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Nutrition & Exercises for the Butt, Thighs and Legs

Q and A with Trainer Chris Powell

Gail in Mesa wants to help her granddaughter slim down her pear-shaped body.

"My 16 year old granddaughter has a big butt and heavy thighs and legs. She would like to know what would be the best exercise to slim this area. She is small above her waist. Right now it is solid but, she would like to improve her shape."

Hey there Gail!

I’m glad you brought this up! Most women are genetically built to be larger from the waist-down. Genetically. For these women, this means that the billions of cells in your body are all pre-programmed to create more muscle mass in the lower body (butt, thighs, and calves). The cells are also programmed to store more fat in these areas. There are some women who are significantly larger than others. Does this mean that your granddaughter will always be like this?No! These women may be genetically inclined to carry more weight below, but environmental factors like exercise and nutrition also control the shape and size.

It all starts with nutrition:
This is actually a two-part question: although you ask about the best exercises to slim this area, the most important factor she should focus on is starting a good nutrition regimen for weight loss.  By creating a nutrition program to get her body into weight loss, she can then utilize the exercises to speed up the weight loss process.  Going back to the TRIAXIOM Pyramid, your granddaughter will need to first create a sound nutrition base, then focus on the development and cardio to enhance and speed the weight loss.

Now get moving:
For the Development (specific exercise) element, she will want to focus on lighter weight/high repetition exercises.  In my experience, one of the most effective exercise programs for weight loss is the total body circuit.  An effective and balanced circuit should focus on all the major movements the human body is capable of – pushing, squatting and pulling.  By combining these three big movements, we can successfully stimulate all of the largest muscles in the body. The larger the muscles, the more calories we burn!  Here’s a great total body circuit that she can follow:

Chest Exercise
25-30 repetitions of each exercise
Push-Up
From the Sofa Back (Beginner)
From the Arm Rest (Intermediate)
From the Sofa Seat / Floor (Advanced)

1. Start with your hands slightly wider than shoulder width and arms extended
2. Tighten your abs as much as you can
3. Slowly lower yourself down to a 90 degree angle on the elbows (letting your elbows point out for more chest stimulation or keeping your elbows tucked into your sides for more shoulder and tricep stimulation)
4. At the bottom of the motion, press slowly until the arms are fully extended again.

Rest: As long as it takes to move into the next exercise

Butt & Thigh Exercise
25-30 repetitions of each exercise
Sofa Squat (beginner)

1. Begin with feet shoulder width, keeping your weight on your heels
2. Tighten your abs as much as you can
3. Slowly lower your butt down to the sofa like you are going to sit down, extending your arms forward as a counterbalance
4. As soon as you feel contact with the sofa, press slowly through your heels until the legs are fully extended again.

Rest: As long as it takes to move into the next exercise

Back Exercise (Pulling Muscles)
25-30 repetitions of each exercise
Lawnmowers

1. Start in a split leg stance with one hand on the couch and a dumbbell in the other hand
2. Slowly pull the dumbbell upward, as if to trace your leg (like pulling along an imaginary line through your belt buckle) 
3. Slowly lower the weight back to an extended arm and repeat 25-30 times

Rest: As long as it takes to move into the next exercise

To make a weight loss circuit effective, there should be minimal rest time between exercises.  For example: do 25 push ups, then move immediately into 25 squats, then immediately into 25 Rows.  Feel free to slow the pace of the workout if you need to take a breather! 

Let me know how it goes!
~ Chris

Don’t forget, you can get in shape in the cool comfort of home with Chris' Home workout

Learn more about Chris

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