Step 1
Step onto an elliptical, or choose another form of cardio that works your arms and legs. All forms of cardio lead to total body weight loss — which is important, because you can't choose to lose weight from selected areas of the body — but types such as elliptical training, rowing, swimming and kickboxing work your legs and thighs. This can help you achieve better tone in those areas as you lose weight. Perform interval training to get faster results. Start your workouts with a light warmup, then alternate your pace back and forth from high to low. Aim for 30 to 45 minutes of training, and work out three days a week on nonconsecutive days.
Step 2
Target all of the major muscles in your arms and legs with exercises. Focus on the triceps, biceps, quadriceps, hamstrings and calf muscles. The triceps sit on the back of the upper arms, and the biceps sit on the front. The quads run down the front of the thighs, the hamstrings run down the back, and the calves are in the back of the lower legs. Do exercises such as close-grip bench presses, dips, barbell curls, dumbbell hammer curls, squats, lunges, stepups and standing calf raises. Adding muscle will also boost your metabolic rate, causing you to burn fat faster while at rest.
Step 3
Perform your exercises with proper form. This is important for injury prevention and to maximize your progress. For lunges, stand with your feet together and hold dumbbells at your sides. Keep your back straight and abs tight as you step forward with your left foot. Lower yourself by bending both knees, and stop when your front thigh parallels the floor and back knee is one inch above the floor. Rise back up, move your feet together and repeat with your right side. Continue to alternate back and forth in a controlled motion. Make sure your front knee does not go past your toes when you lunge forward.
Step 4
Lift moderate weights in your exercises. Aim for a resistance that will enable you to do 10 to 12 reps with proper form. Do three or four sets of each exercise, and work out on three noncardio days a week.
Step 5
Rest for short periods between exercises. Taking short rest breaks will keep your heart rate elevated and cause you to burn more calories. Rest for no more than 45 seconds between sets. You also have the option of doing active recovery. Between sets, jump rope, perform jumping jacks, or step up and down on an aerobic step.
Tips
What you choose to eat needs to be taken into consideration when you are trying to lose weight. If you overeat, your exercising efforts will be canceled out. You are best served cutting back on your caloric intake while eating healthy foods.
