Here’s the hard truth: despite what other people might say, you can’t directly target hip fat.
But the good news is that you can still lose fat around your hips and tone up that area.
Once you start losing weight, you can focus on exercises that tone the muscles in and around your hips and core.
Here are 10 great exercises that will help you lose weight in your hips and thighs.
Squats
Squats are a versatile exercise that work a lot of lower body muscles. You can do squats using only your body weight.
Once you’re good at this exercise, you can make it harder by squatting with a dumbbell in each hand or a kettlebell in both hands.
To do a squat correctly:
Stand with your feet a little farther apart than the width of your shoulders.
For balance when doing bodyweight squats, you can hold your arms out in front of you.
Engage your core, keep your back straight and your spine tall, and lower yourself until your thighs are parallel to the floor.
Stop with your knees over your toes, but not past them.
Exhale and get back on your feet.
Do between 10 and 15 times.
Side lunges
The side lunge is a type of forward lunge that is also called a lateral lunge. It pays more attention to the outer thighs and hips.
Stand with your feet about as far apart as your hips. Take a wide step to the right and squat down. Keep your body tall, your core tight, and your eyes facing forward.
Bring your right thigh parallel to the ground as you bend over.
Pause. Then step forward with your left foot and come back to the middle.
Switch sides 12 to 16 times as you do this move.
Fire hydrants
The fire hydrant exercise is a move that works your buttocks and hips. It also keeps you stable by using your core muscles. If you have knee problems, you might want to do this exercise on a mat.
Get down on your hands and knees with your knees and feet hip-width apart and your palms on the floor.
Keep your eyes a little bit forward and down.
Engage your core, lift your right knee off the floor, and turn it out to the side and up. You should keep your knee bent the whole time.
At the top, stop for a moment, and then bring your leg back to the starting position.
Do 10 reps with your right leg before switching to your left leg.
Wall sits
Wall sits, which are also called wall squats, are a good way to work your thighs, hips, and lower abs. They can be a great way to strengthen your core, see how long your muscles can work, and lose weight.
Stand up straight with your back against a wall and your legs a few inches away from the wall.
Slide down the wall until your legs are at a right angle and your hamstrings are parallel to the ground.
You need to maintain this position for twenty to thirty seconds. Try to work up to 1 minute as your strength and fitness improve.
Get back up to where you started.
Banded walk
In the banded walk exercise, you move sideways for a certain number of steps while a resistance band keeps tension on your hips. It’s a great exercise for working on your hips and making your glutes stronger.
Pick a good wide exercise band with enough resistance to challenge your lower body but light enough that you can do 10 reps in each direction.
Wrap the exercise band around your ankles, slightly bend your knees, and spread your feet apart.
Walk to the side and don’t let your feet touch the ground.
Take 10 steps in one direction, then 10 steps in the opposite direction to get back to where you started.
Do this two or three times.
Step-ups with weights
Step-ups work the glutes, hips, and thigh muscles. They can also make you more stable and improve your balance.
Place a bench or step at knee height in front of you and stand with your feet hip-width apart and a dumbbell in each hand.
Step onto the bench with your right foot and lift your left knee up while keeping the weights at your sides.
Step backward off the bench and put your left leg down.
Do 10 to 15 reps with your right leg in front, then switch and do the same number with your left leg in front.
You should do 2–3 sets on each side.
Side-lying leg raise
The side-lying leg raise is a single-muscle exercise that works the hips and makes them stronger and more toned. For this exercise, it is important to use the right form.
Get down on a yoga mat, and roll over to your right side.
Raise your top leg (your left leg) slowly as high as you can. Your feet should always point forward.
At the top, stop for a moment, and then bring your leg back to the starting position. Make sure to keep your pelvis still and your core engaged.
On each side, do this 10 times.
Jump squat
The squat jump is an advanced plyometric exercise that builds power by combining the basic squat with a jump.
Put your feet shoulder-width apart in a basic squat position.
Bend forward from the hips until your thighs are level with the ground.
From here, shoot up and then come back down.
When you land, get back into the squatting position. Make sure to land softly, with the balls of your feet hitting the ground first and then shifting your weight back to your heels.
Do this for 30 seconds, or for 10 to 12 times.
Stair climbing
Climbing stairs is a great way to tighten and tone your glutes and hips while also getting a great cardio workout. If you have bleachers or a parking garage with more than one level, you can run or jog up and down the stairs.
Run or jog up the stairs to the top, and then walk down. Try it again and again for five minutes. For a stair-climbing workout, you can also use a Stairmaster or stepmill at the gym.
High-intensity-interval-training (HIIT)
High intensity interval training, or HIIT, is a type of cardio workout in which you do short bursts of intense exercises followed by short breaks.
Research shows that high-intensity interval training (HIIT) is an efficient way to reduce body fat.
One way to do HIIT is to sprint fast on the treadmill for 30 seconds, then walk on the treadmill for 15 seconds. You could also do jump squats or burpees for 45 seconds and then rest for 15 seconds. A HIIT workout can be done in many different ways.
Most of the time, an HIIT workout will last between 10 and 30 minutes. Aim to do at least two HIIT workouts per week.
