How to Get Sexy Legs Fast | 15 Minute Skinny + Toned Legs Workout

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Do you know why it’s so hard to make your legs look lean, toned, and sexy?

Because muscles that make up your legs are some of the largest in the body.

To build them properly, you need a workout routine that specifically targets those muscle groups and a diet that can sufficiently fuel your progress.

So, that you can gradually build lean and toned leg muscles while maintaining a low body fat percentage.

Woman exercising

Here are three steps you need to follow to build lean, toned, sexy legs:

Step 1. Learn how to perform 12 of the best leg exercises properly

Step 2. Pick a legs workout routine that suits your need

Step 3. Fuel yourself with the right diet to boost your progress

Let’s start with the first step!

12 Exercises to Build Strong, Lean, Sexy Legs

Here are 12 of the best leg exercises:

1. Calf Raise

Primary Muscle Targeted: Soleus (calves)

Beginner Reps: 5 sets of 15-20 reps

Reps for Muscle development: 5 sets of 30 reps with weight

2. Tibialis Raise

Primary Muscle Targeted: Tibialis anterior (muscle located near the shin)

Beginner Reps: 3 sets of 10 reps

Reps for Muscle development: 5 sets of 20 reps

3. Squats

Primary Muscle Targeted: Gluteus (maximus, minimus, and medius), quadriceps

Beginner Reps: 5 sets of 10 reps

Reps for Muscle development: 5 sets of 25 reps

4. ATG Split Squat

Primary Muscle Targeted: Gluteus, medius, adductor, hip flexors, quadriceps, calves, hamstrings

Beginner Reps: 5 sets of 5 reps

Reps for Muscle development: 5 sets of 10-20 reps with weight

This exercise is one of the most important exercises on the list. Just by performing this exercise alone, you can tone & build most of the leg muscles.

However, If you are overweight or skinny, chances are you will find it difficult to perform this exercise properly. In that case, you can use the video above and start by performing the progression, you are most comfortable with.

The good part is that this exercise will sculpt your legs faster than any other exercise. Moreover, this exercise will build your ligaments and tendons such that you will have minimum knee injuries, hip and knee pain.

5. High Knees

Primary Muscle Targeted: Gluteus, quadriceps, calves

Beginner Reps: 3 sets of 1 minute

Reps for Muscle development: 5 sets of 1 minute

6. Nordic Curl

Primary Muscle Targeted: Gluteus, hamstrings

Beginner Reps: 5 sets of 10 reps

You can use the video above to learn how to perform nordic curl.

Reps for Muscle development: 5 sets of 15 reps or 2 sets of 2-4 perfect curls

Just like ATG split squat, Nordic curl is a great hamstring exercise.

7. Lateral Shuffle

Primary Muscle Targeted: Gluteus, calves, quadriceps

Beginner Reps: 3 sets of 1 minute

Reps for Muscle development: 5 sets of 1 minute

8. Fire Hydrant

Primary Muscle Targeted: Gluteus, medius, adductor, hip flexors

Beginner Reps: 5 sets of 15 reps

Reps for Muscle development: 5 sets of 20-25 reps using bands or ankle weight

9. Bent Knee Glute Kickback

Primary Muscle Targeted: Gluteus, adductor, hip flexors

Beginner Reps: 5 sets of 10 reps

Reps for Muscle development: 5 sets of 20-25 reps

10. Jogging or Walking

Primary Muscle Targeted: All the muscles in the lower body

Duration: 20-60 minutes

Since jogging works most muscles of the lower body & helps in burning a ton of calories, You should jog for at least 30-60 minutes every day if you are overweight.

But in case you don’t feel comfortable jogging, you should start by walking for 30-60 minutes.

On the flip side, If you are skinny, you should still consider jogging for at least 20 minutes every day, For toning your leg muscles & maintaining your overall health.

11. Jumping Jacks

Primary Muscle Targeted: Calves, quadriceps, hip flexors

Beginner Reps: 4 sets of 20-30 reps

Reps for Muscle development: 4 sets of40-60 reps

12. Burpees

Muscle Targeted: Gluteus, adductor, hip flexors, quadriceps, hamstrings, triceps, abdomen

Beginner Reps: 3 sets of 1 minute or 3 sets of 10 reps

Reps for Muscle development: 5 sets of 1 minute or 5 sets of 10 reps

Workout Plan

Fat-Burning Legs Workout

Perform this workout at least 3 times a week.

  1. Running/Walking: 30-60 Minutes
  2. Jumping Jacks: 5-10 sets of 20 reps
  3. ATG Split Squat: 5 sets of 10 reps (Perform Progressions)
  4. Burpees: 5 sets of 10 reps
  5. High Knees: 5 sets of 1 minute
  6. Lateral Shuffle: 5 sets of 1 minute

Beginner 15 Minute Skinny + Toned Legs Workout

Perform this workout at least 3 times a week.

  1. Jumping Jacks: Max reps in 1 minute ✖ 2 sets + (20-sec rest)
  2. 20-sec rest
  3. Squat: 2 sets of 1 minute
  4. 20-sec rest
  5. High Knees: 2 sets of 1 minute + (20-sec rest)
  6. 20-sec rest
  7. Lateral Shuffle: 2 sets of 1 minute + (20-sec rest)
  8. 20-sec rest
  9. Burpees: 2 sets of 1 minute + (20-sec rest)
  10. 20-sec rest
  11. Fire hydrant: 2 sets of 1 minute

or You can perform this workout this way

  1. Jumping Jacks: 4 sets of 25 reps
  2. Squat: 3 sets of 15 reps
  3. High Knees: 3 sets of 20 reps
  4. Lateral Shuffle: 3 sets of 1 minute
  5. Burpees: 3 sets of 15 reps
  6. Fire hydrant: 3 sets of 15 reps

Once you lose a certain amount of weight, you can use the muscle-building workout to tone your legs even further!

For those who are skinny and want to build lean, toned legs, You can start with the muscle-building workout right away.

Beginner Muscle Building + Toned Legs Workout

Perform this workout 3 times a week (Monday, Wednesday, Saturday)

  1. Jumping Jacks: 3 sets of 20 reps
  2. ATG Split Squat: 3 sets of 5 reps (Perform Progressions)
  3. Squat: 3 sets of 10 reps
  4. Calf Raise: 3 sets of 20 reps
  5. Tibialis Raise: 3 sets of 10 reps
  6. High Knees: 3 sets of 20 reps
  7. Fire Hydrant: 3 sets of 10 reps
  8. Nordic Curl: 3 sets of 5 reps (Perform Progressions)

Dietary Needs If You Are Overweight!

Leg exercises will help you in building lean leg muscles. But if you are overweight, to tone your legs, the first you need to do is lose excess leg fat.

As without losing leg fat, it’s impossible to tone your legs.

And to lose excess leg fat, you need a proper diet.

Since the diet is 80% of the equation when it comes to weight loss.

Weight loss = 80% Diet + 20% Exercise

Moreover, The better your diet is, the easier it will be for you to lose weight and ultimately tone your legs.

You can choose any diet you like, but it should be weight-loss-friendly. I would recommend you to follow calorie deficit or the keto diet.

Calorie Deficit

To lose weight by creating a calorie deficit, you need to consume fewer calories every day than you usually consume.

For example, reducing your calorie intake to around 1500 calories per day. 

You can also start by cutting 500 calories/day from your diet. A calorie deficit of 500 calories per day is healthy and sustainable.

Moreover, To avoid nutrient deficiencies, add zero-calorie fruits & veggies to your meals.

An average woman needs to consume around 2000 calories per day to maintain weight and about 1,500 calories per day to lose one pound per week.

By creating a calorie deficit, you can expect to lose 4+ pounds/month, and if you exercise regularly, you can lose up to  7-8 lbs in a month.

Ketogenic Diet

For those readers who have tried calorie deficit, and yet those stubborn pounds are STILL hanging on for dear life!

You should give a shot to the keto diet.

A Keto diet is a low-carb diet with a moderate amount of protein (10-20% protein, 70-80% fat, 5-10% carbs).

The diet works by depleting the body of its sugar reserves which result in the breakdown of fats for energy. Molecules called ketones are formed in the body as fuel.

When the body burns fat, it results in weight loss. The Effectiveness of the keto diet has been proven in a lot of Studies

A study on the ketogenic diet even suggests that people who followed the keto diet lost 2.2 times more weight than people on a low-calorie and low-fat diet.

Last year (2020), I tried the keto diet & I managed to lose around 24.5 pounds in 47 days. So, I am quite sure of its effectiveness.

Moreover, Multiple studies and anecdotal evidence verify the effectiveness of a low-carb and ketogenic diet for fat loss, particularly in the abdominal section.

And yes, it will work perfectly for you even if you are over 40. On the flip side, You may be surprised to know that keto is considered one of the best diets for adults and seniors due to its unique health benefits.

However, keto is a restrictive diet, and to gain any potential benefits from keto, you have to enter ketosis & it’s hard to get into ketosis.

Here’s an article that can help you get into ketosis within the first 3 days & a list of foods you can consume while following the keto diet

Here’s an article on How to Start a Keto Diet? & a 10-Day Keto Diet Meal Plan you can use.

Still, the best & fastest way to lose weight with the keto diet is under the guidance of a nutritionist.

If you wish to follow the keto diet, I would recommend you to consult a nutritionist or If you are like me and consider visiting a nutritionist an unnecessary hassle then you can get a custom keto diet plan from here.

This diet plan will be tailored to your weight loss goals. Moreover, it will help you in avoiding nutrient deficiencies, maintaining ketosis & in preparing healthy meals.

This custom diet plan will also respect your food preferences and will be created based on the expertise of certified nutritionists, personal trainers, and chefs.

Remember, The Keto diet is a medical diet. Utilizing it for losing weight without the proper guidance of a health expert can lower your results.

Dietary Needs If You Are Underweight!

Gains = 20% Workout + 40% Rest + 40% Nutrition

If you are not sure whether you are overweight or underweight, Here’s a BMI calculator you can use (Overweight = BMI over 25, Underweight = BMI below 18.5) to find out.

Assuming you are underweight, Here are 3 dietary tips you need to keep in mind to build lean, toned muscles:

  1. Stick to healthy foods only: To consume healthy food, stick with vegetables, fruits and avoid junk food, processed food, refined carbs, vegetable oils, sugary beverages, etc.
  2. Consume more calories than your body can burn: To consume more calories than your body can burn in a day, add 300-500 more calories to your diet above your maintenance level. This way you will steadily gain weight. Here’s a calorie calculator you can use to calculate how many calories you need in a day.
  3. Consume a proper amount of protein: The protein intake recommendation for gaining muscle is 0.7-1 gram of protein per pound of body weight. To meet your protein needs, you can use protein powder too.

P.S Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this article on Legs Workout, feel free to share it. Moreover, leave a question down below in the comment section if you have any

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Rudra

Hi, I am Rudra, a computer engineer, and a certified procrastinator. I started FitnessGained in 2018 to help me stay fit despite all my desk time. Now I run this blog as a hobby. Here at FitnessGained, I will share what I do to stay fit & more. Our motto is "Reaching True Potential with Effort."

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