Thigh Exercises Laying Flat on the Back

It doesn't matter if you're an athlete or a homemaker, strong thighs are essential to a healthy life, since your legs are your support base. Without strong thighs many daily activities, such as walking up and down stairs or getting in and out of your car, would be difficult. You can perform many standing or sitting thigh-strengthening exercises at the gym while working with expensive equipment. But, an inexpensive alternative is to choose several exercises to do at home while lying on your back.

  1. Thigh Muscles

    • When choosing the most effective exercises to include in a thigh workout, it helps to know the major muscles in your upper legs. A group of four muscles make up your quadriceps, commonly referred to as your quads, and are located at the front of your upper leg. The quads are instrumental in extending your knee and straightening your leg. Running down the back of your thighs are your hamstrings, a group of three muscles. The hamstrings are involved in knee flexion and hip extension. The adductors are a group of three muscles along the inside of your thighs. These muscles are involved when you bring your legs toward the midline of your body, as you do when squeezing your thighs together.

    Quads Exercise

    • The leg raise is one exercise that effectively works and strengthens your quads. Lie on your back on an exercise mat and position your arms by your sides with your palms down. Bend your left knee and put your left foot flat on the mat. Straighten your right leg, flex your foot and point your toes toward the ceiling. Tighten your quads and raise your right leg eight to 10 inches off the mat. Hold the position five seconds, slowly lower your leg to the mat, rest two seconds and repeat. After 12 leg raises with your right leg, repeat with your left leg.

    Hamstrings Exercise

    • With a towel and a smooth floor, you can target the muscles at the back of your thighs with hamstring curls. Lie face up on the floor, bend your knees 90 degrees, place a towel beneath your feet and put your feet on the towel. Put your arms on the floor with your palms down for support. Flex your feet, point your toes toward the ceiling and lift your hips 3 to 4 inches. While keeping your hips off the floor throughout the exercise, straighten and slide your legs forward as far as you can, slide them back and repeat 10 to 12 times.

    Adductors Exercise

    • Strengthen your adductors with sideways scissor kicks. Lie on your back on an exercise mat and put your arms by your sides with your palms down. With your legs together and straight, bend your hips and lift your legs 45 degrees above the mat. Point your toes and open your legs into a wide "V" and then quickly close them. Each time you close your legs, cross one in front of the other. For example, the first time you close your legs, cross your right leg over your left. The next time you close your legs, cross your left leg over your right. Repeat the sideways scissor movements until you’ve completed 12 to 15 crossovers with each leg.

    Tips and Considerations

    • Perform a short, five-minute aerobic warm-up consisting of a light jog, jumping rope or riding a stationary bicycle to prepare your muscles for the exercises. To make some of the exercises more challenging, simply strap on a pair of ankle weights. If you have not trained in a long time or you are new to exercise, get the OK from your doctor before doing the thigh exercises.