Written by Travis Halena | ACSM CPT
Fact checked by Kirsten Yovino, CPT Brookbush Institute
FACT CHECKED
When it comes to leg day, the glutes, quads, and hammies seem to get all of the attention. And while we can't argue with wanting to build up those powerhouse muscle groups, there may be an important leg area you're neglecting.
We're talking the outer thighs, which not only contribute to balance, stability, and all movements requiring you to move your legs away from your body's midline, but also help create toned, defined, muscular outer legs.
Ready to dig into the outer thigh exercises you should be doing? We'll discuss:
- Outer thigh muscle anatomy
- How to build your outer thigh muscles
- 7 best exercises to target your outer thighs
- Tips for slimming and toning your outer thighs
- Workout suggestions for outer thighs
What muscles make up the outer thighs?
When focusing on outer thigh muscles, you're targeting the hip abductors, which play a role in movements requiring the leg to move away from your midline. For exercises, think moves like clams, lateral movements like side shuffles and side lunges, and the sumo deadlift. As these moves play an incremental role in endless athletic activities, this is an area both men and women should be paying attention to.
Glutes:
The gluteus maximus is the largest muscle in your body. The gluteus medius, commonly referred to as your side butt, is the most essential hip abductor muscle, playing a role in walking and stabilizing the hip. It can be a neglected and underutilized muscle for many people, so make sure to do your gluteus medius exercises! Gluteus minimus is the smallest of the three but is also crucial in walking and moving your leg away from your body.
Tensor Fasciae Latae:
A small muscle on the outside of your leg, it works with the glutes to assist in walking. It starts high on the hip and lies between your IT band. And while it may not be the most important mirror muscle, it plays a strong role in overall lower body movement.
Piriformis:
Another small and flat muscle near the hip's surface, this is another one that isn't visible when you look in the mirror. It is, however, vital for lateral hip rotation and abduction when your leg is flexed. It's important to perform piriformis stretches and exercises, as this muscle being weak or tight often contributes to sciatica-type pain. Strong outer thigh muscles leads to less pain and better movement.
Sartorius:
The longest muscle in our body, the sartorius runs from the outside of your hip and spirals around your entire thigh into the inside of your knee. This muscle plays a crucial role in stabilization and helps flex, abduct, and rotate the thigh laterally.
How to build your outer thigh muscles
If you're concerned about outer thigh fat, saddlebag exercises can help, but we want to emphasize that you cannot spot reduce an area of your body. This means you cannot just do outer thigh exercises all day and night and expect a massive change in only that area. Unfortunately, that's just not how it works.
So, what do you do to build and sculpt these muscles? Strength train and eat to build muscle. If your outer thigh muscles are not fully developed, simply losing fat in that area may not give you the toned body you are chasing. You also need muscle mass.
Just like building any other muscle in your body, strength training and tracking what and how much you’re eating are effective strategies. By now, you hopefully have realized that no overnight fix exists, and slow, consistent progress is where true gains are made.
Along with resistance training and the correct exercises (more on that shortly), if you want to build muscle, you will need to eat in a calorie surplus and track your macronutrients. This is where it gets tricky, because we want to add muscle to your frame without adding excess fat.
The biggest macro that contributes to muscle gain is protein. Utilizing a higher protein diet will have significantly better results in building muscle and losing fat than those with lower protein intake1. A gradual increase of 1 pound a week has shown to be the most effective route for building muscle and not adding excess fat2.
As far as how much protein per day to build muscle, aim for between .8-1.0 grams of protein per pound of body weight, and keep an eye on how your body responds.
Regarding exercises, you will want to prioritize main compound movements like squats, deadlifts, and lunges. Sprinkle in some accessory lifts to help isolate smaller muscles and improve your quality of movement.
Aim for 2-4 sets of 5-15 repetitions, depending on the exercise. Compound exercises will build more strength and muscle, so do those first while you are fresh and your energy is high. Smaller movements can act as the finishing burn after you crush your squats. The key is progressive overload. Each week you should be trying to improve in some way.
What exercises target the side of your thighs?
It’s important to understand you cannot completely isolate the outer thigh muscles, but there are ways to target these areas more effectively.
The foundation of these exercises is like a food pyramid. It would be best if you had the most servings of the big compound movements like squats, deadlifts, and single-leg movements (lunges, split squats, etc.). Target 3-4 working sets of each in your leg workouts for women.
The big moves work the most muscles, build the most strength, and are the most important for your body to move correctly and athletically. Remember, we want to look good, but never at the cost of pain and poor movement.
After you’ve knocked those out, isolation movements will have your outer legs on fire.
7 Best Exercises for Outer Thighs
From compound exercises like goblet squats and Romanian deadlifts to isolation moves like lateral raises, we've got your lower body, outer thighs, in particular, covered with these 7 moves.
1. Goblet squats:
The goblet squat is a squat variation where you hold a dumbbell at chest level. It is fantastic for the glutes and outer thighs and prepares your legs for athletic movement. This helps reduce the risk of injury from having a barbell on your back and allows you to train all your leg muscles.
Feel free to switch things up by using a kettlebell instead of dumbbells.
How to do a Goblet Squat:
- To get into the squat position, pick a dumbbell up and hold it vertically with both hands under the flat part of the dumbbell. Set your feet about hip-width apart for your squat
- Think about twisting your feet out in your shoes (without actually moving your feet) to help activate all of the muscles of your outer leg and, most importantly, glutes and outer thighs. Keep the tension as you begin to lower down in the squat while keeping a tight core and upright posture.
- Lower down until parallel to the floor and pause to ensure you don’t springboard off your knees. You should feel the glutes squeezing the most here. Begin your ascent back to the starting position and repeat.
2. Romanian deadlift:
An important hinge exercise that targets your hamstrings and glutes, the Romanian deadlift hits the spot where the high hamstring inserts into the glutes, helping to lift the appearance of the saddlebags. It also is vital for building lower back strength.
How to do the Romanian Deadlift:
- Grab a barbell or set of dumbbells and stand with feet hip-width apart, legs extended, and a tall posture with a slight bend in your knees.
- Keep your back flat and start your hinge by pushing your hips back like they are reaching to the wall behind you. Allow your upper body to come forward at the same time as you slide the barbell or dumbbells down your leg (not touching).
- Keep hinging but don’t necessarily reach for the ground; keep your arms pulled back and think more of folding your body up like a briefcase as you take your chest to your thighs. Don't lean forward.
- Once you have reached your end range of motion, you should feel your hamstrings and glutes working. Slowly begin your ascent back to the starting position.
3. Curtsy lunge:
Functioning as a single-leg exercise, the curtsy lunge is a lunge variation we love. It will provide the best way to target and feel your outer thighs working and improve hip stability to help your body move better.
How to do the Curtsy Lunge:
- Using a barbell, dumbbell, or your body weight, start standing in a hip-width position. Begin by taking your right leg and right foot back diagonally like you are reaching 7-8 PM on a clock.
- As you reach back, lower your body almost into a single-leg squat with a diagonal kickstand. Your right knee should hover above the ground.
- Keep your body upright as you lower to your deepest controlled depth.
- Keep your hip pulled in, and when you begin to rise, power through that front leg, pressing the ground away. Repeat on the other leg with your left foot.
4. Lateral lunge:
Although it is popular for inner thighs, this single leg movement also serves as an outer thigh and glute exercise. You've got to love a move that hits your inner and outer thigh!
How to do the Lateral Lunge:
- Start standing in the same athletic hip-width stance as the above exercises with your knees slightly bent. Start with bodyweight or hold dumbbells at your sides without touching your hips.
- Take a step out to the left to extend left leg, keeping both feet pointing straight. Keep the left leg straight and your left heel pushing into the ground as you land and lower into a single leg squat on the right leg. Keep your knee in line with your hip and toes.
- Load into your glutes and outer thighs to absorb the force trying to push you to the right; after you have lowered down to parallel, push the ground away with power and return to the starting position bringing your body back together.
5. Cable lateral leg lift:
One of the few weighted isolation exercises that target the outer thigh area, the cable lateral leg lift strengthens the muscles as they take the leg away from your body in abduction. A bonus is the constant cable tension during this movement. Don't forget your glute stretches when you're finished!
How to do the Cable Lateral Leg Lift:
- Attach the cuff of the cable to your ankle on your right leg. Standing tall with the cable machine on your left leg and your right leg facing forward, keep your leg tight and your foot flexed as you take your leg straight out to the side.
- Make sure your foot does not turn and stays facing straight forward. Keep your leg straight keeping toes pointed forward, raise it as far as possible without compromising form or position. Control the weight back down to starting position and repeat. Switch sides to target the opposite leg as well.
6. Clamshell:
This glute isolation exercise will help give you a serious burn to the outer thighs. It's excellent for strengthening the abductors, which are responsible for stabilizing the pelvis.
How to do the Clamshell:
- Lie on your side with a band around your knees. Bend your legs so your feet are behind you and your leg is making a 90-degree angle. Think foot in line with the knee, knee in line with the hip, and hip in line with the shoulder.
- Keep your feet together and raise your knee toward the ceiling. Focus on not letting your hip roll back as you move your knee. Return the knee down and repeat desired reps. Switch legs.
7. Glute Bridge Hip Abduction:
Glute bridges are great for, you guessed it, your glutes, and the hip abduction added at the end of the move is awesome for lifting your butt and sculpting your outer thighs. Adding a resistance band is a great way to make this move even harder.
How to do the Glute Bridge Hip Abduction:
- Laying on your back, bend your knees, keeping your feet flat on the floor. Begin with the inner sides of your knees touching each other.
- Raise your hips into the air, driving your right and left knee outward, so they push to each side. Continue lifting your hips as you contract your glutes.
- Bring your knees back together before lowering your hips to the ground.
Slimming and Toning Your Outer Thighs
When it comes to losing weight in this area, make sure to have compassion for yourself. Women, in particular, may have a more challenging time with this area due to higher estrogen, a larger pelvis for giving birth, and the fact that it’s usually their most stubborn area for body fat loss3.
Remind yourself that if you don’t see results immediately, keep at it because it may be the last area where the fat comes off. We covered the importance of building muscle. Now, let’s talk about losing fat and reducing saddlebags in your outer thigh workout.
How do you lose fat and tone your outer thighs?
There is no magic pill or fix here, but it can be done! It just takes work.
For the untrained individual, it is most important to focus first on the strength training basics, determine a workout split, and build muscle. Begin resistance training and try to get stronger every week. Don't forget to target both your inner and outer thighs so your legs are evenly developed. If your primary focus is building muscle, start by eating 100-200 calories more than you're currently eating, monitor progress, and adjust as you go.
If you are overweight and want to see more of your existing muscle, you're focusing on maximizing fat loss in the outer thigh area, have been training for a while and have already built some muscle (but can't see it), or are trying to lean out as a whole, fat loss is your prime focus.
Along with strength training, keeping track of how many calories you eat and tracking your macros will get you toward your goal. Aim for a 200-500 calorie deficit - no more than this - so your body is burning fat and not your hard-earned muscle. Slow, consistent 1-2 pounds a week of fat loss is completely realistic if you are tracking everything you eat.
If you have your diet and training locked in, it’s important to remember our other point regarding having compassion for yourself. Some women will have more fat on the outer thighs than others. Some people will never have issues with this area, while some will struggle with it. Every body type is different.
Strength train, build muscle, track your diet, and your ideal shape will follow.
Workouts For Toning Outer Thighs
Work these moves into at least one leg workout per week. For ideal results, incorporating these moves twice weekly (you could do option 1 at the beginning of the week and option 2 toward the end of the week) will ensure you're getting enough volume to grow your outer thigh muscles.
Lower body Workout option 1:
- Goblet Squat: 3 sets x 10 reps
- Romanian Deadlifts: 3 sets x 6 reps
- Curtsy Lunges: 3 sets x 10 reps per leg
- Lateral Leg Raises: 2 sets x 15 reps
Lower body Workout option 2:
- Goblet Squats: 3 sets x 5 reps
- Romanian Deadlifts: 3 sets x 12 reps
- Leg Lateral Lunges: 3 sets x 10 per leg
- Banded Clamshells: 2 sets by 20 reps
Remember: Building Muscle is Key!
You should now have a better understanding of the importance of strong thighs and how to grow them. Remember, you can't burn thigh fat off specifically. You can build muscle in that area and then enter a calorie deficit as a way to lower your body fat.
And if you keep strength training and progressing, track your diet, master the big lifts and learn from the smaller ones, you'll be well on your way to legs that are not only sculpted but more importantly, properly strengthened.
Related: 9 Best Inner Thigh Exercises
References:
- Campbell BI, Aguilar D, Conlin L, et al. Effects of High Versus Low Protein Intake on Body Composition and Maximal Strength in Aspiring Female Physique Athletes Engaging in an 8-Week Resistance Training Program. International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism. 2018;28(6):580-585. doi:10.1123/ijsnem.2017-0389
- Miles DS. Weight control and exercise. Clinics in Sports Medicine. 1991;10(1):157-169. Accessed August 21, 2022. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/2015641/
- Bulun SE, Simpson ER. Competitive reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction analysis indicates that levels of aromatase cytochrome P450 transcripts in adipose tissue of buttocks, thighs, and abdomen of women increase with advancing age. The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism. 1994;78(2):428-432. doi:10.1210/jcem.78.2.8106632
Travis Halena
Author