Ask any women which part of their body they most dislike, and you can almost guarantee their thighs will be listed in the top three. Thunder thighs, saddlebags and other derogatory terms are often used to describe them, but unfortunately women are often stuck with flabby thighs simply because that's the way nature designed them. Women are genetically predisposed to gaining fat on their hip and thigh area, which is most noticeable on those who are classically pear shaped. All is not lost though. If you're not prepared to put up with flabby thighs any longer, there are effective hip and outer thigh exercises you can do to greatly improve their tone and shape.


Long hours spent sitting down, whether at work or home, mean the outer thighs are one of the least used areas of muscle. Also, the sort of exercises needed to tone them up involves movements we don’t readily use in everyday life.

The muscles we need to work in order to exercise the outer thigh are called the abductors. These are responsible for stabilizing your body along with the adductors or inner thigh muscles. The most beneficial hip and outer thigh exercises are side leg lifts which are fantastic for toning the outer thighs and can easily be performed almost anywhere you wish. If you're a member of a gym you can make use of a cable machine or a resistance band, the latter which can be purchased for home use.

As with all exercises, don't expect immediate results and always stop if you feel any pain. However, if you're carrying too much excess weight, you should combine exercising with a healthy low fat diet or you won't be able to properly appreciate your newly toned thighs.

If you’re at the gym, seek out a cable machine to give your hips and outer thighs a really thorough work out. Do this by standing side on to the machine with your feet spaced a hip-width apart. Attach the cable around the ankle furthest away from the machine and lift this leg out sideways and upwards, pulling against the tension of the cable. Hold for a moment then slowly lower your leg down. Gradually build up until you can repeat this action for three sets of twenty repetitions each side.

If you're using a resistance band, wrap it around your ankles while standing up or lying down on your side. If you are standing up you may need to support yourself by placing your hands on a table or against a wall. Stand with your hips and feet facing forward then slowly lift one of your legs out to the side as high as you can, then hold for a count of five and lower. Repeat as often as you wish. This exercise can also be performed without a resistance band and surprisingly, you can really feel your outer thigh muscles working hard. Adding weights to your ankles will work your thighs harder but be careful not to overdo it.

Another simple but effective exercise is the outer thigh squeeze. This will help tone up your outer thighs as well as giving your butt a mini workout. All you have to do is clench your outer thighs as tightly as possible and hold for a few seconds. If you're sitting down you'll feel your body slightly lift up while you're contracting your muscles. You can do this sitting down or standing up and even while standing in a checkout queue at the supermarket. However, make sure you're wearing loose fitting clothing or you may get some funny looks from the customers behind you!

Just because you’re a woman doesn’t mean you’re destined to a lifetime of flabby thighs. Hip and outer thighs exercises can be done almost anywhere at any time so you shouldn’t have a problem fitting them in. And with perseverance, your efforts should become noticeable in as little as six weeks.