5 Best Thigh Exercises – Workout of the Month

If you have an ectomorphic body type, then you probably have skinny upper and lower legs. Or if you have excess overall flab then your thighs lose the appeal due to bulging cellulite.
In order to have the right amount of muscles in your calves and thighs, intensify your strength-building routine. Use heavier weights and workout fewer times per week. Target compound muscle groups and avoid isolation exercises to give your legs better shape and definition.

There are many exercises that will help you build great thighs like Leg Curl, Standing Calf Raises, Goblet squats, Romanian Deadlift, Dumbbell Walking Lunge etc. Keep an ideal mix of exercises to work out the quadriceps and hamstring muscles. Don’t, overexert any one particular muscle group.

We give you a sample thigh workout plan

1. Lunges

Keep your upper body straight, with your shoulders back and relaxed and chin up. Step forward with one leg, lowering your hips until both knees are bent at about a 90-degree angle. Make sure your front knee is directly above your ankle, not pushed out too far, and make sure your other knee doesn’t touch the floor. Keep the weight in your heels as you push back up to the starting position. It’s important to do lunges properly so you don’t put unwanted strain on your joints. Perform 3 sets of 10-15 reps each.

2. Leg Extension

First, choose your weight and sit on the leg extension machine with your legs under the pad (feet pointed forward) and the hands holding the side bars. Also, make sure that your legs form a 90-degree angle between the lower and upper leg. If the angle is less than 90-degrees then that means the knee is over the toes which in turn creates undue stress at the knee joint. Using your quadriceps, extend your legs to the maximum as you exhale. Ensure that the rest of the body remains stationary on the seat. Pause for a second in the contracted position. Slowly lower the weight back to the original position as you inhale, ensuring that you do not go past the 90-degree angle limit. Perform 3 sets of 10-15 reps each.

3. Weighted/Back Squats

Begin with the barbell supported on top of the traps on your shoulders. The chest should be up and the head facing forward. Keep a hip-width gap between your legs. Go down maintaining this posture, refraining from moving the hips back as much as possible. Keep the knees forward. Ensure that they stay aligned with the feet. The goal is to keep the torso as upright as possible. Continue all the way down, keeping the weight on the front of the heel. When you have reached a position where the upper legs contact the lower legs, reverse the motion while going upwards. Perform 3 sets of 10-15 reps each.

4. Stiff-Leg Dead Lift

Grasp a bar using an overhand grip. Stand with your torso straight and your legs spaced using a shoulder width. The knees should be slightly bent. Keeping the knees stationary, lower the barbell to over the top of your feet by bending at the waist while keeping your back straight. Keep moving forward as if you were going to pick something from the floor until you feel a stretch on the hamstrings. Inhale as you perform this movement. Start bringing your torso up straight again by extending your hips until you are back at the starting position. Exhale as you perform this movement.
Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions. Perform 3 sets of 10-15 reps each.

5. One-Leg Leg Press

Seat yourself on the machine, planting one foot on the platform in-line with your hip. Your free foot can be placed on the ground. Maintain a good spinal position with your head and chest up. Supporting the weight, fully extend the knee and unlock the sled. Lower the weight by flexing the hip and knee, continuing as far as flexibility allows. At the bottom of the motion pause briefly and then return to the starting position by extending the hip and knee. Complete all repetitions for one leg before switching to the other. Perform 3 sets of 10-15 reps each.

Remember that the above sample with given reps and sets is for an intermediate level person. To boost your stamina, you may consume appropriate supplements and max your output.

• Advance level – 4 sets, 15-20 reps
• Beginner level – 1-2 sets, 5-10 reps

So, lunge towards shapely, muscular and toned thighs.