Monday, June 22, 2009

How to lose weight/muscle tone in the thigh area? -

Hi, I m a dancer and my thighs are very well toned, they re pretty much all muscle but they are HUGE in porportion to my body. I d like to get them smaller as I m self-consious of them but would that mean losing muscle? Also if that s what it comes down to...how do you do that (I guess)?P.S. I am really confused, ANY advice would be helpful...THANX! :)

jogging is an excellent exercise because it let you lose weightevenly throughout your whole body. If you want to lose weight inspecific areas, you should target them with exercises. If they areyour problem areas, they will be very difficult to tone. You will haveto work double on them. The best approach is this:1. Lower/control your daily calorie intake (control for normalweight, lower for overweight).2. Run/jog to lower your overall body fat percentage.3. Target your problem areas with exercises.Side Lunge SlideStand with feet hip-width apart, left foot resting on a paper plate.Bend the right leg while sliding the left foot to the side, torsoupright and abs in. Slowly slide left foot back to starting position,repeating 8-12 times. Switch legs and repeat for 2-3 sets.Lunge SlideStand with feet hip-width apart, left foot resting on a paper plate.Bend the right leg while sliding the left foot back into a lungeposition, keeping the right knee behind the toe, torso upright and absin. Slowly slide left foot back to starting position and repeat 8-12times. Switch legs and repeat on each leg for 2-3 sets.Front One-Legged SquatStand on a step or small platform. Lift left leg out in front of stepand bend the right leg, bringing the toe of the left foot to thefloor. Touch the floor lightly and keep the knee of the bent leg inline with toes. Straighten the right leg and repeat 8-12 times. Switchlegs and repeat for 2-3 sets.Chair SquatStand in front of a chair with feet hip-width apart, abs in and torsostraight. Slowly bend your knees and lower and until you re almosttouching your butt to the chair. Hold for 2-3 seconds, knees behindthe toes, and straighten. Repeat for 12-16 reps, 2-3 sets.Heel Drops with Leg ExtensionStand on step or platform with left leg on the step, right leghanging off the side. Bend the left leg and lower the right foottowards the floor (a few inches). Straighten the left leg and bringthe right leg out to the side, foot flexed, in a leg extension. Repeat8-12 times, switch legs for 2-3 sets.Hip ExtensionOn a flat or inclined step or platform, lie facedown with hips on theedge of the step, legs straight out behind you with toes restinglightly on the floor. Squeeze the glutes and hamstrings and straightenthe legs until they are level with the hips. Hold for 2-3 seconds, andlower letting toes lightly touch the floor. Repeat for 2-3 sets of8-12 repetitions.or you can watch youtube