Strengthening your thighs for riding and skiing
We need strong legs and thighs whether we cycle, ski or ride horses. Here are several simple exercises that you can perform to build some of the underutilised muscles that help support strong thighs.
Lie on your side, with your upper leg straight and aligned with your body. Bend your lower leg at the knee. Your lower arm should be under your head and outstretched, aligned with your body. Place the palm of your top hand down in front of your chest for support. Slowly lift the upper leg, leading with the heel, until you've reached as high as you can, then slowly lower it to the starting position. Keep your leg aligned with your body, knee facing forward. Don't let your leg move in front of your body. Do two or three sets of 10 or 20 repeats for each leg.
Lie on your side, with your bottom leg straight and aligned with your body. Bend your top leg and place your foot on the ground in front of your lower leg. Your bottom arm should be under your head and outstretched, aligned with your body. Slowly raise your bottom leg, leading with the heel, as far as you can and then slowly lower it to starting position. Do two or three sets of 10 or 20 repeats for each leg. This is a good exercise to do if you get muscle cramps in the back of your thigh.
Lie on your back, knees bent, feet flat. Grasp one leg at a time just above the knee and hold the leg at a right angle with the body. Holding the leg out at arm's length, slowly straighten the knee. Hold the leg as straight as you can as you count to ten. Be careful with this exercise, it’s easy to overstretch in the early days.
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