Best workout for abs and thighs?

So I am having quite the issues losing weight in my stomach and thighs (especially back of, upper, and inner thighs). What would be the best work outs to do?

you'll probably get quite a few ppl say you can't spot reduce....but i would recommend medium intensity weights....as well - high intensity cardio..ie - running (awesome for the stomach) or swimming. also try some HITT workouts for fat burn.  my thighs used to be a bit more bulky but i spot reduced with weight training and i increased my speed running....so i think it is possible but it's not so much about losing weight in a certain area it's more so about building muscle that burns fat.

Fork put-downs and table push-aways.

I'm going to be one of those people who says you can't spot reduce - yes, you can spot build (muscle) - but you can't burn off fat in specific areas unfortunately.  If you've got an overall calorie deficit, you will lose weight, although typically, for females, your belly and your thighs are going to be the last place you'll lose any fat from. :/

Use the tools on CC to make sure you've got a calorie deficit and as far as workouts go, think about adding in some HIIT (interval cardio - sprints being the most obvious example) and some weight lifting.  The weight lifting will help to maintain your muscle mass as you lose fat.  I say "maintain" because if you're taking in fewer calories than you're burning, you won't be building any appreciable muscle.  Squats, deadlifts, pushups, pull-ups, rows, overhead presses, planks, and floggingsully's Pallof presses are all great exercises to take a look at (and they burn quite a few calories, too).

Cardio is the best way to define abs. While doing your cardio, keep your posture up and hold your abs in, when your done you should feel it! Also try a pilates class!

As everyone else has said you can't spot train but when I wanted to slim my legs down I walk at a fairly fast speed on a treadmill on an incline for about 30 minutes. This way you are toning your leg muscles while doing cardio so when the fat does come off from your deficit you should have some nicely tones legs in there :)

Thanks guys! One question though, what are fork put-downs and table push aways?

It's a cute way of saying "you can't outtrain your diet" - if you are trying to lose fat, you have to eat less than you burn.

hahaha got it thanks

in this whole weight loss journey post-baby I've been so strict in my calorie deficit. 

It's quite amazing when you're portioning food out.  What I thought was 5 ounces was 10 oz!!!  and a "handful" is not your whole hand it's just your palm!!!!

what a wake up call.  1292 calorie limit per day is reached by, 8PM!!!  what to do before I go to bed???

Original Post by floggingsully:

Fork put-downs and table push-aways.

 LMAO that right there just made my day.

Three great exercises for abs and quads aka thighs :

1) Sprinting - Sprinting will get you fantastic abs and get defition in your legs as a whole. Try this routine twice a week on non lifting days. Do a three minute warm up, then sprint as hard as you can for 15-20 seconds. Then walk briskly for 40-60 seconds to recover. Then continue to switch off between sprinting and walking for 15-20 minutes. You get a great cardio workout, your metabolism gets sped up for hours and hours after you finish, and both your abs and legs will get a fantastic workout.

2) Deadlifts - I used to avoid doing these. However, now it has become one of my favorite exercises. It gets you strength/definition in your legs and it also works your abs very hard because you have to put tention all through your core when performing the lift.

3) Front Squats - Another exercise a lot of people don't do is front squats. You always see people do regular squats with the bar behind their neck. However, you get a better overall leg workout doing squats with the bar in front, and it really activates your abs during the lift as well.

3) Huh? Better leg workout?

 Front squats are more quad dominant, back squats are more evenly balanced between quad/hamstring/glute involvement. Front squats place more demands on wrist/shoulder flexibility, less on ankle flexibility, requires a more upright position and potentially has a greater athletic transfer for athletes involved in combat sports where they spend a great deal of time holding on to an opponent and trying to control him, aka. martial arts, football and dancing.

 The activation and impact on your abs is actually less than with back squats - you will typically front squat about 80% of the load on your back squat, and in a squat your abs are mainly worked isometrically. Which means it's the total loading that's important, so the front squat is a lower-intensity workout for the abs.

 As long as you've got the calorie deficit going through counting calories and preferably weighing your food for a bit to see what a portion actually is, you'll lose fat from all over. Add in strength training to keep your existing muscle mass and do whatever cardio you feel inclined to and have the time for and you'll see the results you're looking for in time.

 (Vanessa? 1292 kcal limit? That seems awfully low unless you're 5'0" and lying in bed all day. Which I doubt, given how happy your kid looks in you pictures. I feel pretty confident that you should be having more calories just given the workout that taking care of a small child is, never mind any intentional exercise you do on top of that ;)

Yeah.. I feel like I get a better leg workout when I do front squats than back squats. It is far more challenging overall in my opinion. Plus, I like the fact that I feel like I get a better stretch and have to use my glutes more to explode up and keep the weight balanced in the front. Also the ab work that comes into play is an added bonus. I am not knocking regular squats or anything. Far from it. The squat is a great exercise. I just feel like I get an even better leg workout from doing front squats than regular ones. A trainer at the gym I work at turned me onto them. I always did regular squats and she asked me if I ever did front squats. After telling her no, she showed me how to perform them. I definitely felt it more than regular squats and still do to this day.

 Still, define "better".

 Greater relative loading on the quads and potentially more athletic transfer to other activities make it a better choice if you're in the market for a quad-dominant exercise and/or you're a combat athlete, but the higher absolute load and the higher hamstring/glute activation in the back squat make it a better choice for most women who're too quad-dominant as it is. 

 Higher absolute load makes back squat a better isometric ab and spinal erector exercise, while the front squat is a step on the way to a decent clean&jerk.

 It's all context-dependent. Calling one exercise better than another is like declaring the hammer or the screwdriver the king of all tools. For your goals, right now, it's quite possible that the front squat is a better training tool particularily if you're working on increasing your oly lifts. Which doesn't neccesarily translate to it being better for everyone in all situations.

I will agree with you there. I have to get better at getting my posts across in the context of it being better for me, and not being better in general. Everyone is different. I have to remember that even though I have gotten good results with things, it doesn't mean others will. I apologize for that.

I have never really felt like I got a good ab workout with doing back squats though. I feel it in my abs a lot more doing front squats. I also said that I have nothing against the squat in general. I still do them and enjoy doing them. I just feel like I get a better workout doing front squats than regular ones.

That's the trouble with being a nerd and wanting people to know everything that goes into making good desicions about how to train - my detail orientation sometimes gets in the way of the big picture ;)

 I know both Dan John and Michael Boyle's stopped using the back squat with their athletes and train them exclusively with the front squat for reasons related to the athletic populations they're dealing with and the carryover to what they're doing out of the weight room; but that's specific to their athletes.

 For general training purposes, the back squat is the better general exercise, the front squat is a useful assistance exercise for special populations and some purposes.

Original Post by melkor:

Vanessa? 1292 kcal limit? That seems awfully low unless you're 5'0" and lying in bed all day. Which I doubt, given how happy your kid looks in you pictures. I feel pretty confident that you should be having more calories just given the workout that taking care of a small child is, never mind any intentional exercise you do on top of that ;)

 

 hey

here's my workout:  35 minutes on the elliptical at an intensity that makes me look like I may fly off the machine -  then 10 minutes on the stairmill -escalator from hell machine.  This is 4 days a week.  Then I go back to the gym after I put julia down twice a week to do weights-  but I do both arms and legs at the same time; about three days apart.  Reading your post I do back squats with a weighted bar; but it's only about 19lbs.  Can I do back squats with dumbells too?  I am at such a loss with free weights; and am admittingly embarassed by the muscle-y men at the gym.  And, yes; there are other more fun, intentional workouts w/ my julia.... etc ;)

And, I gained weight w/ my pregnancy (no surprise there) so I have to lose 15 more pounds to get back to the same weight that I was; which is why the burn meter said I was to eat 1292 cals per day.

I should wear my HRM while I work out; but I can't find it.

Thoughts?

squats for that teardrop (glute/thigh area)

kickboxing for abs (and glutes and thighs)

throwing punches and punch combos really works the abs

vanessa - what are your stats?

Original Post by amethystgirl:

vanessa - what are your stats?

 Female, Age 31, current weight 136, had baby 10 months ago, prior to pregnancy I was 118.  Medium frame.  35, 31, and I have to measure my hips-  I think 40inches.  yikes!  that may be smaller now b/c all my pants are fitting pre-preggo now and I'm actually wearing a dress today I bought two years ago that is form fitting.  No struggle, pant-dance to get it on either :)

I assumed you were 5'4" based on your goal weight. If I put you at moderately active (and between working out 4 days a week cardio, 2x/week weights, and working out with Julia, you are at least moderate), you are burning about 2000 cals per day.

Are you nursing? I think (and you could check the P&P forum - they'd know better), that nursing adds about 300(?) to your burn.

So that's 2300 calories burned per day.

Yeah, you need to eat more - around 1800 would be much better for you. If you aren't nursing, 1500.