Regardless of their age, women face the problem of overhanging skin and fat in the knee area. These are not always age-related changes, but the accumulation of excess adipose tissue in the absence of muscle tone, which is found even in young girls. Improve the appearance of your knees with our top 5 exercises for slimming legs. We will also look at other methods of gaining slim and toned hips.
How to Get Rid of Fat Around Your Knees?
Thick knees, as well as wide bones, as such do not exist. Rather, the thickness of the joints and bones, of course, is slightly different for everyone, but adipose tissue is still responsible for the fullness and overhanging of the skin over the joints. It is the presence of fat in the thighs that makes the appearance of the knees less aesthetically pleasing. Since fat is deposited on the knees less than in the thighs, the thin, losing its elasticity, the skin is subject to the weight of the fat hanging over it. Also, the tone of the quadriceps muscles of the thigh is responsible for the appearance of the problem area, which, being in a relaxed state, are not able to support adipose tissue and literally “pile” it on the kneecaps.
Fortunately, you can remove the overhanging skin on your knees, for this you must meet the following conditions:
- Exercise, including strength training. This is primarily to strengthen the muscles in the front of the thigh and burn fat, which will make the knees more attractive.
- It is also important to do plyometric exercises and cardio: increasing endurance will speed up the fat burning process and get your legs in shape faster. Therefore, running, swimming, brisk walking for long distances, cardiovascular exercises and all kinds of jumping exercises can be added to the main complex.
- Balance your diet. It is no secret that excess adipose tissue accumulates due to a surplus of calories, therefore, for a visible effect, it is important to remove harmful foods that cause obesity. Also, poor nutrition affects the quality of the skin, for example, an excess of simple carbohydrates makes the skin loose and flabby, the so-called cellulite appears.
The 5 Best Exercises for Knees
1. Squats
Multi-joint exercise helps not only to tighten the quadriceps muscles of the thigh and buttocks, but also to lose weight, and evenly throughout the body. When performing basic exercises, a large amount of energy is expended, regardless of whether they are performed with additional weights or with their own weight. The main task is to bring the quadriceps to normal tone and return to a normal physiological position, and after them the loose skin from the knees will tighten.
2. Lunges
This version of squats on one leg can be performed in various ways: both in a stable position of the legs, and alternately, both back and forth, and to the side. Here the load is more difficult, since the weight is distributed on one supporting leg, but the injury rate also increases, so it is important to monitor the position of the knee joints. In any of the options, there is one important condition – the knee of the supporting leg, which performs the lunge, should not exceed 90 degrees.
3. Box Step-Up
Another energy-intensive multi-joint exercise that tones all the muscles in the lower body and effectively fights overhanging fat. As in any exercise, the technique of performing steps is important here. It is important to ensure that the knee of the supporting leg on the bench is not sharp. Each movement is performed in a concentrated and smooth manner so as not to injure the joints.
4. Leg Extension
Isolation exercise involving exclusively the quadriceps muscles of the thigh. To improve the appearance of the knees, it is necessary to perform extensions with a low weight, a large number of repetitions. This approach will not allow you to swing large quads, on the contrary, it will make your legs “leaner” and tighter.
5. Side Lungles
Lunges or squats on one leg are designed more to tone the inner thigh and have a direct relationship with the work on the aesthetics of the knees. Like the quadriceps muscles, the adducting surface of the thighs needs to increase the tone and elasticity of muscle fibers and ligaments. Even on the side, near the knee joints, the skin bulges significantly, this is due to both muscle atony and excess subcutaneous fat. The exercise can be performed both alternately and on each side separately. The knee should “look” in the direction of the toe of the supporting leg, the angle at the knee should not exceed 90 degrees.
