I have been doing alot of exercises butnone specifically for my thighs and rear. That is mostly my trouble spot and would like help on it. If there is anyone out there that knows anyways to control or reshape that area, please feel free to let me know. I really need it. Thanks

Lunges and squats are the best exercises for that area.

thanks for the tip. unfortunately I already do quite a bit of both of them and little to no progress... well I did lose .5 inches from each this last weigh in so I guess that is progress just slower then I wanted it to be.

I recently bought a pilates video and have been doing that. I haven't had it long enough to know if it makes a difference, but I sure was sore the next day, so apparently I did something right!!!!

gabwill, You might try to do walking lunges if you haven't already or add weights to your lunges. They'll help shape your backside but really cardio is what will lose the fat which will help you lose inches.

thanks for the tips. I already walk and try to run... just got a treadmill so will get better at that. Thanks.

Very effective exercises for thighs and rear are done on the FIRM work-outs. The high step helps to target exactly this area. (lunges, dips, leg presses). They really work.

I find FIRM very effective for the lower body but I am not so sure about its efficacy for the upper body (I have BSS1).

Try the Lotte Berk tape/dvd Muscle Eats Fat. I've been doing them(the series of 3 workouts) for the past week and I really feel it and from what I've read on Amazon.com they really work.


Mel

I'm with Nelie, lunges, walking lunges , squats with lots of weights, more squats along with intense cardio... and last but not least check your food plan... if you are eating too much processed foods you're not feeding the muscles which will in turn burn the fat... Stick to lean proteins, eggwhites, chicken, oatmeal, sweet potatoes, lots and lots of veggies, lots and lots of water... HTH

thanks for all the help. I do plenty of lunges and squats with and without weights. Tore out magazine pages for several ideas too and will sooon measure too see if there is any changes. Hope there are. Thanks for the ideas.

Is it the Winsor Pilates lower body video? that's a great workout for the lower body, the best I've ever tried. I'd try that

Gabwill: These are two specific excercises that I use to tone when I get tired of lunges and squats. I don't have names for them.

1. Lay on you back and bend knees so feet are flat on the floor. This is the rest position. Then lift hips upward until body is a straight line from knees to shoulders. Lower hips back to the ground. That is one rep. I usually do reps, or pulse my hips at the top, or hold at the top. Really concentrate on squeezing your butt no matter which move you are doing.

2. (Definately do not like doing this in public but it works.) Get on hands and knees. Make sure hands are beneath your shoulders. Keeping knee bent, lift knee to the side until upper part of leg extends straight out and then lower. Or keeping knee bent lift foot toward ceiling until upper part of leg is straight out from the body then lower. This one is good to pulse or hold too.

Hope that helps and I explained everything well enough.

SJ

A good modification of the exercise #1 skinnyjeans mentioned is to do the same thing basically in conjunction with a ball. You put your heels on the top of a ball while laying on the ground and try to lift your booty up. It'll work the back of your legs and your butt.

I usally do the butt blaster at the gym. Where you put one leg up and push your leg, then swithch. Also I think the Eleptical climber on fat burn for 15 minutes and 15 minutes on cardo. I've noticed my butt and thighs really slimming down.

I would like to add a variation on skinnyjeans exercise #2, but I warn that I don't think it's appropriate for beginning exercisers.

Get down on all fours (and I pad my knees with a folded blanket) and rest on your elbows, instead of hands. Bend your leg, then lift/push it straight up. I do eight pushes up, three times. Then leave leg up in the air, but give it little pulses, again 8 times, times 3. There is one more to do, but difficult to verbalize, so I'll leave it out.

The above exercise is difficult; I would say that one needs to have some overall muscle strength to achieve; the back and abs need to hold the body stable so the glutes can lift the leg.

This is on one of my Gilad tapes and I admit that it took me months to feel when it was actually working my hip/butt area, but when it does, hoo-ee! you feel it.