"Multi Muscle & Single Muscle Thigh Exercises"
Multi Muscle Leg Exercises - Dumbbell Lunges:
Thigh exercises like this are good for working your glutes, quads, inner and outer thighs and hamstrings. You can perform upper leg exercises like the lunge in either a stationary position, or you can walk across a large area in a straight line.
Hold a dumbbell in each hand and pull your shoulders back. Lift your chest up and look straight ahead. Position your right leg forward in a long stride. Your foot should be far enough in front of you so that when you bend your right knee, your thigh and lower leg form a right angle.
Slowly bend your knee lowering your hips so your knee just clears the floor. Pause briefly in this position, then slowly straighten your legs and raise your body back up to the standing position.
Complete a full set, then switch legs and repeat. Or you can switch legs and move forward across the floor with each repetition. Try and pay close attention to the angle formed by your thigh and lower leg. Your knee should be directly over your ankle. Don't let your knee stray over your toes. Your knee and toes should be pointed in the same direction.
Multi Muscle Leg Exercises - Leg Extensions:
Multi muscle thigh exercises like this will help to define and shape the front of your thighs, known as your quads.
Using a leg extension machine, sit in the seat and hook your feet under the padded bar. Adjust the pad or the seat so that your knees hang off the end of the seat and the foot pad rests on the lowest part of your shins, right above your ankle.
The pad should not be on your feet or in the middle of your shins. Grip the handles on the machine or hold onto the edges of the seat to keep your hips from lifting up as you perform the thigh exercises.
Extend your legs until your knees are straight, making sure you remain seated flat on the machine. Raise the weight up all the way, lock and hold briefly, then slowly lower the weight back to the starting position.
Like all thigh exercises, it's very important to get the full range of motion and for you to feel the contraction in your muscles all the way up and down.
Multi Muscle Leg Exercises - Leg Press:
Sitting on a leg press machine, position your feet together against the footrest about shoulder width apart with your toes pointed slightly outward. Grip the handles or the sides of the seat.
Bend your knees and lower the weight as far as possible without changing the position of your hips. Don't lower the weight so far that your hips start to curl up off the seat.
Pause briefly in the bottom position then slowly push the weight back up using your heels, not your toes. Do not lock your knees at the top, but rather take the weight to just before lockout. Then begin to lower the weight again in a slow and deliberate fashion.
Multi Muscle Leg Exercises - Barbell Squats:
This is by far the most effective and efficient out of all thigh exercises for overall leg development.
Rest the barbell on the upper portion of your back, but not on your neck. Firmly grip the bar with your hands almost twice your shoulder width apart. Position your feet on a heel raise so that the balls of your feet are resting on the floor and your heels are elevated.
Your feet should be about shoulder width apart with your knees bent slightly outward and your knees over your toes. Keeping your back as straight as possible and your chin up, bend your knees and slowly lower your hips straight down until your thighs are parallel with the floor.
Once you reach the bottom position, press the weight up with your heels. Be careful and don't lean forward or curve your back. This will stress your back and decrease the effectiveness of the exercise.
Multi Muscle Leg Exercises - Back Extensions:
Thigh exercises like back extensions are excellent for your lower back, glutes and hamstrings.
Lie face down on a back extension bench and lock your ankles in place, or hook them under the roller pad if a footrest is not available. Adjust your hips on the pads so that when you bend forward your back is perpendicular to the floor, but not rounded. Your hips should extend over the edge of the pad. Fold your hands across your chest.
Keeping your head in alignment with your spine lift your torso until your back is perpendicular to the floor. Lifting your torso higher than parallel is unnecessary and may place harmful stress on your back. Reverse the technique to return to the start.
After a few workouts, when the exercise becomes easier, hold a weight plate across your chest to increase resistance.
Do not, however, place any weight on your head or neck or this could result in injury.
Multi Muscle Leg Exercises - Ski Squats:
Place your feet shoulder width apart, about two feet out from the wall and lean your back against the wall. Bend your knees to a half squat position. This is position one. After 10seconds, lower down to position two, about two inches lower. After another 10seconds, lower another two inches down to position three. This equals one rep.
Multi Muscle Leg Exercises - Straight Leg Dead-lifts:
This exercise will work your hamstrings, glutes and lower back. Grab onto a barbell with both hands using an overhand grip, stand up straight with your hands and feet shoulder width apart.
Keeping your legs nearly locked, bend forward at the waist until your upper body is almost parallel with the floor, keep your back straight and your eyes looking straight ahead. The barbell should be hanging at arm's-length below you.
Continue to look straight ahead and keep your back straight as you use the muscles in the back of your legs to return to the starting position. Be careful and try not to hunch your back or lean backwards as this can increase your risk of back injury.
Keep your back fairly straight throughout the exercise. Looking straight ahead of you will help you keep your back straight.
Single Muscle Leg Exercises - Lying Or Seated Leg Curls:
For thigh exercises like hamstring curls you can use either a seated or lying down hamstring machine. In this case, we are going to use the lying down machine to explain the exercise.
To begin this exercise, lie face down on the leg curl machine and hook your heels under their roller pads. Your legs should be stretched out straight so that the pads rest on the back of your ankles. Grab onto the handles under the bench for support.
Remaining flat on the bench, curl your legs up until your hamstrings are fully contracted. Release and lower the weight slowly back to the starting position. As with all thigh exercises, you need to concentrate on using a full range of motion.
The exercises for your thigh muscles listed above will indeed do the job for you. These upper leg exercises will tone, firm and burn a tremendous amount of fat cells.
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