4 Exercises to Lose Leg Fat

In this interesting article, we'll share a series of helpful exercises and tips to help you lose leg fat, as well as fat in the rest of your body. Try them out!
4 Exercises to Lose Leg Fat

Last update: 18 February, 2021

Many people want to lose leg fat, as well as fat in their abdomens or lower backs. In fact, many of them are fitness beginners! If you want to know a few exercises to help you improve the composition of your legs and make them look slimmer, you should take the following into account.

If you’re a beginner, here’s some news you may not like: you can’t control where you lose fat. This means that no exercise routines can reduce fat mass in specific areas. But don’t fret, as this doesn’t mean that you can’t lose leg fat.

Is it possible to lose leg fat?

Generally speaking, it is possible to lose leg fat. Despite this, you’ll lose leg fat along with the fat mass located in the rest of your body at the same time.

Fat loss is less noticeable in some areas than in others. In fact, sometimes, people lose volume in areas of their body that they didn’t want to lose fat in. This happens because they also had fat accumulated there and, as we mentioned above, you can’t control where you lose fat.

Exercises to lose leg fat

Firstly, the exercise routine to lose fat in your legs and the rest of your body must be comprised of strength exercises. These exercises stimulate the growth of lean mass. Thus, the more muscular you are, the more calories you burn. As a study published by the Journal of Obesity states, this leads to fat loss.

Squats

A woman doing squats.

As it works out big muscle groups, such as the quadriceps and hamstrings, this exercise boosts metabolism. This way, you can considerably increase your calorie expenditure. You can achieve this through conventional squats and all their variations.

Lunges

A man doing lunges.
Exercises such as lunges work the quadriceps.

This type of exercise can also help you lose leg fat, as well as fat in the rest of your legs. It’s because they stimulate muscle groups such as the glutes, quadriceps, and hamstrings. Thus, in addition to boosting leg endurance, it also makes you burn more calories.

Push-ups: lose leg fat

Three people doing push-ups.

Although it may seem complex to understand, stimulating muscles such as the triceps and biceps brachii can help you lose leg fat. You just need to keep in mind what we mentioned above about fat burning. Remember that you lose fat in your entire body, not just in a specific area.

In this vein, doing specific strength exercises will help boost fat loss in your entire body. Never forget this!

Abdominal exercises

A woman doing abs.

Due to the same principle that we explained above in the other exercises, stimulating your core muscles will also favor fat loss in your legs and the rest of your body.

Several types of abdominal exercises can benefit you, ranging from conventional ones to those that require external loads or more complex movements.

Get help from a professional trainer

The goal of the routine we talked about here is to reduce your body fat percentage. To do this, you also need the advice of a professional who knows a lot about this and can give you good recommendations for your particular case.

The exercises we mentioned above can help boost your metabolism and stimulate strength. However, with a professionally established routine, you’ll enjoy better results.

Personalized training isn’t enough to lose leg fat

A mistaken belief regarding the desire to lose leg fat, as well as fat in other areas of your body, is that exercise is the only way to accomplish it. Although you must practice physical activity to stay healthy and boost processes such as metabolism, the main tool to reduce body fat percentage is a balanced and healthy diet.

To lose fat in your legs and your body in general, you need to follow a hypocaloric diet. In other words, a diet focused on eating fewer calories than you burn. If you want more information about this type of diet, we advise you to consult a nutritionist.


All cited sources were thoroughly reviewed by our team to ensure their quality, reliability, currency, and validity. The bibliography of this article was considered reliable and of academic or scientific accuracy.


  • Al-Alia, N. (2016). Nutrición Humana y Dietética. Nutrición Humana y Dietética. https://doi.org/10.14306/renhyd.19.3.152
  • Hansen, & Cols. (2007). Efectos del entrenamiento físico sobre la pérdida de masa grasa en pacientes obesos durante restricción calórica. Sports Med.

This text is provided for informational purposes only and does not replace consultation with a professional. If in doubt, consult your specialist.