Leg-Slimming Exercises: Tone Your Legs and Thighs with These Simple Moves

Legs, especially the thighs, and the belly are the two most common areas of the body that beginners usually hope to slim down. Having slimmer legs could help you fit into your jeans better and may even help boost your confidence and self-esteem. Read on to learn more about leg-slimming exercises and how you can use these workouts to achieve those lovely toned thighs.

Tips and Tricks on How to Lose Leg Fat and Tone Thighs

Before looking up leg-slimming exercises or other tricks to help with thigh fat, the first and most important thing to realize is that the notion of spot fat reduction is a myth.  You cannot eat a certain way or exercise just one part of the body for the fat to ‘melt away’ in a specific region. This is a myth that has been sold for many years that many people sadly believe.

Scientific Evidence on the Myth of Spot Reduction

If you still believe that you can work out just one part of the body and the fat will go away, here are some scientific studies to prove that this is a lie:

1. In an older study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine journal in 1971, research on tennis players showed no difference in the thickness of subcutaneous fat over the muscles of the arm receiving more exercise than the arm receiving less exercise – thereby proving the concept of spot reduction to be a myth (1).
2. In 2011, the results from a randomized controlled trial proved that participants who only completed exercises that targeted the abdominals for six weeks found no reduction in belly fat. Their abdominal muscles became stronger in the study period, but the fat that was there in the beginning did not reduce (2).
3. In 2015, the results from a 12-week study on overweight and obese women showed that those who consumed a healthy diet and did abdominal workouts experienced no significant loss in belly fat and circumference compared to women who only ate a healthy diet and never worked out for the same duration (3).
4. A clinical trial published in 2013 proved more or less the same thing. 7 men and 4 women were required to work out one leg 3 times a week for 12 weeks. At the end of the trial, researchers found that their overall body fat mass reduced by 5.1%. However, when it came to the legs, there was no discernible difference in bone mass, lean mass, fat mass, or fat percentage in either the control or trained leg. Both limbs remained the same, while the changes they hoped to observe were somehow noticed in the upper body (4). This is direct evidence that neither gym nor home leg workouts will be effective in slimming down the legs.
5. In a more recent review published in 2022, researchers found that the theory of spot reduction continues to be a myth. The researchers went through 1,833 search records and found 13 studies that matched what they were looking for. After thoroughly reviewing these studies, the researchers concluded that spot reduction is probably derived from wishful thinking and convenient marketing strategies, such as influencers seeking increased popularity and procedure sellers who are interested in increasing advertising (5).

Tips And Tricks to Help You Lose Leg and Thigh Fat

Now that you understand how just doing leg slimming exercises won’t give you the desired results, here are some useful tips that will help with this goal:

• Reduce Your Calorie Intake

Leg and thigh fat works in the same way as belly fat or arm fat. It’s caused by an excess amount of calorie intake over time. When you consume more calories than you burn, the excess energy is stored in your body as fat and can accumulate in your thighs or virtually anywhere in your body.

To burn body fat, you’re advised to go on a calorie deficit diet, which simply means that you should eat fewer calories than you burn in a day. This forces your body to then burn stored fat for energy which leads to fat loss.

According to a review published in 2021, a deficit of 500 to 750 calories per day is often recommended for weight loss (6). 

• Do More Cardio Exercises

If you’re wondering how to lose inner thigh fat and slim down your legs, then exercise is a great way to do this. Aerobic exercises (aka cardio) are one of the key ways that help with fat loss and weight management due to their ability to burn calories.

A study published in 2013 found that by simply engaging in aerobic workouts alone, 5 days a week for 10 months, both male and female study participants recorded significant weight loss results (7).

The results of a study published in 2014 showed that healthy young women who ran sprints three times a week for 6 weeks reduced their total body fat by about 8% (8).

In a review published in 2017 looking at the impact of exercise on weight loss, researchers found that when comparing aerobic training vs resistance training, the former had a slightly more significant result in weight loss than the latter over an 8-month period – i.e. 1.76 vs. 0.83 kg for the aerobic and resistance groups, respectively (9).

You should always aim to increase the intensity of your cardio workouts as the faster and harder you exercise, the more calories you’ll burn in a short time. 

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• Start Strength Training

While increasing your cardio and reducing your caloric intake can help reduce leg fat, combining cardio, a healthy diet, and strength training will seriously increase your fat loss. Strength training – either with weights or just body weight – helps create muscle, and muscles burn more calories than fat as fat tissue is not metabolically active.

A little-known but important fact in weight loss is that the more muscle you have in your body, the more calories you burn throughout the day, whether you’re working out or not (10, 11).

Even without increases in muscle mass, resistance training can help with fat loss. One study published in 2018 showed that when comparing strength training only with diet only and a combination of resistance training and a healthy diet, the latter had the best results in relation to fat loss (12).

It should be noted that you can always do leg slimming exercises at home through body weight training.

• Fix Your Diet

Reducing your calorie intake and exercising won’t be enough to reach your goals if your diet is still terrible. While there’s no specific diet for reducing leg, thigh, and inner thigh fat, there are many options for similar foods with lower calories or even foods that help keep you full for longer. These tactics will help with your calorie deficit diet. A well-balanced diet to help with weight loss means one that is full of (13):

1. A variety of whole fruits and vegetables
2. Whole grains, such as brown rice and whole-wheat bread
3. Protein from a range of sources, which may include beans, nuts, seeds, lean meats, and eggs
4. Healthy oils, such as olive oil and nut oils

If you’re wondering what foods cause thigh fat, please note that diets higher in refined carbohydrates, added sugars, and salt (sodium) as well as  saturated fats and trans fats, which are often found in your favorite desserts and fast foods, have all been linked to weight gain and obesity (14). Make sure to limit such foods from your diet.

Read more: Pros and Cons of Intermittent Fasting: What Does the Science Say?

The Best Exercises for Slimming Legs

Once you’ve done all of the above, the next best thing to do is to incorporate leg-slimming exercises into your workout routine. These exercises for slimming thighs and legs will help your body burn fat and increase muscle, giving your lower body a slimmer, fitter, and toned look.

7 Best Thigh Slimming Exercises

Please note that you can do most of these leg workouts with dumbbells or ankle weights for added resistance. However, if you’re working out at home and have no access to free weights, just your body weight is enough. 

1. Squats

This exercise works the muscles in your quads, hamstrings, glutes, calves, and hip flexors.

• Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, resting your arms straight down at your sides.
• Bracing your core and keeping your chest high, start to push your hips back, bending your knees as if going to sit down.
• Ensure that your knees don’t cave in and when your thighs are parallel to the floor, pause for 2 – 3 seconds.
• Push up evenly through your whole foot back to the starting position.
• Do this up to 12 times for one set.

2. Plie Squats

Like squats – and other versions of them – plie squats are great leg-slimming exercises as they work out your legs, glutes, and calves.

• Stand with your feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart and turn your feet out at a 45-degree angle.
• Bend knees and lower your torso, keeping your back straight and your abs tight. Imagine that your knees need to open wide as you sit down and engage your core by pulling your belly button toward your spine.
• Squeeze your glutes and come to a standing position.

3. Side Lunges

If you’re looking into ways to strengthen the inner thigh, then side lunges are for you. This exercise works out your quads and glutes, while the side-by-side movement places extra strain on your inner and outer thigh muscles.

• Start by standing up tall. You may hold a dumbbell in your hands in front of your chest or use your body weight and clasp your hands in front of your chest.
• Step out to the side with one foot until your leg reaches a 90-degree angle. Your rear knee should be fully extended and remain at a 45-degree angle to the ground and your front knee shouldn’t go beyond your toes.
• Lift your front lunging leg to return to the starting position.
• Repeat 10 to 12 reps on one leg before switching to the other leg. You may also switch off between legs until you’ve performed 10 to 12 reps per leg.

4. Inner Thigh Pulses

This is a fantastic workout to add to your list of leg-slimming exercises as it works out your inner thighs.

• Start on your side with your neck supported by your hand and your body in a straight line.
• Straighten your bottom leg and bring your top leg in front for support, folding it at the knee.
• Raise your lower leg and pulse for 30 seconds, moving just from your hip joint. Keep your core tight and the bottom leg straight as you lift it.
• Pulse 12 to 15 times before switching to the other side and repeating the process.

5. Leg Raises

This workout targets your rectus abdominis, hip flexor muscles, hamstrings (muscles at the back of the thigh), and lower-back muscles.

• Lie down on your back, keeping your ankles, knees, hips, shoulders, and ears aligned.
• Your legs will remain fully extended and your arms will be flat with your palms touching the floor by your sides. 
• Inhale and engage your core; on an exhale (with your core still engaged), lift both your legs a few inches off the mat.
• Hold them up for two to three seconds and inhale as you lower your legs back down to the mat.
• Do this 8 to 10 times before switching to the other side and repeating the process.

6. Kneeling Roundhouse Kick

This workout works mainly on your glutes, but also strengthens the hips, tones the thighs, and tightens the core.

• Start by kneeling on all fours on a mat. Keep your arms extended under your shoulders and your knees bent under your hips.
• Keeping the knee bent, raise your left leg up and out to the side until it’s level with your hip.
• Straighten the knee and kick your foot out to the side.
• Return to the starting position, repeat, and then switch legs.
• Do this for 10 to 12 reps for each leg.

7. Lateral Band Walk

Also known as side steps, they work out the muscles in your glutes, thighs, and calves.

• Take your resistance band, place it above each ankle, and wrap it around both legs right above the knee.
• Position your feet shoulder-width apart, bend your knees slightly, keep your head and chest up, and move into a half-squat position to activate your butt and thigh muscles.
• Maintaining the half-squat position, shift your weight over to one leg and take a sideways step with the other leg. Move this leg in and out, sideways, for 8 to 10 repetitions.
• Ensure to maintain a low, forward-facing posture, keep your back straight, and make sure your core is engaged.
• Also make sure to do this exercise slowly and with control. As the trailing leg comes back to the center of your body, you should be controlling the movement against the resistance bands. 

As you can see, one of the benefits of leg workouts is that they don’t just exercise leg muscles alone. Compound exercises such as these are fantastic for full-body fat and weight loss.

Exercises to Slim Down Legs While Sitting

If you spend all day seated and don’t have time for workouts or you have some mobility issues that prevent you from working out while standing, you may benefit from doing some leg-slimming exercises while seated. Here are some examples:

1. Seated leg extensions
2. Seated reverse crunches
3. Seated leg circles
4. Chair leg lifts
5. Chair squats

What Is the Fastest Way to Slim Down Legs?

There is no quick fix to getting slimmer, toned legs. For these results, you must be willing to improve your diet, eat at a calorie deficit, and do both cardio and full-body resistance exercises – targeted leg slimming exercises are just the cherry on top, a very small part of the whole. 

Don’t be tricked by routines that claim to have the answer to how to lose leg fat in one week or how to slim thighs in a week – this is just a marketing gimmick that will frustrate you in the end. Body fat loss takes time and as previously mentioned, scientific research has shown that fat loss of 1 to 2 pounds a week is healthy and safe. (17) A program that promises different results is not reputable and could even be dangerous. 

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How Long Does It Take to Slim Legs?

Weight loss is determined by very individual factors such as diet, level and intensity of exercise, starting weight, genetics, gender, and age (15). Therefore, it’s difficult to say how long it may take for you to see the desired results.

Read more: Is Walking or Running Better for Weight Loss?

Which Food Reduces Thigh Fat?

Research has stated that the best diets for fat loss are those that are rich in whole grains, lean protein, and fruits and vegetables. Not only must you consume such foods on a calorie deficit, but to reduce fat in the thighs or any other part of the body, you must also limit the intake of sodium, sugar-sweetened beverages, sweets, and processed foods (6, 14, 16).

Frequently Asked Questions

• Can you slim your legs in 2 weeks?

According to the CDC, healthy weight loss means losing 1 to 2 pounds of fat in 1 week (17). This means a loss of 2 to 4 pounds in 14 days. From this, we can say that it’s highly unlikely that you’ll manage to slim down your legs in 2 weeks.

• How can females fix skinny legs?

You may benefit from adding more weight and muscle, which can make your legs less skinny. For healthy weight gain, start by adding 300 to 500 extra calories to your daily calorie intake and do more strength training workouts to help increase your muscle mass.

• Why is it difficult to slim the legs?

If you’re finding it difficult to slim your legs, it could be because your diet and exercise routines are lacking in some way. 

Try seeing if you’re eating on a calorie deficit or not. If you’re only doing leg slimming exercises, stop and realize that these alone aren’t enough. Full-body resistance training is better. A program that includes progressive overload is the best route to take to see muscle gains throughout the body. Ideally, you’ll want to manipulate the sets, reps, intensity, or duration of your exercises so you can progress. This progress is what leads to muscle hypertrophy over time. 

However, if you’re following a calorie deficit and using progressive overload and still not seeing results, it could simply be due to genetics. Your genes determine where the weight in your body is and also how fast you lose weight. 

• Does walking slim your legs?

Yes, it does. Walking is an aerobic exercise and as explained above, such workouts are rather effective for both fat and weight loss due to their ability to increase daily calorie expenditure.

The Bottom Line

Leg slimming exercises will help you burn fat and strengthen the muscles in your legs and thighs, but they won’t work on their own. As mentioned above, spot reduction of fat isn’t possible, so these exercises for slimming legs and thighs should be included in a well-rounded, full-body workout. Make sure you also reduce your calorie intake and eat the right foods to help with weight and fat loss.