Q. I have saddle bags. Not overly huge, mind you, but I'd like to find some exercises that target the outer hip area to slim them down a bit. Is there anything I could do that might help me?

The exercise that will target the outer thigh/saddle bag area is known as a Hip Abduction.

The basic exercise is very simple. To start with, lie down on the floor on your side as though lounging. Keeping your legs straight, raise your top leg up in the air using your hip. Your legs will look like a pair of scissors opening.

Do this exercise for high reps to tighten the area. If you wish to use resistance, hold a dumbell on your thigh just above the knee as you are doing the exercise. You can also try wearing ankle weights or a rubber band stretched around your thighs.

If you have access to a gym, many have some sort of abduction training machines which essentially give you resistance in the outward scissor movement. This can be a seated machine or a standing machine. Essentially, any machine that gives you resistance in an outwards scissor movement will be effective for working the outer hip and thigh muscles.

Abduction machines should also be used for high reps (15+). Be aware with any resistance training that you won't be burning fat directly from the area you are working - you will be toning up the muscle underneath the fat.

With a dedicated fat-loss program, you will see the well-toned muscle underneath the fat after you burn it off!

 

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