Proven Ways To Slim Your Upper Thighs

A bit over half of all Americans want to lose weight. Are you one of them?

Many people who say they want to lose weight really mean that they want to lose fat, primarily around their waist and upper thighs. Fat loss can be frustrating. It’s a slow process that requires a complete lifestyle overhaul!

We’re here to help you learn how to get strong and toned upper thighs. Read on to learn some tips.

Can Anyone Have a Thigh Gap?

It’s important to note that having a thigh gap isn’t possible for everyone, and there’s no reason that a thigh gap should be your ultimate goal. You can have slim thighs and they may still touch depending on your bone structure.

If you choose to build muscle and get strong legs, “slim” will look different on you. You’ll have toned legs that may look a bit more substantial because muscle adds weight.

When most people say they want slim thighs, what they really mean is that they want to lose body fat. You can do that with a combination of diet and exercise.

Can You Target Weight Loss?

Unfortunately, spot reduction is a myth. You can not lose fat on your thighs without losing fat everywhere. You may even find that you start losing fat in places that you aren’t targeting far before you start losing thigh fat.

With this in mind, when you do leg-specific workouts, you are building muscle in your thighs. This will give them a more toned and firm appearance even if you haven’t yet lost substantial fat.

Good Exercises For Toning Upper Thighs

So you want to tone up your upper thighs and hopefully promote fat loss along the way. Exercise is only half of the battle, but it’s a great place to start. You’ll feel great and build muscle in your legs!

Here are a few of our favorite workout styles that can lead to a more toned appearance in your upper thighs.

Pilates

Pilates is a good entryway into exercise for anyone who’s never hit the gym before. It’s relaxing, like yoga, and it’s easy on your joints.

Pilates is great for toning up your core and legs. Simple pilates exercises, such as side leg raises and clamshells, are gentle enough for beginners, but you’ll feel the burn.

You can take one of our pilates classes to get a feel for this fun exercise. You can also do pilates on your own time as a burnout round, a rest day exercise, or even a warm-up.

Resistance Training

Too many people avoid resistance training because they’re worried about getting bulky. This shouldn’t be a concern at the beginning of your fitness journey.

It’s true that building muscle will, eventually lead to having thicker and stronger leg muscles. However, because of that muscle, your legs will look more toned than they did before. Getting larger leg muscles also requires a calorie surplus, so if you’re keeping your diet in check, it won’t happen.

If you don’t want to build substantial muscle, you can choose to stick with bodyweight or low-weight exercises. You can also do fast-paced strength workouts, such as our Bodypump class, to keep the calorie burn high.

High-Intensity Interval Training

High-intensity interval training (otherwise known as HIIT) is fantastic for slimming down and toning your thighs!

The point of HIIT is to burn a ton of calories in a short amount of time. You can get a full workout done in twenty minutes or less, but you’re going to work hard!

HIIT ranges from general cardio (such as treadmill intervals) all the way to plyometric exercises. Doing plyometrics is a great way to also work your leg muscles while you’re burning calories.

You can try your own HIIT workouts or try out one of our Turn Up classes to get some HIIT inspiration and work up a serious sweat!

Keeping Up With Cardio

Toning up requires a good blend of cardio and resistance training. While cardio isn’t always fun, it’s great for facilitating fat loss.

Try to find a type of cardio that’s sustainable for you.

For some people, that means running or jogging. Hitting the treadmill or even getting outside on a nice day will get your blood pumping and burn some serious calories.

If you don’t like to run, you can also set your treadmill to a steep incline and power walk instead.

You can try fun dance or aerobic workouts, such as our Zumba classes. These workouts will keep you moving but they’re so fun that you’ll forget that you’re exercising!

Cycling is another great exercise for toning your legs and burning calories. You can use one of our cycling machines, ride your bike to the gym, or even take our RPM class!

Remember: Diet Is Key

At the end of the day, you won’t be able to lose weight if you aren’t paying attention to your diet.

To lose fat, you need to burn more calories than you consume. Remember that it’s far easier to overeat than it is to burn those excess calories. It can take you over an hour to burn 200 calories (depending on your workout), but only a minute to eat a candy bar and get those calories back.

This doesn’t mean that you need to be super strict with your diet, however. Try to put yourself in a moderate calorie deficit for sustainable weight loss. If you try to cut too many calories at once in combination with an intense workout routine, you may burn out.

Try to eat volume foods to stay satisfied. For example, in your next stir fry, replace more of your noodles or rice with vegetables.

Eat plenty of protein. You don’t want to lose muscle mass while you’re working out.

You Can Get Toned and Strong Upper Thighs

If you want toned upper thighs, keep these tips in mind!

Remember, you won’t be able to spot reduce. These exercise and diet recommendations will help you lose fat all over your body while you gain muscle in your legs.

If you’re dedicated, you’ll get the strong and firm legs you’ve always wanted.

Are you ready to reach your fitness potential? We want to meet you! With our wide variety of fun classes and high-quality gym equipment, you’ll be able to get a great workout in on any day of the week.

Try a free trial or join us today!