Contents
Exercises to reduce the inner thighs
Fitness
The key is to improve your diet and combine it with exercise to first lose fat and then tone your muscles
How annoying is the rubbing of the inner thighs, right? Those who suffer from it even have injuries from the constant friction of the legs, but this is something that can be ended if certain exercises and specific nutrition are carried out.
Dr. José Santos Sánchez-Ferrer, physiotherapist and director of José Santos Physiotherapy Area and member of Top Doctors states that fat is an element that we have present in our muscles as a power reserve to have it available to our body when the demands require it.
The muscle mass or lean mass refers to the totality of muscles that we have in the body. Muscle is essential for health, since it also acts to protect bones and joints, and of course, it prevents us from injury. Of course, high levels of body fat coincide with a nutritional disorder called obesity, which is a precursor to many diseases such as diabetes and myocardial infarction.
“Our hormones influence our body composition. With the arrival of puberty, women undergo hormonal changes that generate an increase in fat mass, while in men nature is more grateful: its changes translate into an increase in fat-free mass, mainly composed of fat. Muscle mass. However, after youth, having a birthday plays against us in both sexes. As we get older, due to changes in hormonal cycles and metabolism, we tend to break down more muscle and accumulate more fat, “explains the physiotherapist.
The key is in improve diet and combine it with exercise to first lose fat and then tone the muscles. In addition to losing weight, we can avoid the risk of diseases such as diabetes, dyslipidemia (cholesterol level disorders) and obesity.
To eliminate fat it is necessary to maintain a hypocoloric diet, that is, consume fewer calories than are expended. In addition to resting correctly and complying with a good training routine. “In this way, we make sure to burn the accumulated, but also to maintain as much muscle as possible. Since losing muscles can translate into long-term problems, “he says.
A control index is the waist circumference, being considered an excess below 80 centimeters in women and 94 centimeters in men. On the other hand, the circumference of the calf below 35 centimeters in men and 33 centimeters in women has to make us think that we have little muscle mass.
Drill
But in cases that are not extreme and it is healthy to reduce thigh fat, we must perform a specific type of exercise: aerobic. This type of exercise, says José Santos Sánchez-Ferrer, is ideal for burning fat and, by using a lot of oxygen, it is beneficial for the cardiovascular system and to increase lung capacity.
“Having toned muscles makes the metabolism work faster and, even at rest, the body feeds on fat reserves. Have the toned muscles it makes the metabolism work faster and that, even at rest, the body feeds on fat reserves, “he says.
When we begin to exercise with loads, it is normal that at the beginning we increase, more or less quickly, our muscle mass. Muscle weighs considerably more than fat, so even though we have lost fat, if we have gained muscle, we may now weigh more.
«It is important to start with a Aerobic exercise, with loads or at intervals of high intensity or HIIT, from 3 to 7 days a week without being more than two days without exercising consecutively, at a moderate or vigorous intensity, in a time that should be between 150 minutes / week in which exercises that involve large muscle groups such as walking, cycling, swimming, etc. can be included “, says the expert.
As José Santos Sánchez-Ferrer indicates, you can progress with resistance exercises, working in each session different muscle groups, leaving 48 hours of rest between each work session, with an amount of weight that allows us a moderate or vigorous work, using gym machines, the body’s own weight such as squats, dips, elastic bands or dumbbells, among others. «It is usually recommended 7 to 10 exercises for different muscle groups, including one upper and one lower in the same session. It is recommended to intersperse muscular exercises with few repetitions and a load close to the maximum resistance of the muscle and high intensity interval exercise sessions ”, he says.
The personal trainers Esther and Gema Pineda, better known as the Pin Twins, who know the most common fitness needs closely, know what are the exercises to lose fat on the inner thighs: «The lateral plank with knee flexion and elbow, the lateral plank with extended leg bounces, the lateral lunges and the abdomen lift with extended legs are some of them, “they say in one of their workouts.
Isometric squat. The isometric squat is done by supporting the back against the wall and with a 90º knee bend, we hold in that position. More complicated if we press towards the wall or put some weight on our legs. “When practicing this exercise, try to keep your glute down”, advise Esther and Gemma Pineda.
Extended Leg Bounce Side Plank. In the side plank position, leaning on the forearm and the bent leg. To perform the exercise, we will extend the leg that is not resting on the ground and we will raise it as much as possible upwards, bouncing without touching the ground or lightly brushing it. Then we will repeat the exercise to the other side.
Hip-thrust. We must place ourselves on the ground, lying down facing the ceiling. We bend our knees, and keep our feet on the ground. We position a weight (it can be a dumbbell) at the height of our hips and, making impulse with it, we raise our hips without moving the feet or the scapulae from the ground.
What nutrition to carry out
In addition to doing aerobic and bodybuilding exercises, it must be taken into account that the diet should be composed of:
– 20% fat.
– 40% protein.
– 40% carbohydrates.
Proteins are considered essential for weight loss because they feed, satisfy the appetite and prevent weight gain. In turn, they help in the muscle increase. «They are macronutrients that can be found in fish, lean meats, egg whites and dairy products. Basically it is estimated that the foods to put aside are processed food, sugary drinks, alcohol, industrial pastries, etc. », concludes the physiotherapist.