It really isn’t possible to “spot reduce,” however, there is a routine that can help to tone up the legs and perhaps reduce fat accumulated above the knees. The routine is unconventional but can show significant results in a 4 week period. You’ll need a few medicine balls of varied weights.
The routine works in a circuit format, performing each exercise attempting to get 15 repetitions in 30 seconds. You then rest 15 seconds and move to the next exercise, again attempting 15 reps in 30 seconds.
Exercise #1: Squats holding the medicine ball in front of you.
Exercise #2: Holding the medicine ball overhead at the start, perform lunges reaching the ball forward as you lunge, returning it overhead as you return to the start position.
Exercise #3: Wood chops, holding the ball overhead with your feet fixed and pretending the ball is an ax and you are chopping a log running between your legs. At the beginning of each rep, the ball is overhead, at the completion the ball is an inch above the ground.
Exercise #4: Jumping squats with a ¼ turn after every 4 reps.
You’d keep an eye on a clock, perform exercise #1 for 30 seconds, then rest 15 seconds, move to exercise #2 for 30 seconds, then rest 15 seconds, etc. After you complete exercise #4, you just go back to the beginning. The total workout should be:
Week #1: 7 minutes
Week #2: 10 minutes
Week #3: 12 minutes
Week #4: 15 minutes
It might appear simple, but I assure you it’s intense. I use a similar routine with some of the pro athletes and fitness competitors I’ve worked with when they’re trying to add shape and definition to their legs. Ideally, you’d perform the workout every other day.