What are the best exercises for toning up legs when you have tendency to develop bulkier thighs?

If you want to strengthen the body without building bulk and you want cardio to mix in with it dont bother with wasting money on kettlebells when your gym has dumbells(anything you can do with them you can do with dumbells) As for TRX AND THE LIKES THEY ARE AN EXPENSIVE WASTE OF MONEY I CAN SHOW YOU HOW TO MAKE ONE FOR ABOUT£20.
Right what you want to do is get a telegraph pole and get three other mates two on the log and two running along side. Run the log about 6 miles with the people on rest changing every 600 m.
If getting fit is what you are after then this is where it is at. This will get you fit to fight war and believe me there is no tougher test of fitness than that. It might not make you look fab in a t shirt but what is more important looking fit or being fit.
Other things you can do are firemans carry drills pick up your mate onto your shoulders and run with them.
And trust me running a 300 pound log is alot more mentally and physically challenging than swinging around on a swingy thing!
What you need to ask yourself who are the fittest people well easy soldiers, so train like they do and you wont go far wrong, oh and no they dont use swingey things or swing lumps of mettle around thay do BATTLE PT.
If you Want some real training from a real trainer then contact me on info@dosctraining.co.uk
or visit http://www.dosctraining.co.uk and i will be more than happy to introduce you to real fitness training without the gimmicks.

I would recommend lying hip adductor and abductor exercises. In other words lie on one side with your arm supporting your head, then lift and lower the upper leg for 20. Then bend the lower leg in and flexing the toe on your upper leg, bounce the foot a little for 20. Then stretch both legs out and lift the upper leg about a foot of the ground and bring the lower leg up to reach it, again for 20. Repeat on same leg for 15, then 10, then 5 of each. Then do the same on your other side. Think jane fonda! The oldies are goodies! This will work- and no expensie equipment required! Do every time you train. Good luck!

I too was a football player growing up and bulk INCREDIBLY easily. The only thing that has worked for me is dance based movements as well as TRX (see Sean's answer below) and Kettlebell swings. Though, I do believe burning out the muscle with high reps is the way to go. As for cardio....interval training using jumps in place (think ballet jumps) are a great way to keep the legs small. Stay away from running. If you do bulk easily running is NOT your friend. Good luck!

Hi there, the best advice I can offer you is to do functional exercises whereby instead of isolating just one muscle you are exercising several muscles at the same time. Not only will it stop you from bulking up but it can considerably cut the time of your session. I use Kettlebells in my sessions and when I workout myself. 30 minutes of bells 3 times a week will give you a good result in no time. For example, 'The Swing' is a fantastic exercise for toning your inner thigh, back of the leg, bottom and back and its a cardio workout. This workout will give you great legs. Kettlebells sculpt the body, strengthening the normally forgotten muscles and keeping your body in toned proportion. You can buy a kettlebell on-line fairly cheaply and use it in the comfort of your own home but, what I would suggest is, get proper training first on how to use them.

and Ali, I would be more than happy to show you personally how to execute the exercise.....and one thing I didn't add was that it aids proprioception strengthens connective tissue and tests your mental strength.....what more could you ask for....and it can all be done in 5-10 minutes
all the best
Sean

Hiya, I can highly recommend that standing yoga poses such as warriors as balances will most definitely help to strengthen and tone your muscles without creating bulk. There are many warrior variations that will work every muscle in the leg and so your strength gain will be equal and functional in the entirety of the leg as opposed to just being focussed on the thighs. I teach Ashtanga yoga which is very much strength and stamina based. If you require any further info, please do not hesitate to ask.

get yourself a jungle gym or trx and do one legged alternating assisted pistol squats for time i.e. 5, 7 and a half or ten minutes (EDT), next time try and better your rep count but don't necessarily fall into the trap of being a numbers game....your legs anterior and posterior, glutes, core, along with your conditioning will reap the benefits of this fantastic exercise, I have trained many a female using this exercise and it works wonders
all the best
Sean