One of the things that’s happened to me post-surgery is the whittling away of my poor leg muscles during my recovery phase, i.e. lack of activity. My leg muscles are probably my favorite region of my body because when they are out, they’re like, “POW!”
When they’re not out, (like now – they’re totally hiding from me) they have an appearance similar to gelatinous stumps.
I’m feverishly working to improve this not solely based on appearance (although that is an added benefit) but because one particular muscle, my inner thigh, is nearing useless. As in, I do a lunge on that side and I nearly fall over it’s so weak. Or I step up onto the wood floor from our sunken living room and the combination of my slippery sock and my inner thigh weakness sends me spinning onto the floor like Bambi on ice. It’s becoming a real problem.
(It’s amazing how quickly our muscles can turn to flab when we’re not looking!)
But even more than that, having strong leg and core muscles will also make you a better runner and athlete in general. And as someone who is slowly getting back into running, I need my legs back! Not to mention, it is swim suit season and I can use any help I can get rightaboutnow.
So if you’re looking to improve the appearance and strength of your thigh muscles like I am, here are some great exercises from the trainers at the American Council on Exercise that you can do from the comfort of your own living room! Feel free to print out or pin the workout too!
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5 Great Thigh Toning Exercises!
- Standing Gate Openers: This works the front, inner AND outer thighs. What’s also wonderful is that it also targets the core, which definitely needs some help post-surgery too
Side Lunges: This works your inner, outer, and front thighs but ALSO your bum. Bonus! Note: make sure to avoid stepping the foot too far before lunging.
- Side Lying Hip Abduction: This works the outer thigh to give you definition through the hip. Note: Don’t lift that leg too high! Once you’re past 45 degrees, you’re no longer targeting the hip muscle.
- Side Lying Hip Adduction: This is a very simple exercise to target (Tada!) the inner thigh. (I might do these all day.) Note: make sure your leg is only lifting a few inches off the ground. The hip can only abduct to a certain degree so just a few inches will get results!
- Stability Ball Hamstring Cult: I KNOW I need to get a stability ball. I have done this exercise plenty in bootcamp and it WORKS. Just a little movement is necessary and boy does it burn! This exercise targets your bum and hamstrings and the backs of your legs. Note: avoid lifting the hips too high and arching your back. Keep your core engaged!
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