Many people are surprised about all the ways ankle straps with weights can be used. Discover some thigh exercises with ankle weights.
Your thigh muscles consist of five main parts. These include the quadriceps (front thighs), hamstrings (back upper legs), hip adductors (inner thighs), hip abductors (outer thighs), and glutes (butt).
There are many ankle weight exercises but this piece of equipment really stands out in terms of thigh training options as you will see below.
Exactly how heavy your ankle weights should be for each movement varies from person to person. For the muscle strength exercises, you want a weight where you are barely able to complete 6 to 12 repetitions.
If you are not sure about how much this is, you can start light and build up from there.
Table of Contents
1. Ankle weight adductor raises
To do this first exercise you will have to lie down on the ground. For comfort reasons, you can lie down on a soft surface or something like a yoga mat.
Once you have the gear you want, take the following steps to do an ankle weight adductor raise:
- Strap on the ankle weights and lie down on your side with the bottom leg stretched. You can slightly stretch the other leg and move it somewhat forward or backward for balance.
- Slowly raise your bottom leg as far as you comfortably can.
- Lower your bottom leg again into starting position in a controlled motion.
- Repeat the same number of repetitions with the other leg to avoid muscle imbalances.
You really want to keep your movements slow and controlled. Partly to make sure your inner thigh muscles do the work and stay under tension and partly to avoid a painful landing.
Ankle weight adductor raises are as the name implies an inner thigh exercise you can do at home or in the gym.
Since these muscles are generally not that strong, the bodyweight version may even be challenging enough to see growth and strength progress.
2. Lying ankle weight side leg raises
Similar to the previous movement, a soft surface will come in handy when doing lying side leg raises with ankle weights. Take the following steps to do the exercise:
- Put on the ankle weights and lie down sideways. You can fold your lower leg for balance since the upper leg will move.
- Slowly raise the upper leg as far as you comfortably can without moving your hips or the rest of your body.
- Lower the upper leg back into the position of step 1 in a controlled motion.
- Repeat the same number of repetitions with the other leg to avoid muscle imbalances.
While this exercise may look somewhat similar to the adductor raises, you move your upper leg instead of your lower leg in this movement.
This also changes what muscles you work. More specifically, lying ankle weight side leg raises work your hip abductors aka outer thigh muscles.
These muscles are generally stronger than the inner thigh muscles so you will need heavier ankle weights to see the same amount of growth and strength progress.
3. Standing ankle weight hamstring curls
For the next ankle weight thigh exercise, you want something stable to hold for balance. Something like a wall could be more than enough if you have good balance.
Once you have that, take the following steps to do standing ankle weight hamstring curls:
- Strap on the ankle weights, stand next to a stable object, and hold the object for balance.
- Tilt your weight to one side so one foot hovers above the ground.
- Slowly fold the leg of the foot in the air as far as comfortably possible. Keep your thigh in the same position. Your lower leg should do the moving.
- Stretch your leg again in a controlled motion.
- Alternate between the positions in steps 3 and 4.
- Do the same number of repetitions with the other leg to avoid muscle imbalances.
The standing version of this thigh exercise is preferred over the lying version in terms of muscle growth and strength progress. A bigger range of motion under tension is typically helpful for these goals.
At the same time, seniors or other individuals who have trouble staying balanced can also consider lying ankle weight hamstring curls even though these involve a smaller range of motion.
The standing version also takes more time since you have to train the hamstring on each side separately.
4. Ankle weight leg extensions
To do ankle weight leg extensions you will need something comfortable to sit on. A simple chair is good but other gym equipment like a plyo box or weight bench can work too.
Once you have one of these, take the following steps to do ankle weight leg extensions:
- Strap on the ankle weights and sit on the chair with your knees at 90-degree angles.
- Slowly stretch your legs until your lower legs and thighs are in one line.
- Lower your feet back into starting position in a controlled motion.
Ankle weights are a decent way to do leg extensions at home for people who are not that strong (yet). This exercise works your quadriceps, aka your front thighs.
One potential downside is that your quadricep muscles are relatively strong. You may have to strap two ankle weights on one leg and train each side separately to get enough of a challenge to build thigh muscle.
If that is still too easy for you, you may need to invest in something like a weight bench with a leg extension function to isolate and challenge your quadricep muscles enough for growth and strength progress.
5. Ankle weight donkey kicks
Many people will prefer to do the next thigh exercise on a soft surface for comfort reasons. Take the following steps to do an ankle weight donkey kick:
- Strap on the ankle weights and sit on your hands and knees. Keep your shoulders above your hands, your hips above your knees, and your knees at 90-degree angles.
- Slowly move one leg backward and upward until your thigh is in one line with your upper body. Keep the knee at a 90-degree angle. Keep the rest of your body in more or less the same position.
- Lower the leg back into starting position in a controlled motion.
- Complete the set with one leg and then do the same number of repetitions with the other one to avoid muscle imbalances.
Make sure you keep your hips still to work the main muscles of the movement.
Donkey kicks are one of the ankle weight glute exercises available. Besides your butt muscles, this exercise will also work your hamstrings (back upper leg muscles).
Since your glutes are relatively strong, you may need to put two ankle weights on one leg to make the exercise challenging enough to see results.
6. Ankle weight butt kicks
This next exercise is more of a cardiovascular or warm-up exercise so you want to use lighter ankle weights. With that in mind, take the following steps to do ankle weight butt kicks.
- Strap on the ankle weights, stand up straight, and raise your heels slightly.
- Fold one leg at your knees as far as comfortably possible
- While lowering the first leg, start raising the other leg in the same way. Make sure you keep your upper legs in more or less the same position to really focus on the thigh muscles
- Repeat for a certain number of repetitions or a certain amount of time.
Butt kicks are mainly a cardiovascular workout but they do work your hamstring and quadricep muscles (back and front thigh) a nice amount.
You should not expect any growth but engaging these muscles can still prevent degradation, make the muscles healthier, and improve muscle endurance.
Additionally, you can use butt kicks as a thigh muscle warm-up before doing more challenging exercises.
7. Jumping jacks with ankle weights
To do jumping jacks with ankle weights you again want lighter ankle weights. Even more so than in butt kicks since the muscles worked are generally weaker.
Take the following steps to do jumping jacks with ankle weights:
- Put on the ankle weights and stand up straight with your arms by your sides and feet right next to each other.
- Jump and move your feet outward to a position where they are slightly more than shoulder width apart. At the same time, move your arms out to the sides and up. Time it so your arms are up when you land with your feet. Land on the front parts of your feet to avoid an uncomfortable landing.
- Jump again and move your arms and feet back into starting position.
Jumping jacks are another thigh exercise that is more of a cardiovascular workout or warm-up movement. This can help with the calorie-burning part of toning your thighs.
The ankle weights make jumping jacks slightly more challenging for your inner thigh muscle, outer thigh muscles, and cardiovascular system.
You can also choose to only move your legs if you don’t like the arm movements of jumping jacks.
