How to Lean Out Thick Legs

Achieving a set of lean legs is no easy feat; however, it can be accomplished with hard work and knowledge. To lean out, you will need to reduce your overall body fat with cardiovascular exercise a minimum of five times per week, as well as strength training two to three times per week.

Eliminate processed and high-caloric foods from your diet as well to really lean out thick legs.

Read more: What Type of Exercise Will Slim Down My Legs?

While there's no best cardio for lean legs, long-distance runners tend to have leaner rather than thick legs than sprinters that focus more on short-distance, high-intensity work. The body uses glycogen and fat stores as fuel initially, but when running longer distances it may have to use protein as a fuel. This leads to degradation of muscle, muscle loss, and ultimately leaner legs.

If you normally run three to five miles during the week, increase the distance gradually each week such that you're running anywhere from five to 10 miles a few times per week. If you're not a runner, try biking, swimming or walking longer distances than usual.

Strength training two to three times per week will help you lean out your legs. The key is to focus on a variety of exercises that recruit a large number of leg muscles including the quadriceps, hamstrings, calves, hip abductors and adductors.

Focus on increasing endurance and toning the muscles versus achieving muscle bulk by using lighter weights that fatigue your legs within 12 to 15 repetitions. Start with your body weight for most exercises and add weight as you get stronger.

Complete one to two sets of each exercise. A sample leg workout may include calf raises, squats, walking lunges, side-lying leg lifts and burpees.

Read more: Are Exercise Bikes Good for Toning Legs?

Although long-distance exercise will help to lean out your legs, higher-intensity training will also help you burn off stubborn leg fat. Interval training involves exercising at a hard effort, in which you cannot carry on a conversation, alternated with lighter efforts for recovery to prepare you for your next hard effort.

Perform high-intensity workouts one to two times per week for 30- to 45-minute sessions. Try running one minute hard followed by two minutes easy. Repeat intervals eight to 10 times and included a warm-up and a cool-down. The less body-fat you have, the leaner your legs will look.

Nutrition plays a key role in leaning out thick legs. In addition to regular exercise, you will need to eat a healthy diet that is low in calories but high in nutrients for fat-loss. Fill your plate with vegetables primarily, as well as lean protein, some fruits and healthy fats.

Eat three well-balanced meals per day as well as one to two snacks ideally before and/or after your workout to refuel tired muscles. Keep snacks simple with a balance of carbs and protein such as an almond milk banana smoothie or an apple with nut butter.