3 Thigh Exercises for Tighter Thighs

How would you like to sport great-looking legs?

Well, step right up -- age-defying fitness pro Joyce Vedral can help you get a leg up on shapelier legs in just nine weeks. Sure dieting helps shrink flabby thighs, but there's nothing like a good workout to trim and tone your trouble spots.

If healthy eating has been the focus of your weight loss efforts, youve probably managed to drop a few pounds. But without boosting your body's calorie-burning ability through regular exercise you will probably run into one frustrating plateau after another.

To stay on track -- and to tone while you trim -- simply launch and maintain an exercise program.

For best results choose a workout that boosts your metabolism and tightens your trouble spots. Aerobic activities such as walking or jogging are great, but it takes weight training to kick it up a notch!

Vedral vows that by following the proper routine, you can become a lean, mean fat-burning machine in no time.

But she also warns that before you get pumped for a fast and furious workout you should take a deep breath and get ready for a change of pace. Today Vedral introduces you to the concept of dynamic tension. She says this slowed-down process applies constant pressure on the muscles throughout an exercise.

"Moving slow is good for variety," the 58-year-old fitness guru tells eDiets. "The body is used to moving fast. So when you slow down it forces tension to remain on the muscle for an extended period of time. This also causes the muscle fibers to become stronger.

"Do these exercises every other day for nine weeks and you'll kick up your metabolism by approximately 15 percent so that even in your sleep you're burning more fat than you used to burn," she says. "Yes, it takes energy (calories) even to breathe.

The exercises should be performed in this manner: Hold the starting stretch for 7 seconds, then hold the returning movement for another 7 seconds. Do 10 repetitions of all three exercises. Rest for 15 seconds. Then repeat entire set two more times, with 15-second rests between sets.

Start out using a 1-pound dumbbell. As you get stronger slowly work your way up to 8-pound weights. If you're doing the exercises properly, you won't be able to go much higher than that.

Stand with a dumbbell in each hand, palms facing your body, arms straight down at your sides, feet a natural width apart. Keep your back straight and look directly ahead of you. Keep your knees aligned with your toe and your non-stepping leg straight. Bending at the knee, step forward with one foot until you can just about see your toes. Feel the stretch in your stepping leg front thigh muscle and the flex in your non-stepping leg front thigh muscle. In full control and using the muscles in your lunging leg (not your back leg) return to the start position and repeat the movement for the other leg. Repeat the alternative lunging movement until you have completed your set.

Lie facedown in a prone position on a mat or rug with your legs extended straight out and a dumbbell securely wedged between your feet. Extend your arms out on the floor over your head. Bending your legs at the knees, raise them until they are perpendicular to the floor. Keep a firm grip on the dumbbell and flex your back thigh muscles as you go. In full control, return to the start position and repeat the movement until you have completed your set.

Hold a dumbbell in the center of your body, palms facing your body, and stand with your feet wide apart (about three to five inches wider than shoulder width). Your toes should be pointed outward. Your arms are straight down in front of you. Keep your back straight and look straight ahead. Feeling the stretch in your front thigh muscles as you go, descend to a bend in your knees of approximately 45 degrees. But dont go that low if you feel a strain in your knees. Flexing your front thigh muscles as you go and leading with your chest and chin, return to the start position. Give your front thigh muscles an extra "flex" and repeat the movement until you have completed your set.