Many people ask me how to lose fat in the thighs. Some want to know how to slim their thighs all around. Others want to know specifically how to lose inner thigh fat.

I tell all of them that with the help of a couple of inexpensive dumbbells, they can shrug off thigh fator, more accurately, shrug off the appearance of fat.

Its true. Do these two simple exercises, every other day, and youll gradually gain firmer, leaner looking thighs.

Youll also gain other benefits, including the ability to run, cycle or do aerobics workouts for a longer period of time without hurting yourself.

Before describing the exercises, heres my standard disclaimer: Fat cannot actually be spot-reduced. If you are concerned about excess fat in one part of your body, you should combine cardio exercise with sensible eating to lose fat overall.

To gain a good understanding of what fat is, why you accumulate it, and the best ways to burn it off, I recommend reading a good book on the subject. (I have reviewed many of these, and have found that the best ones by far are actually available in e-book format on the Web.)

Back to our two thigh exercises

The first one is called the power clean, and the second one the push press. Both of them incorporate a shrug as an integral part of their movements, which is why I talked about shrugging off (the appearance of) fat from your thighs.

Body builders and hard-core weight trainers usually perform the power clean and the push press using a barbell. They can be done quite effectively with a pair of dumbbells, though. Since a basic set of dumbbells costs less and takes up less room than a set of barbells, Ive chosen to describe the dumbbell versions.

These exercises work the hamstrings, the three muscles making up the backs of your thighs, and the quadriceps, the four groups of muscles that form the fronts of your thighs.

An extra benefit of exercising the quadriceps, in particular, is that it will lower the risk of injuring your knees. Assuming that overall fat loss is one of your goals, this will mean more pain-free time available for doing cardiovascular exercises, such as running, that put stress on the knees.

Power Clean with Dumbbells:

1. Place two dumbbells on the floor next to each other, then stand just behind them with your feet approximately shoulder width apart.

2. Squat (bend your knees) and grab the dumbbells in an underhand grip.

3. Keeping your head facing forward and your back straight, stand up, bringing the dumbbells off the floor and allowing them to settle close to the fronts of your hips.

4. Quickly shrug the dumbbells up to chest height, rising up on your toes as you do.

5. As soon as the dumbbells are at chest height, bend your knees a littlejust enough to get below the weights. The dumbbells should end up resting across the front of your shoulders.

6. Pause, then perform the same steps in reverse to return the dumbbells to the floor.

7. Repeat. Try for 8 to 12 repetitions in quick succession. This will constitute one set. Perform 2 or 3 sets per workout session.

Bonus benefits: Performed properly, the power clean works your forearms, biceps, trapezius, shoulders, lower back, abdominals and hips in addition to thighs.

Push Press with Dumbbells:

1. Stand grasping a dumbbell in each hand in front of your shoulders. Make sure your arms are bent with elbows pointing downward and palms facing forward.

2. Raise your forearms until they are nearly parallel to the floor. You will be doing it correctly if your elbows end up pointing straight forward, ahead of you.

3. Squat down a few inches and look upward.

4. Quickly rise back up, pushing off the balls of your feet.

5. Simultaneously with step 4 (as you begin to rise), shrug your shoulders to lift the dumbbells off your chest, and push them up over your head as high as you can.

6. Lower the dumbbells back down to your shoulders.

7. Repeat the exercise 8 to 12 times. This will make one set. Do 2 or 3 sets per workout session.

Bonus benefits: Besides strengthening and firming your thighs, the push press will give shoulders and triceps muscles a nice workout.