Fat is fat, whether it's on your thighs or your glutes. Unfortunately for the Nestie woman, fatty thighs stick out like a sore thumb, especially when donning a leg-revealing swimsuit. In those moments, it doesn't matter if your abs are taut and your biceps are ripped, your thighs jiggle as you walk to the diving board. There's no need to hit the weight machines and the treadmill to tone your quads and hamstrings after your swim. Just use your time in the pool wisely.
Focus on a full-body cardio workout to lower your body weight and tone your thigh muscles.
Check with your doctor before starting a new workout, especially if you are new to exercise.
Fins
Kickboard
Goggles
Swim cap
Pull buoy
Step 1
Lose fat all over by lowering your daily calories and adding cardio exercise. Eat 3,500 calories and you'll gain one pound. Burn 3,500 calories to lose a pound.
Step 2
Buy a waterproof heart rate monitor, and monitor your heart rate as you swim. Optimize your fat burn by keeping your heart rate within 60 to 65 percent of your maximum target heart. Find this number by taking 220 minus your age and calculating 60 or 65 percent of the total.
Step 3
Swim for an hour to see optimal fat burn -- 423 calories if you weigh 160 pounds. Add resistance-boosting fins to increase the work placed on your quads and hamstrings, as well as the rest of your legs and abs. Toning the quads is a great way to build fat-burning muscle and slim your thighs.
Step 4
Swim at a comfortable pace, warming up for 10 to 15 minutes until you've reached your target heart rate. Choose a swim style you are most comfortable with. Wear your fins during warm-up up but don't focus on powerful kicking until later. Focus on adjusting to the water temperature, stretching your muscles and moving in the water.
Step 5
Focus on using only your legs to propel yourself through the pool. Use a flat, arm-length floating board that resembles the tip of an ironing board. Kick your fin-covered feet and hold the board at arm’s length, letting your thigh muscles propel you through the water. Wear your goggles and swim cap because your face will meet water doing this. Turn your head from side to side, breathing in rhythm with your kicks. Swim laps for 30 minutes, at least three times a day, for weight loss, or until your thighs burn.
Step 6
Vary your swim with cardio intervals. Alternating swimming styles, pace and pool equipment can help you burn 300 fat-building calories in 22 minutes. Tack on an extra eight minutes of moderately paced swimming to your warm-up and you've met your 30-minute exercise goal.
Step 7
Warm up with 10 minutes of freestyle swimming to reach your target heart rate. Move between backstroke and freestyle intervals, and sessions using the kickboard a pull buoy wedged between your thighs. Short and swift, intervals last no longer than four minutes, with an intense one-minute sprint tossed in. Leave room for warm-up and cool-down, and watch your heart rate. Slow down if you go past your max.
Tips
Warnings
Things You'll Need
References
Resources
Tips
- Focus on a full-body cardio workout to lower your body weight and tone your thigh muscles.
Warnings
- Check with your doctor before starting a new workout, especially if you are new to exercise.
Writer Bio
Having studied at two top Midwestern universities, Catherine Field holds degrees in professional writing and patient safety. Writing since 2000, Field has worked with regional newspapers while publishing fiction online. She conducts medical communication research at a Midwestern medical institution and is slated to write a book based on her research findings.