Last updated on May 8th, 2020 3:20 PM
It’s unbelievable how many girls are asking me how to slim down muscular thighs!
If I have to pick the most popular question I am asked on my weekly Instagram Q & A, it would definitely be that!
And I understand why this is such a popular question.
I also used to struggle with getting the answer to this myself. I spent 3 years figuring out how to exercise to keep my legs slim and thin… without gaining too much muscle in the process.
Who knew it would be so hard to get this right?
Unfortunately, women tend to store most of their body fat in their hips and thighs.
So it’s no wonder a lot us feel like no matter what we do, we just can’t seem to lean out legs and make our thighs smaller.
And, since the majority of personal trainers and fitness gurus seem to always push women to lift heavy (or do tons of squats and leg work)…it’s actually no surprise why I see girls constantly complaining about their thighs.
More and more women are coming to me explaining that they feel like their thighs got too bulky for their own liking.
I’ve already written a detailed guide on how to get lean and toned without adding too much muscle overall, but since I know how many of you are struggling with this, I want to focus specifically on how to get smaller thighs in this blog post.
I know most people go to the gym to build muscle, but many women actually have issues with getting overly muscular legs when they exercise.
Some girls have even told me that their legs get bigger in size with running, barre, yoga and other exercises that you wouldn’t expect to bulk up your thighs.
So, be careful and track your body’s response to different exercises as it is very individual.
Let me get something straight- there’s absolutely nothing wrong with having strong, muscular thighs.
But, some women prefer to look more slim and toned and they should not be judged for it or told that that’s not a look to aspire to.
Everyone’s idea of “bulky” is different – I cannot stress this enough. This is something I believe every personal trainer should be aware of.
For some women, having just a little bit of muscle in their thighs might be too much, and for others, it might be too little as their goals are different.
For me personally, when I do weights and HIIT, my arms and stomach tend to slim down but my legs get too muscular for my liking.
I don’t have too many examples of photos of me when I’m like this (I didn’t like taking pictures of myself at the time), but here is one so you can get an idea.
So what you should do if you want to get skinny thighs without building muscle?
There are 3 steps you should follow to get slim and toned legs.
Let’s cover each step in more detail.
Knowing your body type is super important as some body types tend to bulk up more easily in their legs (and in general) than others, i.e. ectomorphs versus endomorphs.
There are three main body types and they all lose weight and build muscle differently.
I’ll briefly cover all three of the female body types, and also link to the articles that explain your body type in detail.
Ectomorphs are usually naturally slim (like Victoria’s Secret models) and they find it difficult to build muscle.
If you are an ectomorph body type, you probably already have naturally thinner legs. So, your goal here is to maintain (or perhaps lose a bit of stubborn lower body fat) while building lean muscle. This way your leg will get tone and definition and you’ll avoid the skinny fat look.
To find out more about the ectomorph body type, read this blog post on how to slim muscular thighs if you are an ectomorph.
Mesomorphs can be quite athletic and respond quickly to exercise, which means they build muscles easily.
They can lose weight very fast, but can also gain weight quickly too. Usually, they are of average size.
If you are a mesomorph, overdoing workouts like squats and lunges can easily result in bulky legs. So, your goal here is to reduce body fat percentage and avoid exercises that will bulk up your legs in the process.
For more detailed info on mesomorphs, I’ve written an article on how to get skinny legs without building muscle for mesomorphs.
Endomorphs naturally have a strong build and larger frame. They can build muscle very quickly and it’s slightly harder for them to lose weight. But, it’s not impossible!
If you are an endomorph body type, your goal is to really focus on reducing overall body fat and to completely avoid any workouts that may cause you to bulk up.
To learn more about the endomorph body type, read this blog post on how to slim muscular thighs for endomorphs.
If you are not sure what is your body type, I have created a free body type quiz which will help you determine your body type in just 2 minutes.
Now that you know your body type and have a general idea on what to do and not to do, let’s go to the next step.
Ever noticed the difference between marathon runner legs and a cyclist or sprinter’s legs? There is a reason why.
Marathon runners have usually skinny legs because they do long duration steady–state cardio, as opposed to high-intensity sprints and cycling.
When you do long-distance running, your body is using slow-twitch muscles (the ones we refer to as long and lean) and is using fat (and glucose / carbs) as a source of energy.
I would run at a medium-fast pace and aim for 5kms for at least 30-45 minutes. But, longer is better if you’re trying to slim down muscle (ideally around an hour).
For speed, I would recommend somewhere between 9-12 km/hr. You should be able to maintain a conversation on your optimal speed.
And always make sure you’re running on a flat surface. Any uphill running will use your quads more and will contribute to bulkiness.
Also, running long distance is much more effective at slimming down your legs than the cross trainer/elliptical.
I should also mention that if you are very short and are the endomorph body type, your legs may actually get bigger with running.
If this is a problem for you, I would focus on walking.
Power walking is the best exercise for slimming down your legs and still burns a surprising number of calories, so don’t feel disheartened if all you can do is walk.
The main reason that power walking is so great is that it actually burns FAT as the primary source of energy. So yes, walking will help you burn more fat.
If you want more details or have more questions about cardio, read my Q&A Cardio Post.
RELATED POST: HOW TO GET SKINNY LEGS: WHY YOU NEED CARDIO FOR FAT LOSS AND LEAN LEGS
When you do cardio, your body will burn stored glycogen (carbohydrates) first, and then fat, followed by protein (muscle).
If you do cardio before you eat in the morning, you will have less stored glycogen, and your body will, therefore, burn more fat and muscle.
Less fat and less muscle size equals slimmer legs.
But for this to work, you need to eat low carb (try not to eat carbs for dinner the night before so your glycogen levels are already low), and you need to do cardio for a fairly long period of time (over 60-90 minutes).
I have written a much more detailed blog post on fasted cardio, so have a read of this if you’re interested.
Decreasing your calorie intake will help you lose weight overall and also muscle. Muscles are a metabolically active tissue, so they require lots of calories to maintain.
If you reduce your calories, your body will not be able to sustain your muscle size, and they will atrophy (meaning they will decrease in size).
To work out how many calories you should be eating, read this blog post on how to calculate your daily calorie intake.
If you eat high fat, moderate to low protein and low carb, while staying at a slight calorie deficit, your body will use fat and protein (muscle) for energy, rather than carbohydrates.
This will help you decrease your muscle size much quicker.
Focus on getting your energy primarily from fat, and do not overdo the protein intake as well.
If you follow these 3 steps, your leg muscles will start to decrease. However, it is also important to know what NOT to do.
As long as you are lifting heavy or doing exercises that put a lot of strain on your quads and hamstrings, you won’t lose the leg muscle. You will still continue to build or maintain leg muscle, even if you are doing cardio and eating at a calorie deficit.
Use it or lose it. It’s really that simple.
Even if you’re doing light weight and high rep, you still won’t lose the muscle. You won’t necessarily build muscle, but you will maintain the muscle that you currently have.
Therefore, I recommend avoiding anything you’re doing that uses your legs heavily, including the traditional squats, deadlifts, burpees, and leg weighted machines. Just avoid “leg days” in general.
I would also stay away from workouts such as CrossFit and HIIT routines that have lots of squats, burpees and lunges.
As I mentioned, some women experience bulky legs when they do running, barre, or even yoga.
If you notice your legs increasing in size with a particular exercise, don’t do it! It is very individual, and you need to do what works best for you.
Again, this is the advice for girls who want to drastically reduce muscles in their legs.
If you’re happy with the size of your thighs or you’re not really bothered by it, please, by all means, do all the workouts you enjoy.
On my blog, I do have some HIIT exercises that won’t cause you to bulk up.
However, if you are an endomorph, if you are very short, or very very sensitive to building muscles in your thighs, these exercises still might cause you to build too much muscle for your liking. So, I would do these with caution.
If they work for you, that’s great! If not, don’t do them.
Cardio is good for slimming down your legs, but not if you’re sprinting.
Again, think of sprinters vs marathon runners legs. Sprinting engages fast-twitch muscles responsible for fast bursts of energy, especially in your quads.
Your muscles will adapt to the size they are needed for an often performed activity. It’s that simple.
So, make sure your cardio is always done steady-state to lose muscle from your legs faster. And again, make sure it’s on a flat surface (no hills or stair runs!).
There are still lots of different types of exercises and resistance training workouts that you can do to tone up, without targeting your quads and hamstrings and making them bigger.
ALL of the workouts on my blog are designed to help you tone up without getting bulky, so I would highly recommend giving them a try! :)
In the video below, you can find a full-length workout for a whole body that is designed to get you toned, but not bulky.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UP8Bm0BQ4Ro
And it will definitely NOT bulk up your legs, but it is focused on slimming down your thighs.
So to summarize, if you want to make your muscular thighs smaller, here’s what you should do:
If you are looking for a long term solution, I’ve created a 3 Steps to Lean Legs Program which focuses on helping you get a lean and toned body (especially legs, as this is a trouble area for a lot of women).
The 3 Steps to Lean Legs Program includes cardio, a complete 8-week meal plan and the style of resistance training that I have mentioned in this blog post.
Also, the resistance training part of my program now has FULL-LENGTH videos that you can follow from warm-up to cool down.
And as always, if you have any questions, please feel free to ask!
Love Rachael xx
Hi there :)
I just wanted to know whether skipping using a rope could bulk up the thighs and/or calves for a mesomorph? Also, would stretching afterward prevent the legs from bulking up due to the tension from skipping? Thanks :)
Hi lovely! Skipping is great cardio but can’t be a substitute for walking and running because it won’t slim down your legs. It does burn a lot of calories which is great, but the motion uses your calves heavily. Skipping will most likely contribute to bigger calves and can make your legs bigger all over. Stretching won’t really prevent your legs from becoming bulky but it will help relieve muscle soreness and tension. If you have other fitness concern, feel free to reach out to us at info@rachaelattard.com :)
Hi lovely! Skipping is great cardio but can’t be a substitute for walking and running because it won’t slim down your legs. It does burn a lot of calories which is great, but the motion uses your calves heavily. Skipping will most likely contribute to bigger calves and can make your legs bigger all over. Stretching won’t really prevent your legs from becoming bulky but it will help relieve muscle soreness and tension. If you have other fitness concerns, feel free to reach out to us at info@rachaelattard.com :)
Hello, I would like to take your pack too much but I practice dancing 5 hours a day so I am a little lost I would really like to lose my thigh muscles for modeling but I do not know what to do if it can prevent the reduction of my muscles
Hi lovely! This really depends on what type of dancing you are doing and how much you’re doing. If you’re dancing for really long periods every day, then your legs may increase in size, regardless of what dancing you’re doing. Overusing your leg muscles can cause bulkiness. Our programs were designed to help you slim down your legs but it would still be best if you try to do other type of activities like dancing in moderation. Even if you follow the right type of workouts, doing such activities will still engage your quads a lot and might even lead to overtraining. I would only start the program once you’re done with your classes. I hope this helps. xx
Will walking at an incline bulk my legs up? For example walking at an incline of 12, speed 3 for 30 minutes. Or is it better to just walk at a speed of 4 on a flat surface? It doesn’t burn as much as incline walking
Hi lovely! Walking on an incline will engage your quads a lot and this can possibly cause some bulkiness. If your main goal is to slim down your legs, always make sure that you power walk or run on a flat surface. If you need more help or tips, you can reach out to us at info@rachaelattard.com
Hi!! I just broke my foot so have to wear a moon boot for 6 weeks so can’t walk or run!! I’m mesomorphs/endo and am so worried about bulking more without walking. What exercise should I do?
Hi lovely! I’m so sorry about your injury. :( I highly suggest that you avoid any type of workouts and wait until you’re fully recovered. I know that you’re excited to achieve your goals but your safety should be our main priority. In the meantime, it would be best if you put more focus on nutrition. <3
If i do swimming 2x a week instead of running, will it bulk up my legs?
Hi ^^ I was just wondering would doing something like dancing (hip hop) x3 a week make your thighs bulky?
Hi lovely,
This really depends on what type of dancing you are doing and how much you’re doing. If you’re dancing for really long periods every day, then your legs may increase in size, regardless of what dancing you’re doing. Overusing your leg muscles can cause bulkiness.
If your style of dance requires lots of jumping and moving from sitting to standing, then it may cause bulkiness. But again, this depends on your body type too. :)