Press into your right heel as you step up fully onto the bench with your left leg trailing behind. Then step back off the bench. Repeat all reps on the right leg before switching to the left.
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4) Walking Lunge
Grab a pair of dumbbells and hold them at your sides. Tighten your abs and take a very large step forward with your right leg. Lower your body until your back knee comes close to touching the floor. Lean forward slightly and press into your right heel to stand up with feet together. Next, step forward with your left leg and repeat on the left side. Alternate lunges for a total of 24 steps (12 reps on each leg).
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5) Single-Leg Deadlift
Balance on your right leg with left leg lifted slightly off the ground and bent. Keeping a slight bend in your right knee, bend your torso forward, reaching both hands towards the floor (don't try to make contact) and extending your back leg so that it's almost parallel to the floor. Your legs should form a 90-degree “L” shape. Maintaining balance, return to the starting position. Before incorporating a weight, like a dumbbell or kettlebell, be sure to nail down the move using just your bodyweight. Complete 15 reps, then switch legs.
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6) Active Warrior II
Begin in a low Warrior II position with one arm reaching out in front of you, and the other behind you (both in line with your shoulders to form a “T”). Your feet should be about 4 feet apart with your front leg bent at 90 degrees, your back leg straight and back foot angled.
From this lunge position, drive into the heel of the front foot, pressing your body up and straightening the front leg. Lower back down to lunge (front thigh parallel to the floor) to complete one repetition. Do this 20 times on both sides.
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7) Split Lunge Jump
Begin in a lunge position. Lower your body toward the floor about 4 to 6 inches (just enough for your muscles to create explosive power) and then immediately spring upward, jumping as high as you can. In mid-air, switch legs so that you land with the opposite foot forward.
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8) Side Leap
Stand with feet together and your body lowered down slightly in a shallow squat. Take a very large leap to your right side landing on your right foot, allowing the left foot to tap the floor for balance. Immediately leap toward the left side in the same way. Keep your body low and knees soft throughout for a total of 30 jumps (15 per leg).
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