Is walking or running better for slimming thighs?
Sarah Smith
Published Jan 08, 2026
If you want to burn fat and get lean legs, walking is better than slow running.
Does walking make your thighs smaller?
Slimming your thighs with fitness walking
By walking regularly, it's as simple as that! It's true, this sport works out the front and back thigh muscles. It's the ideal exercise for slimming your legs. Walking will gradually firm up your thighs and glutes.
Can running give you thinner thighs?
#3 Running long distance
If you have noticed, long distance runners tend to be very lean and their legs are usually super slim. This is because doing this decreases the size of the muscles and reduces the fat around the muscle to make the thighs smaller.
How long should I run to slim thighs?
Burn approximately 248 calories in 20 minutes of jogging, if you weigh 160 pounds. About 248 calories is half of the daily calorie-reduction needed to lose 1 pound a week. For example, 1 pound is equal to 3,500 calories. Reduce your calories by 500 each day to lose 1 pound a week and contribute to thin thighs.
How can I slim my thighs in 2 weeks?
How Can I Lose Weight in My Thighs in Two Weeks?
- Remove 250 to 500 calories from your daily diet. ...
- Choose low-fat and free-free foods. ...
- Perform cardio exercise everyday. ...
- Increase your intensity during cardio workouts. ...
- Use strength training exercises to tone the muscles in your thighs.
Why won't my thighs slim down?
Rachael said one of the main reasons why you're not losing weight on your legs is because you're doing the wrong type of workouts. 'I see lots of girls that do workouts that focus solely on squats and lunges when trying to get slimmer legs,' Rachael said.
What exercises reduce thigh fat?
Weight loss: 6 exercises to reduce thigh fat
- 01/7Exercises to reduce thigh fat. Truth be told, spot-reduction, or losing fat from a specific part of the body is a myth. ...
- 02/7Sumo squats. ...
- 03/7Forward lunges. ...
- 04/7Jumping jacks. ...
- 05/7Burpees. ...
- 06/7Deadlift. ...
- 07/7Leg lift.
Why are my thighs getting bigger from walking?
As you workout, you gain more muscle that will ultimately replace your fat. There will be a period of time where your body has both this newly formed muscle AND fat. This is basically like a transition period for your body. Hence, your thighs are a little bigger until the fat is burned away.
Will walking 2 miles a day tone my legs?
Walking Benefits for Legs
Muscle tissue burns four times as many calories as fat, so the muscle you get from walking can also help you lose more weight. This means that you can realistically trim some of the fat from your legs and tone them within a month or two by walking briskly every day for 60 minutes per session.
What causes inner thigh fat?
What Causes Inner Thigh Fat? There are different reasons for excess fat on inner thighs, including genetics, aging, gender, ethnicity, weight gain, and diet. Your metabolism, for example, slows down as you become older. This slows down the burning of stored fat in your body.
Does walking reduce cellulite?
Aerobic exercise
Weight loss can lessen the appearance of an individual's cellulite. Some common aerobic exercises include: walking. running.
Which exercise is best for thighs?
10 exercises for toned legs
- Squats. The squat is one of the best exercises to tone legs. ...
- Lunges. Lunges work your thighs, butt, and abs. ...
- Plank leg lifts. Regular planks target the upper body, core, and hips. ...
- Single-leg deadlifts. ...
- Stability ball knee tucks. ...
- Step-ups. ...
- 7. Box jumps. ...
- Speedskater jumps.
Does running make your thighs big?
Running uses your glutes, quadriceps, hamstring and calves constantly, meaning that your leg muscles are working and this will cause them to develop and get bigger in size. Any form of exercise that engages your muscles will cause them to grow in size.
Why are my thighs so fat even though I exercise?
The main culprit behind weight gain in your thighs is estrogen. This hormone drives the increase in fat cells in females, causing deposits to form most commonly around the buttocks and thighs.
Do squats reduce thighs?
Impact on Thigh Size
Lunges and squats target the muscle tissue you have in your glutes, quads and calves, but they don't impact any fat tissue in the area. According to the American Council on Exercise, it's not possible to spot reduce or lose fat specifically in your thighs.
What foods cause thigh fat?
The biggest culprits are pasta, white rice and bread, pastries, sodas, and desserts. These foods cause your blood sugar levels to spike, then crash soon after.
How do u get a thigh gap?
However, if you want a thigh gap, you're going to have to work for it.
...
Thigh raises
- Use a short stool for this workout.
- Lie on your side.
- Support your head with your arm.
- Raise the upper leg up to the stool. Hold. Bring it down.
- Continue to do this 15 times on each side.
- Do 2-3 times a day.
Why do runners have skinny legs?
Professional runners, specifically long-distance runners, tend to have 'skinny' legs. This is because they train extremely hard in order to sustain stamina and endurance so, their bodies don't get the chance to build muscle because they burn more than they consume.
How does running change a woman's body?
Running changes your body by burning body fat and building muscles. Expect to lose fat at the top of your thighs, build stomach muscles of steel, and a butt to die for the weight. When you run you're really working your gluteal muscles. That means an envious butt without having to hit the gym.
Will running make me skinny?
Running is an excellent form of exercise for weight loss. It burns a lot of calories, may help you continue to burn calories long after a workout, may help suppress appetite and targets harmful belly fat.
Can flabby inner thighs be toned?
What you can do is firm up your flabby thighs by reducing the amount of body fat from your whole body — which will include the fat on your thighs — and toning your leg muscles. Combining cardiovascular exercise with targeted thigh resistance training will change the appearance of your legs.
Can I tone up just by walking?
Walking can tone more than just your legs. In fact, it can help you get a flatter stomach and firmer glutes too. To achieve this, you need to focus on using those target muscles while you walk. Tighten your glutes and gently draw in your waist while you walk.
Does walking tone hips?
It's true, but only if you put some real effort into it. Brisk walking for 30 minutes, four to six times a week will help tone your thighs, firm up your bum and whittle away your waist. And the best bit? It's free!
What exercises reduce cellulite on thighs?
9 exercises for cellulite prone areas
- Step-ups. Muscles worked: Glutes, hamstrings, quadriceps, calves, core muscles. ...
- Curtsy lunge. Muscles worked: Glutes (especially gluteus medius), quadriceps, calves, core. ...
- Lateral lunge. ...
- Bulgarian split squat. ...
- Reverse lunge. ...
- Glute bridge. ...
- Squats. ...
- Squat jump.
Why do girls have big thighs?
Hormones drive the deposition of fat around the pelvis, buttocks, and thighs of women and the bellies of men. For women, this so-called sex-specific fat appears to be physiologically advantageous, at least during pregnancies.