No time to exercise? Try these quick, effective workouts for women that target key areas—abs, arms, inner thighs, and more.
Trim Your Inner Thighs With Easy Exercises
The Routine
Summer’s staples (shorts, swimsuits, and slim-cut pants) put the inner thighs on display. To target these tricky-to-hit muscles (and the surrounding ones), use this routine by Matthew Hurst, owner of Training Zone, a gym in Atlanta. Beginners should do each of the standing exercises 15 to 20 times; the intermediate and advanced can repeat them 25 to 30 times.
Move 1: Wide-Stance Squat
(A) Stand with feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart and toes pointed out to 10 o’clock and 2 o’clock.
(B) Slowly lower for two counts into a squat position. Hold the squat for one count, then straighten your legs for two counts to go back to the
starting position.
Move 2: First-Position Plié Squat
Begin with heels touching and toes slightly turned out.
(A) Keeping heels together, rise up onto your toes. (Hold on to a wall if you feel wobbly, but maintain posture.)
(B) Bend your knees into a half squat for two counts, then come back up in two counts, keeping heels together.
Move 3: Squat With Ball
(A) Position your feet shoulder-width apart with toes pointed straight ahead. Place a medium rubber ball (or a knotted beach towel) between your legs just above the knees.
(B) Squeezing your inner thighs to keep the ball steady, lower into a squat for two counts. Hold for one, then return to standing for two counts.
Move 4: Wide-Stance Arm Swing
(A) Place your feet just wider than shoulder-width apart and point toes to 10 o’clock and 2 o’clock. Grasp a dumbbell (three to five pounds for beginners, 8 to 12 for more advanced) vertically in front of your stomach
(B) With arms straight, lift the weight to shoulder height as you lower into a squat for two counts. Hold for one count, then slowly lower the weight and return to standing for two counts.
Move 5: Inner-Thigh Press With Rubber Ball
Lying on your back on a mat, bend your knees so that the soles of your feet are flat on the floor. Place a medium rubber ball (or a knotted beach towel) between your knees. Contract your inner thighs to squeeze the ball for 30 seconds. Relax for 10 seconds, then repeat the cycle four more times.
6 Easy Lower Abdominal Exercises
The Routine
Sure, a more toned midsection can ease your bathing-suit anxiety. But it can also protect you from injury: Research shows that a strong transversus abdominis—the muscle that wraps around the torso—stabilizes your back, which makes it easier to lift anything, whether it’s kids or grocery bags. To work this tricky-to-target area, try these moves created by Melissa Miller, the owner of M2 Personal Training, in Charlottesville, Virginia. Do the series two times through, three times a week.
Move 1: Warm-Up: Ab Prep
Lie on your back with your knees bent, feet flat on the floor. Inhale and tuck your chin to your chest. Exhale and slowly curl just your head, neck, and shoulders off the floor as you lift your arms and reach toward your feet. Pause and breathe in. Slowly return to the starting position, breathing out as you go. Repeat
eight times.
Move 2: Roll Up
(A) Lying on your back, stretch your arms and extend your legs so you form a straight line. Inhale, bring your arms overhead, and begin to curl your upper body off the floor. (B) Exhale when halfway up and continue rolling forward to reach your toes. Inhale and reverse the move, exhaling halfway down, to return to start. Repeat 10 times.
Move 3: Leg Drop
(A) Raise both legs toward the ceiling. Breathe in and tighten your abs. (B) Exhale and slowly lower your legs until they’re about four inches above the floor (or as low as you can go without lifting the small of your back). Pause and breathe in. Breathe out as you raise your legs to the starting position. Repeat 10 times.
Move 4: Scissors
Raise both legs toward the ceiling. Keeping them straight, lower your left leg until it’s about six inches off the floor. Lift your head and shoulders off the floor and grasp the back of your right leg, gently pulling it toward you. Switch legs and repeat on other side. Quickly complete 10 reps (no pausing!).
Move 5: Hip Lift
Raise both legs toward the ceiling and extend your arms on the floor at your sides, palms down. Inhale and tighten your core muscles. Curl your hips toward your ribs as you exhale, lifting your hips off the floor and reaching your feet straight up. Breathe in as you slowly lower. Repeat 10 times.
Move 6: Torso Twist
(A) Sit cross-legged and stretch your arms out in front of you, with your fingertips touching. Breathe in. (B) With your hips square and abs tight, breathe out as you slowly rotate your upper body about 45 degrees to the right. Return to the center and repeat on your left side. Complete 10 reps
Stronger Triceps in 15 Minutes
The Routine
To tone up the undersides of your arms (good-bye, wiggle), use this routine created by Alden Mills, a former Navy SEAL and a personal trainer in Mill Valley, California. Each move sculpts your triceps and the surrounding muscles. Aim for 12 to 15 repetitions of each exercise and three sets.
Move 1: Standing Wall Push-Up
Standing at arm’s length from a wall, extend your arms so your hands are flat on the wall at shoulder height, with your thumbs touching each other. Inhale and, in one movement, press your body toward the wall as if doing a push-up. Exhale and push back to the original position, keeping your elbows close to your sides throughout.
Move 2: Triceps Dip
Sit on the edge of a chair or a bench with your knees bent and your hands on the bench, positioned wider than your hips. Lift your rear up and shift it toward your feet. Bend your arms to lower your body slowly, then lift back up, keeping your elbows as narrow as possible. For more of a challenge, straighten your legs out in front of you.
Move 3: Biceps Curl With Triceps Squeeze
Hold a light weight (about five pounds) in each hand, with palms up and arms at your sides, then slowly raise the weights to your shoulders for a biceps curl. When your hands are at your shoulders, contract your triceps, then rotate your wrists, so your palms face out, away from you, and slowly press the weights down. Once your arms are straight, slightly lift them up, behind and away from you, and squeeze your triceps again to finish the move.
