Tag Archives: exercises

Exercises That Tone Thighs and Reduce Flab

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Knowing what exercises tone thighs is one of the most asked questions I get from women.  The next question that usually follows it how long is it going to take to reduce the flab and have nice sexy legs.  What I usually start off saying is that it is going to take a little time and patience but that they will easily see results in a few weeks. 

I know they will see results they want if they follow my plan and the exercises that I layout for them.  One key to knowing that you are seeing results is to make sure that you measure your thighs so that you know what you are starting with.

Thighs come in all shapes and sizes but that doesn’t mean that you can have the thighs you want.  Just keep doing the exercises listing below and maintaining a healthly low calorie diet and you will see the flab slowly reduce from all over.

Exercises That Tone Thighs That You Can Do At Home

I train many women and the one thing that is for sure, women want to have toned inner thighs.  Though this seems to be one of the biggest problem areas for many there are easy and simple solutions to getting you the thighs you have always wanted.  In fact most of the exercises you need to do can be done at home without needed any gym memberships or fancy workout equipment.

Inner Thigh Exercises To Tone Thighs

Side Lunges:  The side lunge is a version of the standard lunge however instead of stepping forward you will actually step from side to side.  The side lunge can be done with dumbbells or without just using your own body weight.

Single-Leg Circles:  Lay on your back with your arms on the floor palms down.  Take your left leg and left it up in the air as if you were trying to touch the ceiling with your toes.  Inhale and while your legs are in the air trace a circle as if it were on the ceiling starting in a clockwise motion 5 times and then in a counter-clockwise direction.  Make sure you are still and that your hands or hips left up off the floor.

Front Thigh Exercises To Tone Thighs

Step Ups:  Start with a small chair, step, or stair in front of you and begin by lifting your left leg and placing it on the step.  Once your leg is on the step you want to raise your entire body up in the air using your quads muscles in front of your thighs.  Step up and pause before returning to the starting position.  Do several repetitions with one leg before switching and doing the other leg and this also can be done using dumbbells.

Standard Lunges:  Stand straight with your feet about hip-width apart and lunge forward with your right leg making sure to land on your heel and then your forefoot.  You want to lower your body by bending the knee and flexing the hip of the right leg until your left knee almost touches the floor and then return to the starting position.

Rear Thigh Exercises To Tone Thighs

Good mornings:  When doing this exercise you want to start out with little or no weight.  Stand straight up and make sure you squeeze your butt and bend at the hips.  Lower your upper body to the floor until your hands or dumbbells touch it while making sure your back is straight.  Slowly lift back to the starting position using a nice controlled movement and repeat.

Swiss Ball Hamstring Curl:  With a Swiss ball lie on the floor with your feet on the ball.  Raise your butt so that your body will be straight or slightly arched at your back.  Bend your knees while keeping your feet on the ball until they are at a 90 degree angle, the ball will roll with your feet while you are bending.  Hold for about 2-3 seconds making sure that you are not bending at the hips and the roll the ball back to the starting position.

When You Exercise Legs Don’t Forget to Exercise Calf Muscles

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Do you exercise calf muscles doing your leg workout?  Generally speaking there are only a few things men find more appealing than a pair of sexy legs on a woman.  However while working out their legs I find that many women don’t exercise calf muscles the way that they should.  I’m not suggesting that a woman should end up with huge calves from over working them but you have to work the entire leg and that includes your calf muscles.  You want your leg to have a sexy appealing look “all over” not just the thigh and hip area.

“This is “Dancing with the Stars” Kym Johnson &  Lacey Schwimmer.  This picture shows how for the most part it’s the lower legs that get all of the appearance not to mention how the heels help the legs alot.  These women are always on there toes and this helps to create wonderful looking calves and give a great overall impression of their legs.”

Why So Many Forget About The Lower Legs

I think the main reason most women focus on the upper part of their legs are because that is the place the usually seek change.  From the emails I have received this part of their legs is almost tops where they would consider their problem area. That simply means that this is the part of their leg where they find excessive fat.  We all know that if there is one thing that will get a woman to workout out its not fitting into jeans or the dreaded thigh rub.

Reasons to Focus on Lower Leg

One reason for focusing on exercising your calf muscles is for balance and I not just talking about being able to stand up straight.  But think about if you only work the top part of your body and never touch your lower part.  You would end up looking like a lot of men in the gym who refuse to work their legs who have the massive upper body with the “chicken leg” look. Make sure you give your legs the sleek balance by working both upper and lower parts.

My second reason women should focus on their calves is simply because those are exposed more than any other part of the legs.  Whether is shorts, swimsuits, skirts, or whatever else you wear that is going to show your legs your calves will be the first thing a man will see.  If you think about when a man approaches you and says “you have wonderful legs” for the most part all he is commenting on are your calves.  I mean let’s face unless you are in a bikini that is all he is really going to see!

Exercises for Building Sexy Calf Muscles:

Sprinting for Calves

Not only is sprinting excellent for building and sculpting a nice round butt, it also is ideal for great calves as well.  Sprinting causes you to stay on your toes and is an excellent way to push your lower legs in an explosive way.  I sprinted in high school and the women I saw on the track were some of the best looking and toned legs I have ever seen.  If you want to lose weight fast or tone any part of your body then you should get into sprinting.

Jumping Rope

I just did a post a few days ago on how you can use jumping rope for high intensity interval training but skipping rope will no doubt help to build some pretty sexy calf muscles. The exercise forces you to stay on your toes and whenever you use your toes you use your calves.  If you can do double jumps for a long period of time you will really burn the lower legs.

Also just look at all of the exotic dancer out there (Ok not all of them) but for the most part they all have nice tone legs.  Much like performers such as “Beyonce” and “Shakira” who do whole performances while wearing heels the keep them on their toes for extends periods of time forcing them to work there calves.

My Thoughts On Exercising Calves

I find a woman’s leg to be very attractive and think that every part of the lower body should be worked including the calf muscles.  For many women just the consistent walking in high heels all day will allow them to achieve similar tone and appearance.  However for a better workout or for those who look to achieve a better overall appearance trying so of the tips recommended will surely help even taking up a dancing class that requires you to wear heels.  Have you seen the legs on the women on dancing with the stars lately?

Looking for a Smaller Waist? Hips Got you Down?

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Get the waist and hips that look great in anything!

The term waist hips is highly searched on the internet.  Whether women are looking for the proper waist to hip ratio, diets to get a smaller waistline, or simply wanting to know the correct exercises to trim down that midsection.  The problem however is that there are too many articles and too much stuff that simply confuses everyone.

I just stumbled across what I believe to be a great article about waist hips. This is a good primer on the topic and the author does a great job giving you a good overview on the subject. My belief is that this article will be worth your time and is much better than most of the information on the internet. Anyways, I cut and pasted it below.

A Smaller Waist Can Be Yours

By Rebecca Kordecki

The Holidays have come and gone, there has been much celebration, quality time spent with families and lots of memorable moments. As we roll into another year filled with hope and determination and a fresh list of New Years goals in our sights, ninety percent of us probably included a goal regarding health and exercise.

Which area do you suppose it is? What is the one area on the body that by making another area larger it looks smaller? Okay I’ll tell you…the waist. By increasing the size of your shoulders and back you can create the illusion of having a smaller waist. Now granted this is fantastic if you are a bodybuilder and don’t mind your latisimus dorsi (back muscles down the sides of your body) looking like Bruce Lee’s. Men may not have an issue with that idea but most women aren’t going for that look. While lifting weights specifically for your back and shoulder muscles will help to give the illusion of a smaller waist, in this article I will address other ways to achieve the goal of reducing your midsection.

The first step is to make peace with the body type and waist size you were born with and then take the appropriate steps towards shaping up what you have. Your waist size is essentially predetermined by your ribs and hip bone skeletal structure while the rest of your waist size is a result of how much fatty tissue surrounds the area. No one likes to hear that you must lose the fat to gain the prize because we all know it means things in our lives have to change.

How many of us happily gravitate towards change? Yes, it’s true…change is hard, but without change, things, including your waist measurement, will stay the same. The reality is that the body has a mind of its own when left undisciplined. But with a bit of discipline and some old fashioned hard work you can become the master of your body. A smaller, tighter midsection and stronger core are all within your reach if you are ready to do what it takes. Before I discuss what you must do to reduce your waist size let’s dispel some misconceptions that exist regarding this topic.

#1 Breathing exercises will shrink your waist

While it is true that breathing and diagrammatic exercises will tighten your tummy they will not reduce the body fat that expanded your tummy to begin with.

#2 Electronic Abdominal Exercise Belts will give you a six pack

These belts do nothing more than reduce the size of your wallet. Fortunately, most of the companies that lied in their claims on TV infomercials are now being sued in a class action suit for their false claims.

#3 Hundreds of crunches a day will give you a smaller waist

As a competitive fitness model, if this were true I should have the smallest waist on the planet. Unfortunately, I do not. I was born with wide hips and thus the size of my waist is proportionate to that fact. No matter how many crunches or leg lifts you do you cannot crunch your way to a tiny midsection. The fat around the waist needs to be shed before you will ever see the results of all those crunches.

Now that we know what doesn’t work for obtaining a smaller waist, let’s get to what does work.

Choose A Goal

First you must choose your goal. I will always sing the praises of goal setting. Why? Because it really does work. Okay, now that you’ve chosen a goal, write it down! Remember, seeing it in front of you each day in black and white makes all the difference. Do you want to lost five pounds overall? Do you want to just get a smaller waist so your pants aren’t so tight? Do you want a smaller waist but also a stronger core (abdominal and back strength as a unit)? What’s your goal? Whatever it is, choose it now.

Every goal in life usually takes hard work to get it and this is no different. If it were easy, America wouldn’t have the obesity epidemic it has and everyone would have a waist the size of Pamela Anderson or Cher (and no I don’t believe the rumor that she had a rib removed to reduce her waist size). So if you’re ready to commit to the work here are some action steps to help you achieve a smaller waist.

Diet

The most important thing is not to skip meals so that when you finally eat you eat large unbalanced meals. Ideally, you should graze throughout the day. Small but frequent meals are one of the keys to a smaller waist. If you continuously train your stomach to expand with large meals, eventually it will permanently extend to accommodate this eating pattern. Small meals throughout the day (3 to 4 with a snack in between) will keep you satiated and your stomach won’t have to keep expanding to allow room for the overabundance of food.

Also, eat slowly. Chew your food as this will aid in the digestion process. The slower you eat the sooner the brain will be able to register when you are full. You must allow time for this to occur. We tend to overeat when we eat in a rush. Try to make meal times relaxed. Be sure to eat a diet full of vegetables, grains, lean proteins and some good fats.

One last great tip, eat your last meal 2 to 3 hours before bedtime. This will give your body time to begin the digestion process before you lay down for bed and all your bodily functions begin to slow down. This simple habit will truly make a difference.

Exercise

Probably the most important element on this mission to a smaller waist is that you begin to include exercise, cardiovascular as well as weight training, to your daily routine. If you want a great beginner’s weight training routine, refer to our last issue of this magazine in my column or go online and look under “exercise programs for beginners” or whatever level you may be at.

Obviously, if you are carrying excess body fat around your waist the only way to make your waist smaller is by losing that fat. You must begin an exercise routine right away. Additionally, cardiovascular exercise needs to become your friend. Whether it is, walking at a brisk pace, jogging, biking, tennis, hiking, whatever it is, you need at least three days a week for thirty to sixty minutes a day to make a dent in the fat loss goal. Please be rigorous and ask yourself these questions as you do this cardio exercise. Are you working up a sweat? Are you feeling challenged? Are your glad when it’s over? If you answered yes to these three questions, chances are your doing the cardio work at an appropriate level to encourage fat loss and changes in your body. Otherwise, why bother. Don’t just go through the motions, do the work and the results will be yours!

Area Specific Exercises

I know in the beginning of this article I said all the crunches in the world wouldn’t give you a smaller waist but once the excess fat is gone from your midsection, yes, abdominal exercises and core strengthening moves will give you the finishing touch to a tighter and smaller waist. I will describe three excellent exercises for working the midsection and core strength. Of course there are many others, but start with these and add others as you progress. Include these exercises 2-3 times per week with your new fitness program.

Basic Crunch (front abdominals)

Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Gently clasp your hands behind your head. Never pull on your neck. Slowly, curl up bringing your shoulders off the floor about 6-10 inches. Consciously tighten your midsection as you lift. Be sure to exhale as you curl up. Slowly lower. Repeat 15-20 times. Do three sets.

Twisting Crunches (side abdominals)

Begin in the same position as the basic crunch but this time bring your knees up, feet off the floor. With your hands clasped behind your head twist your upper body so your right elbow meets your left knee. Squeeze, then return to starting position. Now twist your body so that your left elbow meets your right knee. Squeeze and return to starting position. Repeat 10-15 times on each side. Do three sets.

Plank (core strength)

Lie face down on the floor. Place your hands and wrists directly under your shoulders. Press your toes into the floor. Firmly with total body strength, press up until your arms are locked out straight and your body is in a nearly straight line (as if you’re about to do a push up). This is the movement. Simply hold this position for 15 seconds to start with. Then slowly lower down to the floor. Repeat three times. Work up to 30 second holds. This movement is an excellent core strengthener and will tighten many muscles if done regularly.

Follow the above suggestions and you should be well on your way to obtaining the waist size you desire, providing it’s a realistic goal. Remember, there is no magic pill to any health and fitness desire. The only way to get there is through hard work, commitment and discipline. There is truly no better feeling than reaching your goal and knowing you did whatever it took to get there. So go for it…start today!

Rebecca Kordecki is available for fitness coaching/consultations and speaking engagements. Please visit http://www.rebeccakordecki.com for more information.

Rebecca Kordecki, owner of Mobile Fitness & Massage, has enjoyed a very full career as a personal trainer, massage therapist and spokesperson for the past 13 years shaping up some of Hollywood’s finest. Her client roster has included such celebrities as Raquel Welch, Hunter Tylo (“The Bold and The Beautiful”), Scott Wolf (Party of Five), Tom Arnold, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Oliver Stone, Jim Belushi, Erika Eleniak, Elijah Wood and Kevin Bright (Executive Producer of “Friends” and “Joey”). Additionally, she has been a highly sought after massage therapist in Hollywood known for her “strong, yet healing hands”. Rebecca’s company Mobile Fitness & Massage provides a full range of personal training/diet coaching/meal planning/massage therapy services as well as motivational speaking and fitness consulting. Rebecca’s company recently expanded to include bi-coastal service. Beginning in 2006, Rebecca began offering her services in Manhattan and Southampton. To contact Rebecca and learn more about her services visit http://www.rebeccakordecki.com/contact.htm

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Like I said this is a great article to get you started on learning more about the term waist hips. So waist and hips is a complex subject and although this article is a good place to begin your research, I suggest you go to other sites for more info.  Try going to Google and typing in the term yourself to find more information on the subject.