9 best exercises to quickly pump up a girl’s legs

Causes of excessive thinness of legs

The main reason for thin legs is genetic predisposition. This is a common problem for people with an ectomorphic body type (both women and men).

Features of the ectomorphic somatotype include:

• thin-boned skeleton (and hence weak osseous-ligamentous apparatus)
• narrow chest
• often long limbs
• low percentage of subcutaneous fat and muscle

To increase volumes, such people will have to try, putting in a lot of effort and time.

But this is not the only reason for excessive thinness. Other factors also influence this point:

1. Adolescence

At this time, rapid growth and restructuring of the body occurs.

Adolescents often experience asynchronous, that is, uneven development of organs and systems. It happens that muscle tissue does not keep pace with bone growth.

This is where the disproportion in physique appears. For example, very long, but thin legs. As a rule, by the age of 18-20, the body “evens out” such physical defects on its own.

1. Muscular atrophy of the legs due to injuries

This applies, for example, to fractures and subsequent prolonged wearing of a cast or diseases in which complete or partial immobilization occurs.

In most of these cases, this is a temporary problem . And a girl or guy can easily gain weight in their legs when they start doing basic physical exercises (walking, cycling, etc.).

1. Professional activities related to the development of extreme endurance

Representatives of some sports (marathon runners, triathletes, road cycling marathon runners) have extremely thin legs, with “shrunken” thigh muscles.

This is easily explained by the specifics of the muscular activity of athletes.

To cover huge distances, body weight must be minimal. With the same amount of not only fat, but also muscle. Therefore, the body of such athletes “burns” everything unnecessary, including the leg muscles.

1. Muscular dystrophy

It is considered a medical disease (not to be confused with skinny legs of ectomorphs), which is treated with medication. Including through the use of hormonal agents - insulin, growth hormone, anabolic steroids. Naturally, under strict medical supervision.

How to increase volumes

So, with the exception of muscular dystrophy, all cases of too thin legs are corrected. Theoretically, there are two ways to increase thigh volume - by storing fat, and by gaining muscle mass.

Due to fat accumulation

This is the “folk way,” so to speak. After all, logic dictates that since your legs are thin, it means you need to eat more. Excess calories will definitely lead to an increase in body fat and your legs will become larger. In theory, everything looks easy.

But in practice, this method only works on women with normal metabolism.

Once you relax in your diet and start overeating, you immediately begin to gain excess fat in your body. Including due to its accumulation on the hips.

One problem is that this method does not work for ectomorphs. Due to a very fast metabolism, it is not possible to gain weight even with an increase in caloric intake.

In such a situation, there is only one way to gain weight in the legs - to pump up the thigh muscles.

By building muscle mass

Practical bodybuilding experience shows that for ectomorphs with thin legs, pumping them up is quite possible.

Of course, under the influence of force loads they will not become as huge as those of professional athletes. But it will be possible to significantly increase the volume of the hips in comparison with the initial parameters. After all, building muscle mass is a fairly controlled process. Practical techniques for training legs to gain mass, developed over decades, will help with this.

The only thing that distinguishes ectomorphs from other body types is the rate of muscle growth.

In ectomorphs, muscles grow much slower, so to get the desired results, you will have to spend more time.

But there is good news - this body type gains, albeit slowly, but mostly “lean” muscle mass, that is, without fat.

Girls especially benefit from this. Their initially long but thin legs gradually gain the necessary muscle volume, gradually acquiring an aesthetically athletic appearance. As a result, the legs become moderately inflated, without visible excess fat and cellulite.

What result do we want to achieve?

How are beautiful and firm buttocks and thighs formed? The Internet is simply overloaded with photos of girls in great shape.

Looking at them, I can’t believe that such results can be achieved at home. And completely in vain!

The main key to success is just a few basic complexes that any woman can master. Your persistence and belief in success will play an important role.

First, some useful tips:

• We all know very well that a new life begins on Monday and ends on Tuesday. Create a motivator for yourself, it could be a photo demonstrating what you need to strive for when starting exercises. Keep a diary of your successes, promise to buy yourself a very expensive thing, in a word, do everything to develop the habit of playing sports;
• When starting classes, adjust your diet by eliminating complex carbohydrates. Introduce more fluids, protein and greens into your diet. It is protein that helps to form beautiful muscle mass and there is no need to be afraid that your legs will become like those of bodybuilders. Exercises in combination with proper nutrition will make it possible not only to lose weight, but also to tighten muscles without pumping them up;
• Another useful diet tip: if you're craving something sweet, eat it, but work off the calories by increasing your workout time or intensity. This is better than having a breakdown from time to time, eating cakes, buns and chocolates;
• Any load on untrained muscles begins with a warm-up; this is a mandatory point in the program; without warming up, you can get injured. Exactly from the moment when you no longer feel pain in your legs and buttocks, you need to increase the load using small dumbbells and allocate more time for exercises.

Persistence and patience, and in a few weeks you will have perfect thighs and buttocks, no worse than those of fitness models.

Training Recommendations

It will be easier to gain weight in your legs if you follow the main rules:

1. Priority in the selection of exercises is given to basic movements with free weights - dumbbells, barbells or kettlebells
2. Basic exercises performed in simulators are allowed, but as auxiliary exercises

The effectiveness of such movements in terms of gaining muscle mass is lower than from exercises with free weights.

1. Frequency of leg training – 1-2 times a week

Don't forget that muscles grow during the rest period after strength training. By training your legs too often, you can slow down muscle growth due to insufficient recovery.

1. The average number of leg exercises per workout is 4-5

2-3 movements are for the development of quadriceps (squats, lunges), 2 exercises for the hamstrings (types of deadlifts or bends).

If there is a need to further develop the calf muscles, the program includes 1-2 exercises for this muscle group - calf raises while standing or sitting.

1. The number of working approaches in one exercise is 2-4
2. Rep range – 10-15
3. Rest pauses between sets – 2-3 minutes
4. Load progression

A constant increase in load volume is a prerequisite for progress.

Strive from training to training to systematically increase the intensity of the session due to the number of approaches, increasing the working weight and other parameters.

How to pump up thighs at home: exercises

There are numerous exercises that are easy to do at home. To perform them, physical training and special equipment are not required. After mastering such exercises, you can move on to more complex complexes.

Squat

To complete the exercise you need:

1. Stand up straight. Feet should be shoulder-width apart. The toes are slightly apart. The weight of the body should be transferred to the heels.
2. Lean your body forward slightly. By moving the pelvis back, the body is lowered into a squat position. When your knees bend, your thighs should be parallel to the floor.
3. To get back, you need to push off the floor with your heels. The body should be straight.
4. When lifting, the buttocks should be in a clamped position.

Lunges forward

Depending on the length of the step, you can change the degree of impact on the muscles.

There are two options:

• the load falls on the front of the thigh, which increases the power of the quadriceps;
• impact on the buttocks.

Performing lunges involves the following actions:

1. Straighten your back and place your hands on your lower back.
2. The legs are hip-width apart and the feet are parallel to each other.
3. Breathe and take a step forward. The working leg must be placed on the entire foot, and the back leg must be placed on the toe.
4. The body weight is transferred to the forward leg. Keeping your body straight, you need to lower yourself into a lunge.
5. It is required to hold the knee behind the standing leg at the lowest point, as close as possible to the floor, but without touching it. The thigh of the working leg should be in a perpendicular position relative to the shin.
6. Exhale and come back. In this case, you need to rest your heel on the floor of the leg in front.
7. Next, the exercises are repeated for the other leg.

Side lunges

The exercise helps to work the inner thighs, quadriceps and buttocks. With this type of lunge, the load on the knees is less than with squats and classic lunges.

To complete this you will need:

• Straighten your body and put your feet together. Place your hands where it is convenient. The knees need to be relaxed.
• Exhale and step your foot to the side. The foot should be placed completely on the floor. The body weight must be transferred to the working leg.
• Do a deep squat so that your thigh is parallel to the floor. In this case, the body should be slightly tilted and the pelvis should be pulled back.
• The other leg should be straight when squatting. The wider the step, the stronger the impact on the muscles.
• Exhale and push off with your heel to return to the starting position.
• Repeat for the other leg.

Jumping out of a squat

The muscles of the buttocks and legs are strengthened. Jumping will increase the number of heart beats, which will burn calories.

Process:

1. Body straight, feet shoulder-width apart. Bend your knees and lower yourself into a squat. Hands are joined in front of you. Hips parallel to the floor. The lower leg and thigh form a right angle.
2. With a sharp movement you need to jump up and lower your hands down.
3. Return to squat. Continue the exercise.

Hip extension in a kneeling position

The main load falls on the following muscles:

• biceps muscle (located on the back of the thigh);
• gluteus maximus muscle.

Technique:

1. Take a lying position. Place your hands on your forearms and your feet on your knees. The back should be a straight line, without arching in the lower back. The stomach needs to be tightened.
2. Bend your leg at the knee. It needs to be raised up until the thigh and body form a straight line (perhaps a little higher).
3. The foot should be shortened. You can imagine that there is pressure on the ceiling with your heel. The knee should be at a right angle.

It is necessary to ensure that your back does not bend. The knee must be lowered carefully, without sudden movements. It is better to do exercises on a mat.

For greater efficiency, it is possible to use leg weights. It is worth making sure that the swing and throwing of the leg up does not occur due to inertia. The exercise should be performed at a slow pace, feeling the work of each muscle.

Hip adduction in side decubitus position

To activate and strengthen the deepest muscles of the inner thigh, it is necessary to perform leg raises from a lying position.

This requires:

1. Lie sideways on the floor, resting your elbow on it.
2. The lower leg must be straightened, and the upper leg must be bent at the knee and placed behind.
3. Raise the lower thigh up and linger at the top point for a few seconds.

For maximum effect, lifts should be performed at a slow pace. This mode allows you to feel how each muscle group swings and understand whether the exercise is being performed correctly.

Calf raises

Calf raises develop the calf muscles. If you perform the exercise while sitting, the load shifts to the muscle that is located under the calves. Lifting also allows you to develop the strength of your calf muscles and helps you lose weight. The main thing is that the load on both legs is even.

To perform lifts you must:

• Stand near a vertical support and rest your hands on it.
• Slowly stand on your toes to the maximum.
• Hold for 2-3 seconds.
• Go down.

If you want to have beautiful legs and thighs, you need to perform special exercises. You don't have to go to the gym for this. Classes can be done at home.

A few words about nutrition

For ectomorphs, nutrition for muscle growth has certain specifics.

Protein is undoubtedly important for stimulating muscle growth. But for ectomorphs, carbohydrate consumption comes first.

Often it is its lack in the diet that inhibits muscle growth in people with this body type.

The daily intake of carbohydrates is the highest of all somatotypes - 7-8 grams per 1 kg of body weight. Some experts even recommend increasing your carbohydrate intake to 9-11 grams.

For comparison: the standard carbohydrate intake for other body types is 5-6 grams.

But with protein intake everything is as usual - 2 grams per 1 kg of body weight.

Ectomorphs may not take into account the amount of fat, since this nutrient is automatically gained when consuming such a large amount of food.

By the way, the total calorie content of the diet is also “high” - 50-60 kcal per 1 kg.

Even if you have a high metabolism and a good appetite, eating that much food is a difficult task. And this is where sports nutrition comes to the rescue.

One of the main advantages of sports nutritional supplements is that they can contain a large number of calories with a small intrinsic volume. This makes it easier to gain the required amount of proteins, carbohydrates and total calories.

In first place in terms of effectiveness for gaining muscle mass in the legs is a gainer. Often, only thanks to its use, thin people can increase their volume.

As practice shows, for ectomorphs, taking protein is less effective than using a gainer. Therefore, protein can be used, but only as an additional, auxiliary additive.

Taking creatine and vitamin-mineral complexes also brings results.

But popular amino acids (complex, BCAAs, individual types) are useless for ectomorphs during the period of weight gain.

Single Leg Squats with TRX

Attach the loops to the support so that the handles reach your pelvis level. Stand up straight, bend your elbows and grab the TRX handles. Shift your body weight to your right foot. Bend your right knee, lower your body down, extend your left leg forward, help yourself maintain balance by leaning on the TRX. Work your abdominal muscles, buttocks and thighs. Push off the floor with your right foot and straighten your knee to return to the starting position. This will amount to one repetition. Do the required amount in each direction.