How To Get Skinny Legs: Cardio For Fat Loss and Lean Legs (2024)

If you are looking for the answers on how to get lean legs and make your thighs slimmer, then you’ve come to the right place!

Hi! My name is Rachael, I’ve been a certified PT for almost 10 years now and I specialise in working with women who prefer a more lean and toned look.

And most importantly, I understand exactly how you feel because I’ve been where you are. I was exercising, eating well, but for some reason, my legs just didn’t look the way I wanted them to. My legs were getting bigger instead of smaller.

And not that it’s all about looks, but when I like the way my body looks, I’m much more confident! I’m able to wear whatever I want, I feel happier within myself and it shows.

One of the issues I found is that most personal trainers don’t think it’s possible to gain too much muscle or to get bulky if you are a woman. Sure, women have less testosterone than men and it’s harder for them to gain muscle. But what most trainers fail to understand is that “bulky” is highly subjective.

When I say, “My legs are getting bulky“, I don’t mean – “My thighs are as muscular as if I were a bodybuilder“. No, this just means I think my thighs are getting too muscular for my own liking.

When I told trainers that my legs were getting too big, they just laughed me off. They said I looked great with more muscle and encouraged me to keep lifting weights and gain as much muscle as possible, even though that wasn’t what I wanted…

And when I said that I wanted to slim down my legs, they said that this shouldn’t be my goal. I didn’t feel like anyone in the fitness world really understood my concerns or just thought my concerns were silly.

The majority of personal trainers you see on Instagram or in real life will tell you that women can’t get bulky legs because they don’t have enough testosterone. But this doesn’t take into account personal opinion.

If a woman feels like she has bulky legs, then this is how she feels and it’s correct, even if somebody else doesn’t agree. How they feel about themselves is up to them, not anybody else.

The thing is, any woman can get too bulky for their own liking. So I’m not here to tell you that you’re wrong. I’m here to support you and tell you exactly how to reach your goal of getting lean and toned legs, not bulky.

When I was working as a personal trainer in a gym, one of my most common questions from women was how to get thinner thighs.

I also saw a lot of women wanting to do cardio to lose weight, but they were always being pushed to do weights and lift heavier and heavier. Cardio was usually out of the question.

Early on in my journey when I had my own personal trainer, this was also my own experience and it left me feeling disappointed and misunderstood.

Another issue I found is that most personal trainers don’t take the different body types into account when creating workout programs. Not everybody responds to the same training in the same way.

Our genetics and gender play a role in how much body fat and muscle we have, and our ability to gain muscle, gain fat, where we store fat, etc. For example, men tend to have more muscle in their upper body than women as you can see in this study and women tend to store more fat in their lower body. Or if you take a look at your friends, you probably have a friend who is super slim and takes ages to build muscle. But then again, you also probably have a friend who is naturally more athletic and muscular and who responds to exercise super fast. So when I say body type, I basically mean characteristics your body has based on your genetics and gender.

I have made sure that my workouts factor in the different body types and also the aesthetic goals of women.

My own personal experience is what got me into studying fitness and nutrition. It is my passion. I love helping women, especially those who are going through what I’ve been through. I’ve made it my mission to help women understand how to get lean legs and the body of their dreams!

So let’s get into it. In this blog post, I’m going to cover everything you need to know about how to get skinny legs.

HOW TO GET SKINNY LEGS IN 3 STEPS:

The most effective way to get slim and toned legs is to –

1. DO MORE EFFECTIVE CARDIO
2. DO RESISTANCE TRAINING THAT WILL NOT CAUSE BULKINESS
3. EAT THE CORRECT DIET FOR YOUR BODY TYPE

Power walking, mostly body weight resistance training and caloric deficit are the keys to losing overall body fat and getting lean legs.Out of these 3, research shows that caloric deficit is the most important factor for fat loss.

Now I’m going to cover each of these topics in detail.

STEP 1: Do More Low To Moderate Intensity Cardio For Lean Legs

Learning how to get lean legs starts with knowing how your body works. So try to stay with me for the science. Or if you’re really not interested, you can just skip past this ;) I am a science nerd haha (I studied a Bachelor of Science at University) so I enjoy learning about this, but I understand that not everyone else does.

OK so your body creates energy in two basic ways:

• Anaerobically (without oxygen); and
• Aerobically (with oxygen)

When your body uses the anaerobic pathway, it uses creatine phosphate and stored glycogen (carbohydrates – glucose to be precise) to produce energy.

Your body will use the anaerobic pathway for:

• High-intensity exercise (including high-intensity cardio such as sprinting);
• Weight training; and
• Interval training

Bu when your body uses the aerobic pathway, it uses glucose that we consume, stored fat, stored glycogen (carbohydrates), and on occasion, protein to produce energy. The aerobic pathway also uses glucose which gets created through other processes in the body.

Your body will use the aerobic pathway for:

• Low to moderate-intensity exercise (brisk walking, marathon running, and swimming).

Carbohydrate oxidation ( your body uses carbs for energy), particularly from muscle glycogen, is more dominant in high-intensity workouts. Fat oxidation (your body uses stored fat for energy) is more important in lower-intensity workouts. To put it more simply, aerobic exercise burns FAT.

This is why I recommend aerobic exercise to anyone who wants to lose overall body fat and get slimer legs.

And when I talk about low to moderate-intensity aerobic exercise, essentially I’m talking about walking, power walking to be precise.

IMPORTANT: Low-intensity cardio burns more fat than carbs, research already established that. But if you were to do a high-intensity workout and walk for the same amount of time, you would burn more calories with high-intensity training than with walking. And how many calories you burn in total will be more important for overall weight loss.

To get optimum results which are: maximum fat burned and maximum calories burned, I recommend walking at least 10,000 steps per day and doing anaerobic (high-intensity) training 3 times per week.

More on that below.

WALKING FOR LEAN LEGS – Everything You Need To Know

Walking is the best type of exercise to slim your legs. It will help get rid of excess fat on your legs and lean them out.

Even though walking burns fewer calories than high-intensity training, it still burns a surprisingly high number of calories. Often, just adding in more walking is enough to put your body into a calorie deficit and lose weight!

However, it’s important to mention once again that long, slow cardio (i.e. walking) is NOT the most effective way of losing weight overall if that is your main goal. A combination of resistance training, cardio and diet is key.

But here we are focusing specifically on how to get slimmer legs.

I’ve personally tried every single workout under the sun – triathlons, long-distance running, Les Mills classes, boot camp, heavy weight lifting, CrossFit, just to name a few. But I have found that nothing is as effective at getting thinner thighs and legs as walking.

Before I get into more details about walking, I want to quickly talk about spot reducing.

SPOT REDUCING – Can You Really Just Get Rid Of Fat From Your Legs?

I know a lot of you are probably thinking that you can’t spot reduce fat from certain body parts. And this is true. What this means is you can’t slim down your inner thighs by doing inner thigh workouts, and you can’t slim down your lower belly by doing lower ab workouts.

Walking is by far the best exercise for slimming down fat from your legs. It works BUT you can’t choose where from your legs you will lose this fat. You will lose fat from your entire lower body with walking.

However, usually, the areas with the highest amount of fat will slim down the quickest. For example, if your inner thighs are where you store most fat on your legs, then typically your inner thighs will slim down the quickest (but not always).

Personally, my legs get a lot slimmer when I am consistent with walking, even when my diet is not perfect. In my own experience, doing lots of walking and eating a moderately good diet is better for getting lean legs than eating a perfect diet and not doing any walking.

As I mentioned previously, I have also done a lot of different cardio over the years, including walking, running, cycling, swimming, and aerobics classes such as body step and body attack. But the most effective cardio for slimming my legs has always been walking.

WALKING GUIDELINES – Walking Technique

It is very important to make sure you are doing your cardio on a flat surface. Walking uphill will use your quadriceps and glute muscles more, which will build muscle here. The goal of walking isn’t to build muscle, it’s to lose fat.

I also see a lot of women using an incline on the treadmill. And whilst this may burn more calories than walking on a flat surface, you will build more muscle and it won’t help as much when it comes to getting lean legs. There are better workouts you can do to build muscle in your legs without making them bulky, and there is a better way of doing your cardio :)

In terms of cardio equipment at the gym, the treadmill is the best option for slimming down legs and getting rid of thigh fat. Other equipment such as the cross trainer / elliptical, bike or stair machine won’t be as effective. Again, this is because they will build more muscle here, rather than targeting fat.

WALKING GUIDELINES – How Much Walking Do I Need To Do To Get Lean Legs?

The more walking you can do, the better your results will be. My recommendation is to walk every day if you can, or at least 5 days per week at a minimum. And try to go for a 45-60 minute walk on those 5 days if you can.

Most health guidelines specify that you should try to walk at least 10,000 steps per day and this is a good guide to go by. However, as I mentioned, the more the better!

You can’t do too much walking. The only time you would be doing too much is if you are starting to feel very fatigued or if you are getting injured. If this is happening, then I would reduce the walking and exercise in general.

Here are a few tips on how to do more cardio daily for lean legs –

1. Start your morning off with a walk. A good way to sneak in the 10,000 steps is to get up a little earlier and go for a walk first thing in the morning. Not only does this get it out of the way early, but it can be more effective if you are doing fasted cardio. For those mamas out there, I know it can be hard when you’re tired. If you are very tired, please prioritize rest over exercise. But if you can, put bub in the pram or carrier and get out into the fresh air for a walk.

2. Split up your walk. You won’t reach 10,000 steps in a 45-60 minute walk. So just aim for about 5,000 steps on your daily walk, and then make up the remaining steps throughout the day. All of the steps can add up quickly if you’re making a conscious effort to walk more. Get up from your desk more frequently, walk around the shops a little longer, chase your kids around, etc.

3. Track your results. Use the free Health app on your phone (there are also plenty of other free pedometer apps available) which tracks your steps and kilometers. This can help you stay motivated!

If you really make a conscious effort to do lots of walking throughout the day, it’s not as difficult to reach 10,000 steps as you might think!

WALKING GUIDELINES – Walking Speed

I recommend walking at a speed of 6 – 7 km/hr (or 3.7 – 4.3mph) to get slim legs.

However, your walking speed will depend on your height and the length of your legs. Taller people may be able to walk a little faster. And if you’re on the shorter side, you may need to walk a little slower, and that’s totally OK :)

If you are walking outside, it’s hard to know your exact speed. But it should be a power walk. So that means it should be fast enough that it’s faster than your normal walking speed, you should be a little puffed, but you should still be able to have a full conversation.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT CARDIO

Do I need to go for 1 big walk or can I split it up throughout the day?

You can definitely split it up throughout the day.

If it works better for you, you can do a 15-minute walk in the morning, 15 minutes at lunch, etc. We just find that it’s usually easier to reach 10,000 steps if you do go for a longer walk.

A 1-hour walk is usually around 6000 or 7000 steps. And then you just need to get the remaining steps throughout the day. If you’re not on your feet all day, then it’s hard to reach 10,000 steps without going for a walk.

Splitting up your walk throughout the day will still help you get lean legs.

Does running help to slim legs?

Running burns a LOT of calories, so it is great for overall weight loss.

However, running doesn’t seem to work as well as walking does for getting thinner legs, especially for certain body types (see more below). And in some cases it may even make them bigger. This is because running builds muscle. It doesn’t build as much as resistance training, but it builds more than walking.

If your goal is to get slimmer legs, then I would focus mostly on walking and if you can also add some running to mix it up.

BONUS TIP: For getting skinny legs fast, make sure you do long-distance running instead of sprinting and avoid running uphill or using the stairs that can bulk up your quadriceps (front of your thighs).

This is especially important if you feel like you have muscular legs and this is not one of your fitness goals. If you have a lot of muscles in your lower body and you love it, there is absolutely nothing wrong with that! Just keep doing what you enjoy. But if you’d like to reduce muscle bulk, avoid uphill running and walking.

Does my walk need to be fasted?

You can do your walk fasted if you like. But you don’t have to, especially since the effectiveness of this method is still an ongoing debate in the fitness and scientific communities.

I’ve read multiple conflicting studies. For example, this study indicates there is no difference between fasted and non-fasted cardio when it comes to fat burning. But then again, this study claims that fasted cardio is more effective than non-fasted cardio.

It’s also important to note that individual responses to fasted cardio can vary, and there may not be a one-size-fits-all answer. Factors such as individual physiology, hormonal balance, stress levels, and overall health can influence how your body responds to fasted cardio. For some women, especially those with certain hormone imbalances or high stress levels, fasted cardio might not be the best option. I personally don’t do my cardio fasted anymore. I just find that it makes me feel too tired and drained.

But in case you want to try it out and you’re interested to learn what’s the idea behind fasted cardio, here’s how it should work. When you do low-intensity cardio for an extended period, your body progressively shifts from burning glycogen (carbs) to burning fat for energy. The idea is that by doing this on an empty stomach (in the morning before you eat), your body may be able to burn more fat.

When you first wake up, you have not eaten for usually around 10 hours or so. This means there is not a lot of stored glycogen (carbs) in your body to be used for energy. So you may burn more fat instead.

If it works, fasted cardio probably works best if your body is depleted of carbs, so it would also be a good idea to have a low carb meal for dinner the night before.

However, if you need to eat something before your walk, that’s totally fine. It’s better that you eat and do the walk, then not be able to do it at all. Also, as I mentioned, if you have issues with hormones, fatigue and stress, then it’s actually better that you eat beforehand.

Remember that walking works if you do it at any time of the day!

Is there any difference between walking outside VS on the treadmill?

The answer is no, the results should be the same so do whatever you prefer. Although some women have said that they notice their calves are slimmer when they walk on the treadmill. And this is potentially because the treadmill moves underneath you, so walking on a treadmill engages your calves less.

But for most people, the results should be the same. So as I said, just do whichever one works best for you.

RELATED POST: BEST ADVICE ON HOW TO SLIM CALVES – ADVICE FOR WOMEN

As mentioned earlier, whether you are walking on a treadmill or outdoors, always try to walk on a flat surface as walking uphill engages your quadricep muscles more (or the front of your thighs) and can potentially make your legs bigger, which we don’t want.

What should my heart rate be while walking?

When you are power walking, your body is in the “fat burning zone” (Maximal Fat Oxidation).

The fat burning zone is when your heart rate is between 60-80% of your maximum heart rate.

Your maximum heart rate is a simple equation: 220 minutes your age.

I will show you an example of how to calculate your maximum heart rate and fat burning zone range using my age. I am currently 35 years old.

Maximum Heart Rate

• 220 minus your age

Fat Burning Heart Rate Zones

• Maximum heart rate x 0.6 (60%)
• Maximum heart rate x 0.7 (70%)
• Macimum heart rate x 0.8 (80%)

My Examples

• My maximum heart rate is 220 – 35 = 185 beats per minute (bpm)
• 60% of my maximum heart rate is 185 x 0.6 = 111 bpm
• 70% of my maximum heart rate is 185 x 0.7 = 130 bpm
• 80% of my maximum heart rate is 185 x 0.8 = 148 bpm

My maximum heart rate is 185 bpm; so my heart rate should be between 111 and 148 bpm to burn fat.

I know this seems technical, but honestly, the speed doesn’t matter TOO much.

MY FAVORITE TIPS ON HOW TO STAY MOTIVATED TO DO CARDIO

One of the most common complaints I hear about walking is that it is boring. But it doesn’t have to be!

Here are some tips that I use to help keep me entertained during my daily cardio:

• Whenever one of my friends wants to do something, I will always see if they want to catch up over a walk. It’s even better if you can get yourself a regular walking buddy.
• If I’m by myself, I CAN NOT do cardio without music. I use Spotify and I download my walking playlist so that it is available even if I don’t have internet or wifi. You can also download a podcast to keep you entertained on your walk.
• If I am walking on a treadmill, I download a TV show and put it on my phone and watch it while I walk. It’s better than watching the TV show sitting on the couch or lying in bed.

SUMMARY – Low Intensity Cardio For Lean Legs

To summarize, walking is the best exercise for getting rid of thigh fat and slimming down your legs.

To get the best results, try to –

• Walk as much as you can! Aim for 10,000 steps per day.
• Go for a 45-60 minute walk at least 5 days per week
• Walk at a speed of 6 – 7 km/hr (or 3.7 – 4.3mph)
• Walk on a flat surface as much as possible
• Use the treadmill at the gym rather than other cardio equipment such as a cross trainer / elliptical, bike, or stair machine
• Keep your heart rate in the fat-burning zone

STEP 2 – Do The Right Type Of Resistance Training For Lean And Toned Legs

This blog post is all about cardio, but it’s important to know that you can’t get skinny legs if you are doing the wrong type of resistance training or if you’re not doing resistance training at all.

If you do incorrect exercises, your legs will either stay the same size or get bigger and bulkier.And if you skip resistance training completely, you won’t be able to get that tight and toned look. Plus resistance training has a ton of health benefits.

Exercises To Avoid

The following exercises are great because they target multiple muscles at the same time, but they will increase the size of your legs. So it’s best to avoid them if possible.

• Any type of squats
• Any type of lunges
• Burpees and other explosive HIIT exercises such as box jumps
• Super heavy lifting for your legs
• Crossfit style workouts

Please also try to avoid other quad focused exercises that build muscle at the front of your thighs. Building muscle here is usually what women don’t like and contributes to the bulkiness you might experience in your legs.

BEST EXERCISES TO GET LEAN LEGS

To tone up your legs and butt without adding bulk, you should focus on lighter workouts. Think Pilates-inspired moves such as

• Donkey kicks
• Glute bridges
• Lying leg lifts
• Clams

In the workouts video below, you can see an example of this style of resistance training. This is the style of workout in my Lean Legs Program. And it’s great because you can do them anywhere and with very little equipment.

This type of workout is designed to tone up your whole body and especially get leaner and more toned legs.

Give it a go and let me know what you think about it in the comments!

How To Exercise According To Your Body Type

If you want to know how to get skinny legs, understanding your body type is important.

There are three main body types – Ectomorph, Mesomorph and Endomorphs. American psychologist William Herbert Sheldon proposed that all people belong to one of these 3 categories based on their body composition. He tried to prove that our body type heavily affects our personality and behaviour (and especially criminal tendencies).

Shelodn’s theory has been discredited by the scientific community a long time ago and with a good reason (small sample sizes, inconsistent findings, mistaking correlation for causation).

I use Sheldon’s terms but not in the same way he used them. I use these terms only to describe body composition.

While working as afully qualified PT for almost 10 years now,I noticed that 2 women can do the same program and eat the same diet but still get vastly different results. One of these 2 women would get amazing results with lifting heavy weights and a slight calorie deficit. She would lose body fat quickly and get lean and toned. The other one would have trouble losing weight and would get bigger instead of leaner with weights. And this comes down to our body type.

3 FEMALE BODY TYPES

1. Ectomorph – this body type is naturally very thin (think Victoria’s Secret models). They are tall with long arms and legs and find it difficult to put on muscle and fat. They probably already have skinny legs.
2. Mesomorph – this body type is not super thin like an ectomorph and is not overweight, they’re just average size. They can usually gain and lose weight quickly and can pack on muscle quickly too.
3. Endomorph – this body type is naturally more muscular and curvy. They are usually short to medium height with shorter arms and legs (but not always). They can put on muscle and fat quickly, and find it difficult to lose weight.

If you are an endomorph body type and you’re doing lots of heavy lifting and eating a moderate to high amount of carbs, you’re not going to achieve the best results, or get results as quickly as you can.

Endomorphs need more cardio and a low-carbohydrate diet. So, you really should know your body type, and tailor your program to both your body type and your goals.

It’s important to exercise (and eat) according to your body type so you can get the best results.

If you’re not sure what your body type is, you can take my free body type quiz.

This is a summary of how to do cardio and resistance training to suit your body type.

How to get lean legs as an endomorph

A lot of women ask me how to get thinner legs if they have an endomorph body type, and if it’s even possible. It is more challenging than with the other two body types, but definitely possible.

• It will be more difficult for endomorphs because of their body shape, so cardio should make up the majority of their program, and they should also try to do as much walking as possible.
• I recommend walking at least 5 times per week and trying to run a few times per week too.
• Endomorphs should also do some resistance training and their workouts should be intense to try and burn lots of calories. But, they should be careful not to overdo it on resistance training as they can bulk easily.

Note: If you are a short endomorph, you may experience your legs getting bulky with running. If this is the case, I would avoid running and just do walking instead.

How to get lean legs as a mesomorph

• Mesomorphs are considered to be ”natural athletes” because they gain muscle and lose fat with ease.
• Mesomorphs should do a combination of cardio (both low intensity and high-intensity cardio) and resistance training.
• Walking should be something that they do every day if possible.

How to get lean legs as an ectomorph

• Ectomorphs are usually already thin, so they don’t really need to know how to get slim legs.
• Ectomorphs should focus on getting toned, rather than losing fat.
• Ectomorph women should focus more on resistance training and only do cardio if they want to (but it’s not necessary).

STEP 3 – Eat The Right Diet For Your Body Type

You can do lots of walking and do all the correct resistance exercises, but if you aren’t eating a healthy diet and aren’t eating the right amount of food, you won’t get slim legs.

To lose weight overall and get skinny legs, you need to be eating less food than your body needs. Here are some tips for maintaining a healthy diet:

Count calories for one week

We often underestimate how many calories are in the foods we are eating. Counting calories can be really eye-opening.

I recommend counting calories for just 1 week to get an idea on how much you’re actually eating. You can use the free app called MyFitnessPal.

Counting calories long-term can be time-consuming and also can lead to an unhealthy obsession or relationship with food. So that’s why I only recommend doing it for a short period of time to educate yourself.

After this, you’ll have a good idea on how much food your body needs. Otherwise, I have all of the calories and macros already calculated for you in my meal plans, and tailored to your specific body type. So I have done all the work for you!

Don’t be too restrictive

Nobody eats perfectly all the time, it’s impossible. It’s not about being super strict and limiting how much food you eat or what type of foods you eat, it’s about finding a balance that is sustainable for you long term.

Don’t restrict yourself too much or cut out any food groups. This almost always backfires long-term. You can fall into the habit of being “good” and restricting, then finding you can’t keep it up so you binge eat, and then go back to restricting. We don’t want this.

Eat as healthy as you can, but allow yourself to eat “unhealthy” sometimes too!

Each body type has a different ideal diet

Each body type requires a different macronutrient breakdown. For example, endomorph body types require lower carb and higher fat and protein. Whereas ectomorphs require a higher carb diet.

Following the right diet for your body type is important as it will help you get slim legs quicker and easier.

Frequently asked questions about how to get skinny legs

How To Lose Thigh Fat?

The best type of exercise for losing thigh fat is walking! Lots and lots of walking. It will help get rid of excess fat on your legs and lean them out.

When walking, the most important factor to consider is number of steps. All of the other details such as walking speed, heart rate, etc are important. But the factor that will determine how much your legs slim down is how many steps you take.

Why Is It So Hard To Lose Thigh Fat?

We women are genetically designed to store fat on our hips and thighs. It’s frustrating, I know! This is due to our hormones and our biological makeup to carry a baby.

So please don’t be disheartened if you see your upper body slimming down first. This can be normal. This means that your hard work is paying off! And you should soon start seeing results in your legs.

Remember that walking is your best friend. The more walking you can do, the more thigh fat you’ll lose.

I’m Doing Everything Right, But Why Can’t I Slim My Legs?

There can be several reasons why you can’t slim down your legs.

Often, we think we are doing everything right, but we aren’t. Usually it’s due to being inconsistent with our workouts or overeating.

However if you truly are doing everything right and still can’t slim down your legs, it could be due to other factors, such as –

• High cortisol – high cortisol causes your body to store fat, no matter what you do.
• Lack of sleep (which also causes cortisol issues)
• Poor gut health
• Insulin resistance
• Leptin resistance
• Thyroid disorders
• Nutrient deficiencies

A significant and often overlooked contributor to a lot of these conditions is stress. And stress isn’t just the “work stress” that we typically think about. Your body doesn’t differentiate between mental, emotional or physical stress. Here are some different types of each stress.

Mental Stress

• Being busy at work
• Mental load of motherhood
• Taking on more than you can handle
• Type A personality

Emotional Stress

• Relationship issues
• Unprocessed trauma
• Depression and anxiety

Physical Stress

• Lack of sleep
• Being constantly busy and having no rest time
• Over exercising (or not exercising at all)
• A poor diet
• Underlying gut health issues
• Travel
• Surgery
• Nutrient deficiencies
• Contraceptive pill and other medications

If you can’t lose weight, but you can relate to any of these, then it would be worth looking into reducing your stress in all of these areas to help with your weight loss.

How Long Does It Take To Slim Thighs?

Losing thigh fat and losing thigh muscle are different.

Losing thigh fat can be relatively fast. If you are consistent with your workouts (especially walking!) and are eating a healthy diet and leading a healthy lifestyle, you can see results quickly.

When some women start my program and increase their walking, they see results within 1-2 weeks. For some women it may take up to 6 weeks. But in the grand scheme of things, this is QUICK.

Losing muscle bulk in your thighs takes longer, a lot longer than it takes to build muscle.

There was a period in my life where I was doing really heavy lifting and CrossFit. I had gained a lot of muscle in my thighs (and my upper body). It took me about 6-12 months to reduce the muscle to a level that I was happy with.

It takes time for your body to break down muscle. But with the right training program, you can slim down bulky muscle and have lean and toned legs.

Do I Need To Run To Slim Down My Legs?

You don’t need to run if you hate it or you just don’t want to do it. It’s always better for you to do workouts that you actually enjoy because it means you will be able to stick to it long term. And walking is actually a better exercise for slimming down your legs than running.

If you are an endomorph, I wouldn’t recommend running. This is because running does actually build muscle in your legs. It won’t build as much as weight lifting, but it will still build muscle. Most endomorphs naturally have muscular legs, so we don’t want to do anything that will make your legs bigger.

For Mesomorphs and Ectomorphs, running can be beneficial because it burns so many calories, so it can help with weight loss. But for some mesomorphs, running can make your legs bigger, especially if you are on the shorter side. So if this is the case, just avoid running and stick to walking instead.

Why Do I Need To Do Resistance Training? Can I Just Do Cardio To Get Lean Legs And Tone Up?

You might be tempted to avoid resistance training altogether, but it’s still important.

You will never look toned if you don’t do resistance training. Cardio will help you slim down thigh fat, but it doesn’t make you toned. Tone is muscle, so you need to build lean muscle to look toned. Resistance training is the best for this.

Resistance training has a TON of health benefits – improves our physical performance, movement control, walking speed, functional independence, cognitive abilities, and self-esteem. Resistance training may help with the prevention and management of type 2 diabetes by decreasing visceral fat. It also helps to reduce cellulite and body fat, not just on your legs, but your entire body!

And it increases your metabolic rate so you burn more calories throughout the day. So please make sure you don’t skip resistance training :)

Can I Do Sprinting Instead Of Walking Or Running?

Traditional sprinting is usually when you run as hard and fast as you can for 30 seconds, and then rest for a period, and keep repeating. This type of sprinting can make your legs bigger.

For those of you who are really into your running and want to improve your speed and cardio fitness, interval running can really help you get results quicker and slim down your legs. This is different to sprinting.

I actually did this when I was training for a triathlon and my running improved soo much. But keep in mind that you need to be quite fit in order to do this. By quite fit, I mean you are able to run 4 kilometres or 2.5 miles without stopping, and at a speed of 10km/hr or 6.2mph or faster.

So this is how you do interval running in a way that won’t bulk up your legs.

You run for 400m or 2 minutes and then rest or walk for 60 seconds. And then repeat that 6-10 times. You should be running faster than you normal run, but not an all out sprint. By the end of the 400m or 2 minutes, you should be dying and really need a break.

If you are on the treadmill, I would recommend a speed of 12 to 14km/hr or 7.5 to 8.7 mph for these interval runs. So start with 6 times and then eventually work your way up to 10.

I would recommend doing this once per week instead of the run.

How Can I Reduce Muscular Legs?

Unfortunately, the only thing that will help you to reduce muscular legs is time and avoiding using these muscles.

Walking doesn’t build muscle, but it doesn’t make you lose muscle either (unless you are eating suuuuper low calories and low carb, which I don’t recommend).

Running actually builds some muscle, but not as much as resistance training and high-intensity interval training. I know that sounds a bit confusing, so I have written a much more detailed blog post on how to reduce muscular thighs. Have a read if you need more information on this topic.

How Can I Slim My Legs And Thighs Fast?

Lasting change takes time. And quick fixes rarely work. But if you are committed, this is how to get skinny legs fast.

First of all, you just need to start! You can do all the reading you want, but if you don’t put it into practice, you’ll never get the legs that you want.

Walking is great for getting lean legs, and I recommend that you do lots of it! BUT it is not the most effective way of losing weight from your entire body.

You should be using both your aerobic and anaerobic systems to increase your overall fitness, increase your metabolism and burn more calories.

This means doing some higher-intensity exercises such as running and resistance training, as well as walking.

A good workout program for overall fat loss should include a combination of all of these types of workouts:

• Cardio (especially walking)
• The right type of resistance training
• The right type of diet

Lean Legs Program

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SOURCES:

• Women Have Less Testosterone than Men – https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6391653/
• Men Have More Muscle in Their Upper Body – https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10904038/
• Women Store More Fat in Their Lower Body – https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3411490/,https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11706283/
• Caloric Deficit is More Important for Fat Loss than Exercise – https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8619923/
• How Your Body Creates Energy – https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11547894/
• Low-Intensity Cardio Burns Fat – https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3544497/, https://www.nature.com/articles/s42255-020-0251-4
• Fasted Cardio Effectiveness – https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27609363/, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4242477/
• Fat Burning Zone – https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19855335/
• Somatotypes – William Sheldon – https://www.britannica.com/biography/William-Sheldon
• High Cortisol – https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK538239/
• Resistance Training Benefits – https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22777332/