Suppose you're a woman with naturally skinny legs.

In that case, you might feel frustrated over their appearance, feeling they lack the size or muscular definition you want.

But here's the exciting part: within those seemingly slender stems lie your body's largest muscles, brimming with growth potential.

While they may seem small now, they can grow a lot and quickly.

This growth potential should hopefully get you more motivated to train.

Here's the bonus: the fundamental exercises for beefing up those leg muscles are very straightforward.

Movements like squats and Romanian deadlifts are very effective.

EVERY WOMAN IS UNIQUE.

Some naturally sport slimmer legs, while others have more muscular ones.

It comes down to genetics, lifestyle, and even how healthy your mum was during pregnancy.

But by fine-tuning your exercise regimen, eating a healthy diet, and starting a healthy lifestyle, you’ll begin to see results.

That said, there's a simple mantra for enhancing leg size: challenge, strengthen, and build.

Focus on exercises targeting the leg muscles—quads, hamstrings, and glutes.

I recommend:

Leg Press/Squats (quads and glutes)
Romanian deadlifts (hamstrings and glutes)
Lunges, split squats, step-ups, leg extensions, leg curls, and hip thrusts

However, lifting weights alone won't be enough to grow your legs.

You have to make sure your diet is muscle growth-focused.

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WHY ARE YOUR LEGS SKINNY?

While many women worry about losing weight, a small number of you are just naturally slim, with narrower limbs and skinnier legs.

It's primarily because of genetics, but that doesn't mean we can't change it.

Like most things, there are a bunch of reasons why some women have slim legs:

This predisposition often traces back to genetics, maternal health during pregnancy, and upbringing.

You can't change the past, but you can change your lifestyle.

Lack of physical activity further compounds the issue.

Most women lead sedentary lives, and weightlifting needs to be utilised more, even among those who exercise.

You must get on board with hypertrophy training and challenging muscle strength through targeted exercises to build muscle.

Inadequate protein intake and poor dietary habits also hinder progress.

Women's diets often skimp on protein and carbs, two crucial elements for muscle development.

Ensure your diet provides ample calories and protein to fuel leg muscle growth.

I’ve got a brilliant and handy CALORIE CALCULATOR on my website that will give you custom calorie targets, advice on macro splits and advice on building muscle; make sure you check it out.

DO SKINNY LEGS MEAN I’M UNHEALTHY?

Having slim legs doesn't necessarily equate to poor health; it may just be your natural shape.

However, it does mean you'll have weaker legs, as larger muscles lead to greater strength.

Strengthening and growing your leg muscles will improve your appearance and overall fitness.

Moreover, the confidence and self-esteem boost that comes with feeling stronger and more comfortable in your skin is an awesome benefit of growing your legs and glutes.

MASTERING HYPERTROPHY TRAINING FOR LEG GROWTH

Unlike strength training, which focuses on increasing your ability to lift heavy weights, hypertrophy training is about increasing the size of your muscles.

It's like building a bigger house by adding more bricks.

It's very different from cardio or gym classes.

It's highly structured, the training is intense, and you need to constantly push more weight, reps, and intensity to maximise muscle stimulation.

Here's a selection of some of my favourite exercises to grow your glutes and legs:

Quads: Squats, leg presses, hack squats, leg extensions, step-ups, walking lunges etc.
Hamstrings: Romanian Deadlifts, conventional deadlifts, leg curls, back extensions, etc.
Glutes: Hip thrusts, glute bridges, kickbacks etc.
Calves: Standing Calf raises, seated Calf raises, etc.

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HOW TO BUILD A LEG GROWTH WORKOUT

Your leg workout plan should align with your current fitness level.

Beginners may see pretty quick leg growth with minimal sets, while seasoned lifters require increased volume and exercise variety for continued progress.

So here is a beginner-friendly leg workout for you to try:

Leg Press: 3 sets of 10 reps

Romanian Deadlifts: 3 sets of 10 reps

Hip Thrusts 3 sets of 12 reps

Seated Calf Raises: 3 sets of 12 reps

Start your workout with a 5-10 minute warm-up, such as light jogging or dynamic stretching, to prepare your muscles for the upcoming exercises.

After your workout, cool down with 5-10 minutes of static stretching to promote muscle recovery and flexibility.

Then, remember to train your upper body, too, ladies.

We want to stay nice and balanced.

Focus less on rep count and more on pushing your limits with appropriate weights, aiming for failure or near failure to promote muscle growth.

BUILDING STRONG LEGS THROUGH CONSISTENCY

Consistency is crucial to leg development.

Start with a manageable set count, gradually increasing intensity as your strength improves.

Aim for 3–6 sets per exercise and anywhere from 4-40 reps, adjusting based on how you feel and how well you recover.

A good starting point would be three full-body weekly workouts to optimise muscle growth and recovery.

This approach allows for adequate rest between sessions and plenty of time for muscle repair and strength gains.

Remember, rest is just as important as exercise in your fitness journey.

It's during rest that your muscles repair and grow stronger, so don't skip those rest days!

Rest intervals between sets are flexible, but I recommend 2-3 minutes so that you can hit each set as hard as possible.

Focus on maintaining intensity throughout your workout, pausing only long enough to catch your breath.

CUSTOMISING YOUR FITNESS JOURNEY

While this basic workout is a good start, customise it to suit your goals.

You could add some extra glute-focused movements for even more glute gains.

In conclusion, getting rid of your skinny legs combines strategic weight and strength training, a good diet to support growth and unwavering dedication.

While the journey may present challenges, the rewards—be it thicker, stronger legs—are undeniably worth the effort.

Next, I suggest you check out this post: The Skinny Girls Guide To Muscle Growth.

And Check out a few of my clients below, who’ve gone from Mini to Mighty.

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