How To Lose Inner Thigh Fat (Plus What Not To Do)

Last Updated MAY 21ST, 2020, 10:01 PM

How do you get rid of the inner thigh fat – that stubborn little area that seems to stick no matter what you do?

I know that the inner thighs are a problem area for many women (myself included) and a very challenging part to slim down, which is why I’ve decided to do a separate post on it.

A lot of you have told me that workouts that you’ve previously done only made things worse and caused your thighs to get bigger instead of making them smaller.

The truth is, there is a lot of misinformation about the right way to lose inner thigh fat, including doing gym machine exercises, as “the best workouts for inner thighs.”

Unfortunately, those exercises do not really work, as you cannot spot reduce fat.

It took me a couple of years to figure out the best ways to slim down legs and especially how to get rid of inner thigh fat.

In this blog post, I’ll explain how to lose slim inner thighs and get leaner and what are the most common mistakes you should avoid making when trying to get rid of inner thigh fat.

WHAT EXACTLY CAUSES INNER THIGH FAT?

When you consume more calories than you burn, your body starts storing those excess calories in the form of fat.

And we cannot really choose where our body is going to store that fat; that’s mainly determined by genetics, gender and our body type.

Most women store excess body fat in their inner thigh, hips and lower belly and that’s closely related to their body type.

Let’s talk a bit more about different body types and how they respond differently to diet and exercise regimes.

DIFFERENT BODY TYPES STORE FAT DIFFERENTLY 

Some women naturally have less body fat and find it easier to lose weight. Those women most likely have an ectomorph body type.

Others may find it quite challenging, especially if they train in a way that’s not suitable for their body type.

And I see that a LOT.

Personal trainers often disregard these differences and train everyone the same way, and that’s not effective.

This is why you end up seeing 2 girls following the same diet and exercise regime and one ending up with much different results than the other one.

There are three main body types (ectomorph, mesomorph and endomorph), and if you want to reach your fitness goals and get the best possible results, you need to learn yours.

You may be an endomorph like Kim and Khloe Kardashian or a mesomorph like Gigi Hadid and Margot Robbie, or perhaps you’re an ectomorph like Kendall Jenner and Elsa Hosk.

You can take my Free Body Type Quiz here that will help you determine yours in just a few minutes.

WHY IS INNER THIGH FAT SO HARD TO LOSE 

As I mentioned previously, the inner thigh area is one of the most stubborn areas for women when it comes to fat loss.

Even ectomorphs, who are naturally lean and slim, may not know how to lose fat in from inner thighs or know how to do it properly.

One of the most common mistakes I see is women trying to spot reduce inner thigh fat, which is impossible.

But, what does ‘‘spot reducing fat’‘ exactly mean?

Let’s say I want to lose belly fat. So, I start doing 1000 crunches a day, focusing all my energy on this body part. Will I lose belly fat and get those abs? Sadly, no. We cannot choose where we lose fat.

And most women usually find it easier to lose upper body fat than thigh or belly fat.

So, if you want to lose inner thigh fat, you’ll have to lose body fat all over.

What’s the best and quickest way to reduce body fat? Eating a healthy diet at a calorie deficit, followed by cardio and resistance training that will help you slim inner thighs down without adding extra muscle bulk.

We’ll cover each part, below.

HOW TO GET RID OF THE INNER THIGH FAT

1. ADJUST YOUR DIET FOR MAXIMUM FAT LOSS

If you exercise, but constantly eat crappy food, you’re not very likely to get great results.

Your body needs a well-balanced diet with lots of fruits and veggies, lean protein, good fats and fiber.

You should avoid alcohol, sugar (in any form), processed food, baked goods, deep-fried foods, etc.

If you want to lose inner thigh fat fast and get leaner, you really need to change your diet and stick to it.

WHAT’S THE BEST DIET FOR LOSING INNER THIGH FAT? 

I would advise you to eat at a slight calorie deficit and to follow a low carb diet for the quickest results.

When we need energy, our body starts burning carbs first, followed by protein and fat. So, if you eat a low carb diet and there are not enough carbs, your body will start to burn more fat and protein.

This essentially means you’ll burn more fat on a low carb diet, using it as a primary source of energy.

Also, if you want to lose weight and reduce body fat, you should be in a slight calorie deficit. And I mean slight: 200-500 calories.

But, keep in mind that any form of dieting and calorie restriction can potentially slow down your metabolism, so start with a small calorie deficit.

If you starve yourself and eat too little, you’ll just slow down your metabolism too much, and you won’t lose weight.

So, if you don’t know how to calculate your daily calorie intake, I have a blog post that will help you learn exactly how many calories you need here.

And if you’re not sure where to start, you can download my 7 Day Meal Plan for free and that will help you kick start your weight loss.

2. AVOID EXERCISES THAT CAN MAKE YOUR INNER THIGHS BIGGER

I see a lot of women that are trying to lose fat from their thighs doing precisely what they should not in term of workouts.

Working to substantially increase muscle size on your thighs (and especially if you don’t lose fat) will ultimately make your legs looks bigger…which is not your goal.

Again, there is nothing wrong with increasing muscle size on your legs by lifting heavy weights for example, but this will not get rid of the fat on your thighs.

2.1 SKIP CERTAIN TYPES OF RESISTANCE TRAINING THAT CAN MAKE YOUR THIGHS BIGGER

I see a lot of women targeting their inner thighs with resistance training (i.e. that weird inner thigh machine at the gym, sumo squats, etc.). Unfortunately, this won’t slim down your inner thigh area.

It will focus on working that inner thigh muscle and may make it bigger in size, but it won’t get rid of the fat.

In fact, it could just make this area end up looking bigger. If you add some muscle – but don’t really lose fat – then you’ll end up wondering why your legs are getting bigger from working out.

In addition, unless you want to make your thighs bigger, I would avoid workouts that heavily target your quads, such as the following:

RELATED: HOW TO SLIM DOWN MUSCULAR THIGHS

RELATED: HOW TO SLIM DOWN MUSCULAR THIGHS

EXERCISES THAT MIGHT MAKE YOUR (INNER) THIGHS BIGGER:

• Squats and all squat variations
• Lunges
• Weighted leg machines
• CrossFit
• HIIT routines that heavily target your legs

Don’t get me wrong – these are awesome workouts – but I know that a lot of women actually have issues with muscular thighs and that is what we are trying to avoid here.

2.2 AVOID SOME TYPES OF CARDIO THAT CAN BULK UP YOUR THIGHS 

Cycling, the elliptical, stair master, stair or uphill running, etc. are all great cardio workouts. They increase your cardiovascular fitness and burn lots of calories.

But they don’t slim down your legs as walking or running, and they won’t necessarily help you get rid of inner thigh fat.

A lot of these types of cardio will actually build muscle (especially if you’re an endomorph) so your legs may get bigger, rather than slimmer.

3. DO THE RIGHT TYPE OF WORKOUTS FOR INNER THIGHS

Yes, there are still workouts you can do that will tone up your whole body, including your thighs.

And again, I suggest you test some things and different workouts for yourself and your body type and see what fits you best. To start, below I have recommended exercises for slimming inner thigh area that worked on the majority of the girls I trained (including myself).

BEST EXERCISE TO GET LOSE INNER THIGH FAT FAST

If you want to burn inner thigh fat fast, you need to combine effective cardio with the right type of resistance training.

3.1 DO MORE LOW-INTENSITY CARDIO 

In all my experience, the best exercise for getting rid of inner thigh fat and getting lean legs, in general, is WALKING.

Not running, swimming, cycling, elliptical, dancing, etc.

DOES WALKING REDUCE INNER THIGH FAT?

I know – it sounds too simple, right? But do not underestimate its power.

Walking is the absolute best exercise for getting rid of overall excess fat, including your inner thighs.

However, you do need to do a lot of walking. By a lot, I mean 10,000 steps per day (or 10kms, if you can!) at least.

I know this sounds time-consuming, but the 10,000 steps don’t need to be done all at once.

You can accumulate these steps during the day. And remember – it’s just walking!

My advice is to start each morning with a 5km walk so a lot of your walking is already done for the day. Then try to do as much walking as you can throughout the day.

Get up from your desk and walk around the office, go outside for lunch, meet with friends for a walk, walk home from work or walk to the bus/train – do everything you can to get in those extra steps!

Bonus tip: In addition to walking, swimming is actually a great form of cardio that can help with slimming your legs. It won’t target inner thigh fat as well as walking, but it can be a great alternative.

RELATED POST: HOW TO GET LEAN LEGS: WHY YOU NEED CARDIO

IS RUNNING GOOD FOR REDUCING INNER THIGH FAT?

Running is a great workout and will help you slim down all over as it burns LOTS of calories.

But it doesn’t really get the same results as walking, especially for some body types.

Some endomorph women can get bigger legs from running because running actually builds leg muscle.

Generally speaking, long-distance running will not bulk up your legs as much as sprinting, for sure. But again, it is very individual, so pay attention to how your body responds to running.

If you know this applies to you and growing thigh muscle is not one of your fitness goals, it might be best to avoid running and stick to power walking instead.

3.2 FOCUS ON THE RIGHT TYPE OF RESISTANCE TRAINING (THAT WON’T MAKE YOUR INNER THIGHS BIGGER)

Resistance training doesn’t exactly get rid of inner thigh fat. Resistance training will tone up your body, and it will help you lose weight faster.

Doing the right kind of resistance training will keep you lean and toned without adding too much muscle bulk, so you won’t end up skinny fat after losing weight.

Any type of resistance training is great. BUT, if you are worried about your legs getting bigger with resistance training, or you are trying to reduce the size of your legs, you need to be careful with the type of exercises that you do.

Doing the type of workouts on my blog is a great start as I have designed them all to tone up without making you bulky.

EXAMPLE WORKOUT FOR BURNING INNER THIGH AREA

RELATED POST: HOW TO LIFT WEIGHTS WITHOUT GETTING BULKY

THE ULTIMATE PROGRAM FOR SLIMMING DOWN YOUR LEGS & LOSING INNER THIGH FAT 

I have designed my 3 Steps to Lean Legs Program to help you get rid of the inner thigh fat without building too much muscle. 

These exercises are especially focused on slimming your thighs and will help you lose inner thigh fat.

They will also help you tone up your entire body without getting bulky – through carefully planned resistance training.

Check out the results :)

My program has 3 different versions, one for each body type. That way, you can be sure you’ll get the best possible results. 

It combines cardio with resistance training, and it has a complete 8-week meal plan.

Also, the resistance training part of my program now has FULL-LENGTH videos that you can follow from warm up to cool down.

To find out more about my 3 Steps to Lean Legs program, click the link below:

https://www.rachaelattard.com/skinny-legs-ebook/

To find out more about my FULL-LENGTH VIDEOS, follow this link: 

https://www.rachaelattard.com/lean-legs-video-course/

Love,

Rachael xx