Want mini-skirt worthy legs? These moves will get you there in no time at all. Pick a few moves, or try them all to sculpt your butt, hamstrings, quads, thighs, and calves. When combined with a healthy diet and overall weight-loss (if that’s necessary), these 10 exercises to tighten and tone thighs  can result in a lower body you’ll love!

Also, you don’t have to train for hours to get shapely thighs. Do these 10 exercises to tighten and tone  thigh for 20-30 minutes a day and tone your thighs in 2 weeks.

But, before you start toning your thighs – Warm up! Here’s why you should never ignore it.

Warm Up

Doing warm up exercises before your workout is important in many ways. A good warm up will gradually increase your heart rate, increase circulation to your muscles, tendons and ligaments, and mentally prepare you for your workout. You want to physically prepare your body for the demands of a strenuous workout by gradually increasing your body temperature.

Check out this video for warm up exercises before you start your workout.

1. Squats – Exercise to build your Leg muscle

Targets

Squatting helps in toning your leg muscles which includes quadriceps, hamstring and calves.

How to do?

• Stand with your feet slightly wider than shoulder-distance apart, then turn your toes open.
• Bend your knees, reach your hips back, and lower down into a squat.
• Lower until your hips are slightly below the level of your knees.
• Pause at the bottom, then drive into your heels to stand up. That’s one rep.
• Start with 10 reps.
• You can go on to do 2 sets of 10 reps, 3 sets of 10 reps, or 1 set of 20 reps.

Precautions

Do not use your hands to help you push back up. Don’t allow your chest to drop and sink onto the tops of your thighs. If your knees hurt, you are not doing it right. Make sure you follow the video or have an instructor to oversee you when you are squatting. Also, do not stress out  as you might injure your knee.

2. Split Lunge Jump – Exercise for Leg and Thighs

Targets

Targeted muscles include the glutes in your hips and butt, along with the hamstrings and quadriceps in your thighs. The calf muscles in your lower legs, your abdominal muscles and your back muscles act as stabilizers during this exercise.

How to do?

• Begin in a lunge position.
• Lower your body toward the floor about 4 to 6 inches (just enough for your muscles to create explosive power) and then immediately spring upward, jumping as high as you can.
• In mid-air, switch legs so that you land with the opposite foot forward.
• You can do 2 sets of 10 reps.

Precaution

If you feel pain,  you can take smaller steps as you lunge. Even by reducing the range of motion will still develop good strength and alignment.You can  slowly increase your lunge distance as your pain gets better. Some people also find that doing a reverse lunge instead of a forward lunge also helps reduce knee strain.

3. Active Warrior II- Powerful stretch for the Legs, Groins and Chest.

Targets

Stretches the hips, groin, and shoulders and also opens the chest and lungs.

How to do?

• Begin in a low Warrior II position with one arm reaching out in front of you, and the other behind you (both in line with your shoulders to form a “T”).
• Your feet should be about 4 feet apart with your front leg bent at 90 degrees, your back leg straight and back foot angled.
• From this lunge position, drive into the heel of the front foot, pressing your body up and straightening the front leg.
• Lower back down to lunge (front thigh parallel to the floor) to complete one repetition.
• Do this 20 times on both sides.

Precaution

Avoid practicing Warrior II if you suffer from any of this condition: heart problems, severe neck or shoulder pain, knee pain, high blood pressure or chronic illness.

4. Jumping Squat – Exercise For The Thighs, Hips, And Calves

Targets

Works on Quads, hamstrings, calves, adductors, and glutes.

How to do?

• Stand with your feet just outside shoulder-width apart, toes turned slightly out.
• Squat down with your weight in your heels, proud chest, knees tracking over toes, and a neutral spine.
• When you hit the bottom of your squat, squeeze your butt tight and drive hard through your legs and heels as you launch straight up, pelvis forward, pushing off your toes at the last moment of contact with the floor.
• When you land, make sure that you absorb the shock through your muscles so that you do not injure your knees or feet. That’s one rep.
• You can do 2 sets of 10 reps.

Precaution

If you have joint issues, muscle injuries, or other health concerns, check with your doctor before starting such a workout.

5. Side Leg Raises – Exercise to build your Glute and Hip muscles

Targets

To build your glute and hip muscles, incorporate side leg raises into your regular workout routine.

How to do?

• Lie on one side with legs out straight and stacked on top of each other.
• Prop your torso up with your forearm (as shown) or rest your torso flat on the mat.
• Lift your top leg toward the ceiling in a slow and controlled movement.
• Make sure to lift from the hip and butt, not your lower back.
• Return to start. Repeat on the other side.

Precaution

Make sure you lift your legs till your hips and not beyond that.

6. Single Leg Circles – Exercise for Thighs and Abdominal

Targets

Works on Abdominal muscles, quads, hamstrings

How to do?

• Lift your right foot about knee high.
• Keep your arms on your waist, and shoulders relaxed.
• Move the right leg outward and make a circle. Repeat this 10 times.
• Follow  the same with the left leg.

Precaution

If you have a back injury or condition, be cautious. Talk to a doctor or physical therapist about exercises that are safe for you to do while you recover. Avoid this exercise (and others that require you to lay on your back) in the second and third trimester of pregnancy

6. Sumo Squat – Exercise For Lower Body

Targets

Works on the inner thigh adductors, which move your legs in toward your body, and the glutes.

How to do?

• Stand with your heels shoulder-distance apart, then turn your toes open slightly.
• Hold a kettlebell or dumbbell in front of your hips.
• Bend your knees, reach your hips back, and lower down into a squat.
• Allow your arms to hang so that the kettlebell remains under your shoulders. Lower until your hips are slightly below the level of your knees.
• Pause at the bottom for two seconds then drive into your heels to stand up. That’s one rep.

Precaution

Keep your lower back arched.

7. Lateral Lunge Side Kick – Exercise to strengthen lower body

Targets

Works on quads, glutes and hamstrings

How to do?

• Start standing with legs slightly wider than shoulder-distance apart and toes pointed forward.
• Shift your body weight to one leg bending the knee until it reaches a 90-degree angle and the other leg is straight. Glutes are pressing back behind you.
• Return to center and switch sides.

Precaution

Make sure to maintain the rhythm of lunging and kicking to avoid falling and injuring yourself.

8. Glute Bridge- For booty activation

Targets – Exercise for glutes and hamstring

The bridge is also great for improving hip mobility and strengthening your lower back, two things that any desk-bound worker can really benefit from.

How to do?

• Lie face up on the floor, with your knees bent and feet flat on the ground.
• Keep your arms at your side with your palms down.
• Lift your hips off the ground until your knees, hips and shoulders form a straight line.
• Squeeze those glutes hard and keep your abs drawn in so you don’t overextend your back during the exercise.
• Hold your bridged position for a couple of seconds before easing back down.
• Aim for two sets of ten bridges, two to three times a week, either as part of a wider body-weight workout or on their own, if all you really care about is your derrière.

Precaution

Make sure you’re not pushing from your heels – the power comes from the hips and nowhere else.

9. Downward Dog Split- Exercise For The Thighs And Hips

Targets – Exercise for  Arms, shoulders, legs, back

This pose strengthens the arms and core, improves hip flexibility, and increases awareness of hip position. In Downward Facing Dog, both hip points are aimed in the same direction (roughly speaking, the floor).

How to do?

• Gently lift your hips, stretch your arms and legs, roll your shoulders down and forward so that there’s enough space for your neck to move.
• Inhale and extend your left leg up so that your leg and upper body are in line.
• Make sure your toes are pointing out.
• Exhale and slowly go back to the starting position.
• Do this on the other side as well.

Precaution

Make sure you do not spike the left heel when you raise the right leg. Keep the heel reaching toward the floor. However, it doesn’t need to touch the floor. Don’t place your feet closer to your hands in an attempt to maintain heel contact. And also your back should be a straight line with lifted pelvis.

10. Straight Leg Lifts – Exercise For The Thighs And Hips

Targets

The straight leg raise is an excellent exercise to strengthen the muscles of the hip. It works on Hamstrings, quads, and hip flexors.

How to do?

• Lift your left leg till you reach the height of your flexed left leg.
• Slowly lower your right leg.
• Repeat this 10 times.
• Do this with the right leg as well.

Precaution

Avoid this exercise, if you have knee injury.