Many men and women alike want long, lean legs. You, however, might have very muscular, bulky legs or legs that have too much body fat on them. To get your legs lean, you must focus on a variety of exercises along with cleaning up your diet. Cardiovascular exercise can help remove and reduce excess body fat, while strength training can speed your metabolism and define your legs.
Step 1
Perform high-repetition strength training for your legs at least twice a week. Use lighter weights with which you can perform 12 to 15 repetitions for two to three sets. This form of training improves your muscular endurance and tone without building bulky muscles and increasing the size of your legs.
Step 2
Choose eight to 10 exercises per strength-training session for your upper and lower legs. Beneficial exercises include lunges, squats, calf raises and leg curls. To perform a lunge, stand upright with your feet together. Step forward with your right foot as far as you can, bend your knees until your legs create 90-degree angles and push off with your right foot to return to the starting position. Repeat with the opposite leg.
Step 3
Perform at least 30 minutes of cardiovascular exercise five to seven days a week. Focus on exercises that engage your whole body and target your legs. Try running, swimming, cycling, rowing and step aerobics.
Step 4
Add variety to your cardio workouts to avoid hitting a plateau. Change the exercise you perform, change the environment, add fast-paced intervals or increase the duration of the workout. For example, if you love to run, try jogging slowly for a few minutes then sprinting as fast as you can for a minute.
Step 5
Reduce your calorie intake each day by making small adjustments to your diet. Eat four to six smaller meals very slowly. Stop eating when you stop feeling hungry. Serve your food onto a plate instead of eating directly from food containers.
Step 6
Emphasize nutritious foods in your diet. Eat a variety of vegetables, whole grains, fruits, low-fat and non-fat dairy products and lean protein. Lean protein comes from skinless poultry, fish, tofu, whey and soy.
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