If you are dreading the idea of exposing your legs in the name of summer’s big fashion trends — microdresses and 1950s-style big pants — take comfort in the knowledge that what makes a good pair of legs is their shape, not how skinny they are. Great legs have curves in perfect measure: not too much muscle on the thigh (too athletic), and no excess fat around the knee or ankle (too tree-trunk).

When it comes to legs, no one set of exercises suits all. Your natural body shape, whether apple, pear, hourglass or tube, will dictate the kinds of exercise you need to do to achieve the right leg curves. If you are an apple shape, carrying excess weight around your middle, chances are that your legs will be in pretty good order. If, however, you are more of an hourglass or pear shape, you may be fighting a battle with your hips, but you won’t want to lose too much weight for fear of losing it all from your chest. The solution is to use a form of cardiovascular training tailored to you. I have programmed three cardio sessions, of varying degrees of intensity, that you can mix and match according to your body shape.

THE IMPORTANCE OF REPS If you ski, think about how your legs feel after four or five hours on the slopes — probably stiff and heavy. By the end of your ski trip, however, the shape of your legs will be about the best you can achieve through exercise. If I asked you to do 200 squats in one set, I am sure there would be an audible cry for help. Yet when you analyse it, that is more or less the equivalent of what you do during a run down a testing piste, particularly if you are in deep snow.

The body reacts well to multiple repetitions. While I won’t have you doing 200 reps in one set, I will get you doing a lot of reps and a lot of sets, targeting the same areas back to back, with short recovery periods. This induces the overload that creates shape change rather than serious size change.

THE CALVES, HAMSTRINGS AND BUTTOCKS Good legs have definition. This means creating shape in areas you might not have thought of working, such as the calf. It makes sense that a well-toned calf muscle will give the illusion of thin knees and ankles when worked correctly. Working your hamstrings is also crucial, particularly if you want to improve the shape at the back of your legs and the line between the buttock and the upper leg, rather than settling for buttock slump.

And finally, the butt. There’s no point in working your legs hard if your bottom lets you down. I want to focus on using the middle and top of the buttock muscles to lift the whole shape of your bottom and complete the change in your leg shape. If you are a pear or hourglass shape, however, working your bottom muscles hard could accentuate this area further — so you should do only half of the buttock exercises. All other body shapes should follow the maximum buttock blast.

THE PROGRAMME

By following the programme, you will see changes in about 4 weeks. Set yourself a target date to get your legs in shape, and stick rigidly to it. Missing too many sessions really will make a difference, so stay focused on your goal.

The entire workout should take 60-75 minutes. The toning section on its own takes about 30 minutes. You could just do that section and achieve some changes. However, you will get the best results by committing to the whole programme. The cardiovascular training is more about shape change than weight loss, so don’t feel you can miss this section out if you happen to be slim.

Do the routine 3 days a week for the first 2 weeks, and increase to 4 times during weeks 3 and 4 if you feel ready to do more. Do the resistance training after the cardio, if possible. If not, spend 10 minutes warming up with a short jog. You will need a heart-rate monitor and a fitness ball (available from www.bodycare.co.uk).

CARDIOVASCULAR TRAINING

You should do sessions one, two and three every week. In weeks 3 and 4, you should also repeat one of the sessions. Those with pear or hourglass figures should not perform session two more than once per week.

Times recommends

• Are eldest children really a cut above?
• Peaches Geldof: censored
• Top 10 style-setting films of all time