Fitness

Bed Moves: Check Out These Bed Exercises For Thighs!

Aiming thunder thighs but too lazy to get off the bed! How workouts on the bed will work out for your thighs?


Written by Rani Premkumar

On Jan 19, 2023 – 12 minutes read

Check Out These Bed Exercises For Thighs!

Great thighs are not just great to ogle at! It helps keep the body balanced. It is the thighs that allow the lower part of the body to flex, rotate, move, and bend. Thighs have the largest muscles in the body.

The thigh muscles have multiple jobs. The adductors allow us to bring the thighs together, which is known as adduction. This helps us to stay balanced and keep the hip and legs. Hamstrings allow us to flex or bend the knee. Another muscle, Pectineus helps us flex and rotate the thigh at the hip joint. Quadriceps allows us to flex the hip and extend the knee. Sartorius helps us sit cross-legged, helping us rotate the thigh from the hip joint.

Having toned thighs is a dream and a necessity. Thigh health determines the quality of your movement and hence the quality of your life. This is more so for senior citizens. There are most of us who dread walking and running to reduce our thigh fat. Bed exercises for thighs and such a thigh workout come in handy in these cases.

Bed Exercises For Thighs To Lose Fat!

Reducing your thighs remaining in bed is a possibility. With a proper diet with low carbs, no processed food, and sugar, you can shake a leg while staying in bed to reduce your thigh fat. Exercises like bridge pose, air cycling, v-kicks, air reversed bike, butterfly pose, full and half ballet kicks, donkey kicks, etc are some exercises that will tone your thighs and help lose fat. They fall within the category of bed exercises for thighs. These exercises require you to lie down and do them.

Bed Exercises For Thighs To Lose Fat

So why not do it in bed? You will stop making excuses about having to wear exercise gear, or bad weather when you master these bed exercises for your thighs. Bed exercises will help you exercise while waking up or before sinking into sleep. You can relax and do most of these exercises while listening to an audiobook, watching YouTube, or reading SoulFactors!

Bed Exercises For The Elderly

Elderly people have a difficult time working out. There come concerns about balance, stability, and caution when the elderly exercise. Those who can afford to go to a gym or a chiropractor or physiotherapist on a regular basis would be rare due to many factors, including lack of finances or ease of conveyance or that there is no one to accompany them. Some may also find it difficult to get out of bed due to balance issues and problems with walking.

The exercises lying on the bed will not only help them maintain their body weight but also in making sure that there will be no injuries while working out. Having strong thighs is also vital for standing up and moving around. 

Bed Exercises For The Elderly

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), those aged 65 and above should include 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise. But most adults who are around that age would have blood pressure issues, joint pains, peripheral neuritis, balance and leg issues, spine problems, etc. It would be risky to do exercises, as even medium-intensity exercises may be strenuous for them. This is where the bed exercises for thighs in particular, and the whole body in general, gain prominence. 

With movement issues, the need to strengthen the thighs is more. For those who are bed-bound due to leg issues (fracture, surgery, nerve or spine problems), bed rest can delay or deny recovery from diseases and their rehabilitation. When bed bound for a longer duration with minimal exercise, they may experience a condition called muscle atrophy, which essentially means loss of muscles. Hence, bed exercises for the thighs could help them during the rehabilitation phase. 

Bed Exercises For Legs For Elderly

Exercises like hip thrusts, air cycling, leg lift, push-ups, flexion exercise, etc. can be done while being on the bed and are effective bed exercises for thighs for the elderly who want to strengthen their thighs for better stability and quality movement(1).

  • Hip Thrusts
    In hip thrusts, start out by lying on the bed with your back on your mattress without pillows under your head. Bend your knees with your feet flat on the bed and slowly lift up your hips as you tighten your abdominal and glute muscles. Hold the position for ten seconds and lower your hips flat on the mattress. Do ten reps.
  • Air Cycling
    In a simple form of air cycling, you will lie on the mattress and bend your knees to extend one leg forward straight, followed by the other one in a repetitive fashion, as if riding a bicycle in the air. This would help tone the inner thighs.
  • Leg Lifts
    As you lay on your back without pillows propped under your head, lift your feet off the bed so that they will form a 90-degree angle with your torso resting on the mattress. Keep your arms close to your side and pressed against the bed. You could also try the same with bent knees as it will be easier than straight legs up in the air. Do ten reps.
Bed Exercises For Legs For Elderly
  • Push-ups
    In a simpler form of push-ups, stand on all fours with face down towards the bed while on your knees, place your palms under your shoulders and let the torso go up and down by bending your elbows. This exercise depends on the firmness of the bed and the physical strength of the doer. This makes the legs, arms, and thighs firm enough.
  • Flexion Exercise
    Sitting up in the bed with pillows piled behind you for support, extend the legs in front of you. Slowly point the toes as far away from you as possible and flex back. Repeat it to tone your legs and thighs.

How To Reduce Thigh Fat In Two Weeks

Cut the calories, reduce stress, and exercise – this is the shortcut to reducing fat from anywhere. For reducing your inner thigh fat, targeted exercises along with bed exercises for thighs can prove to be effective. Bed exercise for thighs grabs all the points as a super effective way to reduce thigh fat while staying relaxed in bed.

You could read, chill and read while going about the exercise moves that sure will cut your thigh fat. You should make sure to increase the reps of exercise sessions too many times during the day in order to tone your thighs in two weeks. Bed exercise will enable you to jump into action without any preparation or dress codes. It’s free too and you can do it when you are free.

8 Bed Exercises For Thighs: Tone Your Inner Thighs!

1. Air Cycling

Air cycling is something everyone as a kid would have done. But here is how you do it the right way to target the thighs, abdominal muscles, hip flexors, and obliques.

Air Cycling
  • You can lie down on your back, keeping your back straight, and keep the neck cradled in your palms with fingers interlaced.
  • Gently lift the torso off the bed while raising the legs straight up and parallel to the bed.
  • Extend the left leg in the air, straight and parallel to the bed.
  • Simultaneously bend your right leg at the knees and crunch up sideways as if to make the left elbow touch the right knee.
  • Now bring your right knee to the torso after stretching the right leg forward and try to make your right elbow touch the left knee.

Keep repeating that you feel like you are riding a cycle by alternating knees and elbows. This is one of the most popular bed exercises for thighs.

2. Leg Kickbacks

This exercise not only tones your thighs but also helps in enhancing your range of motion and activities. It helps to strengthen the lower back as well.

Leg Kickbacks
  • To do it, you stand on all fours, table position.
  • With your hands under your shoulders and knees under the hips, lift your left knee and push the left heel backward while straightening your leg.

While doing this, make sure you don’t move your shoulders or hips. Repeat with the other leg. They are also called donkey kicks.

3. Lizard Pose

This bed exercises for thighs is adapted from yoga and it strengthens our arms, chest, and bums beside thighs.

Lizard Pose
  • To start, get into the downward-facing dog pose.
  • Bring the right foot forward to the right side of your right palm, as if there is side to side. You will find yourself in an extended lounge pose.
  • As you lower your hips, keep your arms and spine straight and stretched.
  • If you want a better workout, try lowering yourself on your forearms.

Stay in the position for thirty seconds and repeat on the other side.

4. Glute Bridge

It is another version of the Sethubandhasana in traditional yoga. This will help in toning your inner thighs as well as gluteal muscles.

Glute Bridge
  • Lie down facing the ceiling.
  • Bend your knees and place your feet on the floor.
  • Keep the arms by your side with palms down. You could also interlace your fingers below your butt.
  • Slowly, lift your hips off the ground until your knees, hips, and shoulders are in a straight inclined way. Hold the position for a few seconds and relax.

Repeat this bed exercise for thighs as many times as you are comfortable.

5. V- Kick

V- kicks work your inner thighs as well as different areas simultaneously.

V- Kick
  • Lie on the bed with hands below your butt and bend the knees towards your chest.
  • Spread your knees and form a V. Now kick the left leg up to the top left to form another bigger V. Coming down, redo it with the right leg kicked to the tip right, forming yet another big V.

6. The Butterfly Stretch

Known as Titiliasana in traditional yoga, the butterfly stretch is great for toning the inner thighs.

The Butterfly Stretch
  • Sit down with your spine straight and legs stretched. Bend the knees slowly to resemble the wings of a butterfly.
  • Bring it as close as possible to the groin area and hold the feet within your intertwined palm.
  • Now start moving your knees up and down in a flapping fashion by pressing your thighs and knees to resemble the flapping of the wings of a butterfly.
  • Make sure to breathe in and out during these bed exercises for thighs. Keeping the spine erect is a must for this exercise to work.

7. Bird-dog

This exercise is great not only for your thighs but also for your spine and butts.

Bird-dog
  • Kneel down on all fours with the knees at hip-width apart and hands shoulder-width apart.
  • Lift the left arm and stretch it to the front while extending the opposite leg behind you, which is the right leg, in this instance.
  • Tuck your chin into your chest. Hold for fifteen seconds and switch to the other side. You need not lift the leg too high and keep your spine neutral.

8. Side-lying Adduction

Great bed exercises for your inner thighs.

Side-lying Adduction
  • Lie on the floor on one side with your top leg bent and dropped to the front.
  • Support the top leg with a pillow. Now extend the lower leg long and lift it while keeping your hips stacked.
  • Lift and drop for fifteen to twenty reps and switch to the other side.

What Are The Benefits Of Exercising In The Bed?

Easy Peasy

Bed exercises for thighs are effective in starting your day right. If you are a couch or bed potato, in order for you to get up and work out, you would need tons of motivation. Here it is like you are not even getting up from the bed, yet toning your body.

To Wake You Up

Bed exercises are a great way to wake yourself up. How many times have you got up and brushed or peed and got back to bed like in autopilot mode? Hitting the snooze button and hiding in the sheets is your norm? Then, bed exercises will help to wake you up by pumping up your circulation and giving you a burst of energy.

No Dressing Up And Formalities

Bed exercises for thighs already involve lying down on a yoga or exercise mat. Cleaning the yoga mat and getting into the exercise gear- all sounds like a chore to a lazy girl. So waking up to exercise in your bed clothes sounds like a billion-dollar idea!

Privacy

In a place like New York where your apartment can hardly hold half your wardrobe, finding a place to exercise in the apartment itself will make you a Columbus incarnate. This is worse when you are having flatmates or a partner. So exercising in bed in the privacy of your room will be a practical idea. 

Need Of Space

If you have a cramped apartment and have no motivation enough to go out and work out or pay a hefty gym membership fee, bed exercises for your thighs will make your thighs thank you.

Better Core Strength

As the bed is not a firm surface, bed exercises will help recruit small stabilizing muscles also thus proving to help to build core strength, improve balance, and better toning of the body.

Better Sleep And Mood

Which is a better place to exercise before sleeping than the bed? According to research done in 2018, evening exercises are found to have positive effects on sleep. The finding is that moderate evening exercises can increase slow-wave sleep, which is the deepest stage of sleep. You will trick yourself into thinking that you are relaxing, thus releasing endorphins while shedding some calories while in bed(2).

For Rehabilitation And Recovery

Bed exercises for thighs will prove to be effective for people who are recovering from a leg fracture, stroke, or some debilitating situation. It also would help those suffering from peripheral neuritis to get their dose of exercise while lying in bed. It also helps pregnant women to exercise at their will in order to keep themselves active, boost metabolism, tackle gastric problems, and improve blood circulation.

Words Of Caution

A practical word of advice would be to check the strength of the cot before starting bed exercises. You don’t want to end up in bed because you wanted to stay in bed and exercise!

You need to see that your room has enough air circulation, as exercises on the bed may make you overlook this vital element. When you exercise in stale air or a congested dusty room, you could risk infections. Yes, we all like to think that our boudoirs are clean. So a detailed sweep and sweeping glance both could help. 

Bed exercises for thighs need not be done only at night. Though there are studies that show that exercising before going to bed will help you sleep deeply, some studies suggest that intense workouts before going to bed will increase your alertness and hence will dampen the quality of your sleep. So make sure you do not do any strenuous numbers before bedtime. 

You could also risk changing the topography of the mattress with your exercise, as you may place pressure at certain places and change the bulk within the mattress. So try changing the sides of the mattress monthly to ensure that they are in proper shape.

Now you know you can shape your thighs by relaxing in your boudoir and watching Netflix. This is called an aesthetic workout! Hop on and build your killer thighs! ♥️

  1. PubMed.gov. (2022). Efficacy of bed exercise in elderly patients after total hip arthroplasty: A retrospective study of 539 patients. (Online). Available at:

    https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36451424/
  2. OneCare Media, LLC. (2023). What’s the Best Time of Day to Exercise for Sleep? (Online). Available at:

    https://www.sleepfoundation.org/physical-activity/best-time-of-day-to-exercise-for-sleep

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rani

Rani is a women’s lifestyle coach with a knack for translating high fashion into accessible, everyday looks. She has helped countless women embrace their personal style, fostering confidence and self-expression.

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