Best Inner Thigh Exercises For Toned And Strong Legs

Inner thighs are the upper part of the groin area, which is often used. Every time you turn, walk or bend, these inner thigh muscles play an important role in keeping you safe, stable, and balanced while moving. The inner thigh muscles are described as the adductors. They are made up of five different muscle groups. These muscles are linked with your pelvic bone, and femur, and upper leg bone.

Apart from helping you move with balance, your adductors are also essential to balance your hips, low back, knees, and core.

Inner thigh workout is best for toning and shaping thighs muscles. The adductors or the inner thigh muscles help in external and internal rotation of the femur. These muscles help in running, standing, sitting, walking, and climbing the stairs.

However, an unhealthy lifestyle, poor diet, and aging may affect the inner thigh and build fat and loss muscles. As a result, it will cause poor posture, chafing, walking problems, pigmentation, and rashes.

Warmup

It is very important before starting any workout. Spend some 10 minutes to prepare your muscles for the next 35 minutes of workout.

Jumping Jacks

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This exercise targets the muscles of glutes, adductors, hamstrings, deltoid, quads, and lats.

How to Perform Jumping Jacks?

• Stand upright with your legs at your shoulder distance. Place your shoulders rolled back, the hand should be on your sides and keep chin and chest up. It is the beginning position.
• Hop and land slightly with your legs more extended than the shoulder-width distance. Together, move arms laterally upward. Stop when your fingertip touch.
• Hop again and land slowly with your legs close to one another. Get your hands back to the beginning position.
• Perform it at a rapid speed and keep breathing.

 

Sets and Reps –  Perform 3-sets of 20 reps

Standing Alternate – Side Crunches

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This exercise tone inner thighs by targeting muscles of glutes, adductors, obliques, hamstrings, quads, and lats.

How to Perform Standing Alternate – Side Crunches

• Stand with your feet shoulder-width separated, hands dropped, and fingertips at the back of your head, arms open, shoulders moved back, and centre locked in. It is the beginning position.
• Raise your left leg from the floor, get your right elbow near to the knee, and crunch.
• Release this pose and keep your left foot over the floor.
• Perform the same with your right leg and left elbow to do one rep.

Sets and Reps – Perform 2-sets of 12 reps

Curtsey Lunge

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Curtsey lunge focus on glutes, adductor, hamstrings, hip flexors, and quads.

How to Perform Curtsy Lunge?

• Stand upright and keep your feet at your shoulder distance. Keep your hands over your waist and roll your shoulder backward and engage the core. It is your beginning position.
• Raise your right leg off from the floor and keep it diagonally back of your left leg.
• Flex both knees and get down your body.
• Come back upward and keep the right foot on the left sides.
• Raise your left foot above the floor and keep it diagonally back of the right leg. Flex your knees and get down the body.
• Stand upward and keep your left foot right sides. It is one rep.

Sets and Reps –  Perform 2-sets of 8 reps

Frog Jumps

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Frog jumps are another effective for inner thigh muscles toning. It focuses on the muscles of quads, adductors, glutes, and hamstrings.

How to Perform Frog Jumps?

• Stand upright and keep your feet at shoulder distance.
• Bent your knees, push hips out, and take a sitting or squatting position. Flex your elbows and keep palms near to each other in the front direction.
• Jump, throw hands to your side and move the body forward.
• Land gently and come back to the complete square position.
• With every jump, move front like a frog.

Sets and Reps – Perform 2sets of 8 reps

Side-Lying Leg Lifts

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This exercise also tones the inner thighs by targeting muscles of hip flexors, adductors, and glutes.

How to Perform Side-Lying Leg Lifts?

Lie down with your right side, keep your left hand over the waist, bend your right hand, and keep the head on it for support. Make sure to level your hips, neck, and legs. Engage your core and manage a simple neutral spine.

Raise your left leg and stop when the leg comes at a 30-degree angle.

Pause for one moment and lower down the leg.

Raise it again before it reaches to your right leg.

Perform this 10-times before switching sides and doing the same with the right leg.

Sets and Reps – Perform 2-sets of 10 reps

Side Lunges

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The side lunges workout is effective for inner thighs. It targets the muscles of glutes, hamstrings, adductors, quads, and hip flexors.

How to Perform Side Lunges?

• Stand upright using your legs wider than your shoulder distance.
• Flex right knee and push the weight to your right and lower down hips. Keep your back levels with your neck. Lean forward a little and keep your back erected.
• Take a pause for one moment and go back to the beginning position.
• Perform the same for your left side and complete one rep.

Sets and Reps –  Perform 2-sets of 10 reps.

Sumo Squats

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Perform sumo squats exercise for inner thigh toning. It targets the muscles of glutes, quads, adductors, and hamstrings.

How to Perform Sumo Squats?

• Stand upright and keep your feet at your shoulder distance of a 45-degree angle. Rollback your shoulders, chest up, and keep a hand on waist or palms together. It is your beginning position.
• Push your hips outward, bend your knees, and go to a sitting position. Ensure your knees are bringing up and are not overreaching the tip of your toes. Your knees and hips ought to be in a similar line when you squat down.
• Pause for one moment and go back to the beginning position.

Sets and Reps – Perform 2-sets of 12 reps

Externally Rotated Leg Lifts

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This workout for inner thigh focuses on hamstrings, adductors, calves, quads, and glutes.

How to Perform Externally Rotated Leg Lifts?

• Sit over a mat. Keep hands at the backside, bend your elbows, and lean back slightly. Flex your right knee and keep your right foot flat over the floor.
• Put your left leg erected and rotate feet out so that you can squeeze your adductors while performing this workout.
• Keep your back stretched and chest up. It is the beginning position.
• Raise your left leg off from the ground, and place feet rotated out.
• Get your leg down and perform this workout for 10-times before alternating other legs.

Sets and Reps – Perform 2-sets of 10 reps

Weighted Step Side Lunge

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You can tone inner thighs and make legs strong by performing weighted step side lunges. It works on muscles of glutes, adductors, quads, hamstrings, and calves.

How to Perform Weighted Step Side Lunge?

• Hold a 13-pound of 6kg kettlebell near to your chest. Place your feet at shoulder distance, roll back the shoulders, chest up, and look straight. It is your beginning position.
• Keep a wide step toward your left, bend your left knee, and lower down your upper body. Keep your back straight, which means you have to lean slightly front to skip a low back curve.
• Release the lunging pose and get up and keep your left foot beside your right side to shoulder distance.
• Take a step to your right side, lunge down, and get back to the beginning position. It is one complete rep.

Sets and Reps – Perform 2-sets of 8 reps 

Full Squat and Side Raise

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This exercise work on muscle glutes, adductors, hip flexors, hamstrings, lower abs, and quads for toning inner thighs.

How to Perform A Full Squat and Side Raise?

• Stand upright and keep your feet at shoulder distance, keep toes directed out at a 45-degree angle, keep shoulder rolled back, and engage your core.
• Flex your knees, move hips out, and get into the complete squat pose. Get your hands near to your chest.
• Come back in a standing position and lift your left leg parallel up.
• Lower leg and go back to the complete squat pose.
• Repeat 10-times before doing the similar to the right leg.

Sets and Reps –  Perform 2-sets of 10 reps.

Plank Jacks

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Performing plank jacks also helps to tone and strengthen inner thigh muscles. It focuses on glutes, adductors, hamstrings, abs, quads, and shoulders.

How to Perform Plank Jacks?

• Take a plank pose and engage the core. Keep elbows right under the shoulders.
• Hop and put your feet wider than shoulder distance.
• Hop again and keep feet near to one another.

Sets and Reps –  Perform 2-sets of 20 reps

Lying Single Leg Circles

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Add lying single leg circles workout in the workout plan of inner thighs toning.

How to Perform Lying Single Leg Circles?

• Lie on a mat by keeping a hand on the side, palms level on the mat, and engage the core.
• Elevate your left leg off the ground and raise it straight up at a 90-degree edge.
• Begin moving it in a large circle. Do it multiple times to finish one set.
• Keep your left leg on the mat, lift your right leg, and do ten leg circles.

Sets and Reps –  Perform 2-sets of 10 reps.

Lying Leg Split Pulse

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The exercise of lying leg split pulse stimulates the adductor’s muscles and helps in toning inner thighs.

How to Perform Lying Leg Split Pulse?

• Lie down on a mat and free your arms and put your arms sideways at shoulder level.
• Raise your legs above the floor at a 45-degree angle and divide them wider to the shoulder distance.
• Pulse your legs and feel the stretch in the inner thigh area.
• Slowly press your inner thigh with hands. If you do it without hands, then it will be tough to support.
• Pulse 15-times before performing a short break of 10-seconds.

Sets and Reps –  Perform 3-sets of 15 reps

Resistance Band Adductor Stretch

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Adductor stretches with resistance band also tone and builds strength in inner thighs. It also works on muscles of hamstrings, glutes, lower abs, and shoulders.

How to Perform Resistance Band Adductor Stretch?

• Take a wide circle resistance band and keep it over your knees.
• Get down on the ground and keep your back level with your neck. Don’t pike up or twist your back. Ensure your elbows are underneath your shoulders and your knees directly beneath your hips. Engage your core.
• Raise your right knee above the floor. Without broadening your legs straight, bring your knee along the side up to your hip level.
• Take a breather and carry your knee down to the floor.
• Do it multiple times to finish one set with your left leg.

Sets and Reps –  Perform 2-sets of 10 reps

Pile Squats

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The pile squat is a type of squatting exercise. It is performed with or without dumbbells to strengthen leg muscles, abdomen, and glutes.

How to do Pile Squats?

• Stand by keeping feet in a wide distance and keep your knees pointed outward.
• Gently reduce into a squat position. You can keep your hands over your hips to balance. Keep your torso and spine upright.
• Gently rise back upward and engage your glutes at the top.
• Keep doing this for 30 seconds.

Lunges with dumbbell

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Equipment requirement:5-8pound dumbbell

How to perform Lunges with a dumbbell?

Stand upright by keeping feet at your hip width and take a dumbbell in both hands separately. The weights should be level at your sides. If you are a newcomer, then you can also try without dumbbells.

Step in front direction with your left leg and lunge forward. Avoid keeping your knee placing beyond toes. Keep your leg level, and the right knee should be one inch above the ground.

Keep dumbbells stead in your hand and straighten in each hand or do bicep curl during your lunge for an extra challenge.

Your torso should stay straight all time.

Manage your weight primarily in heels and push the left leg back to the beginning position.

Do this movement again with your left leg for 30 seconds and keep alternating both legs.

Skaters

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Skaters are a cardiovascular workout in which you need to do a lateral jump to increase heart rate, improve stability, strengthen legs, and create balance. The strengthening part of this workout is targeted on glutes and quads.

• Begin in a curtsy lunge using your left leg back of right, and both knees flexed.
• Roll sideways above the left leg and land over the right, using your left foot back of you in a curtsy lunge pose over the other side. Keep switching between legs.
• You can either hop or take steps, depending on the fitness level. You can also place your back leg above the ground for an extra challenge.
• Repeat 20 times each side. Rest and do another set. 

Seated Butterfly Pose

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The seated butterfly exercise focuses on adductors muscles and tones your inner thighs.

How to Perform Seated Butterfly Pose?

• Sit over a mat and bend your knees, open legs, and get your foot sole together. Hold both feet together with hands and get them close to the groin area.
• Roll your shoulders backward, chest upward, and engage the core.
• Raise your knees, and pause for one moment, and push knees down.

Sets and Reps –  Perform 2-sets of 20 reps

Side lunge with Medicine ball

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Equipment needed: medicine ball

• Keep your feet at hip distance and stand. Using both hands hold a medicine ball at chest level. If you are a beginner or do not have a medicine ball, then do without it.
• Step to the left and squat down over the left leg by flexing knee and reducing your body till the left thigh is level to the floor. Keep your toes pointed front and left knee level with the left ankle.
• Place the medicine ball near the chest and level with left hip, shoulder, and elbow when you are in a squat position.
• Push off with left foot to power back to the beginning point.
• Do 10-15 or 30 seconds for each leg.

Supine Inner Thigh Lift

• Start lying level on your back, keep abs engaged. Stretch out your hands to sides on the ground. Lift the two legs to the roof with your feet bent.
• Place the left leg raised in position, and lower down the right leg outward to sides as far as possible without lifting left hip above the ground and keep your foot bent all time.
• Get your right leg back to the beginning position and engage both legs together at the top.
• Do these 15 times for each leg.

How to Prevent Inner Thighs Fat with Diet Tweaks?

It is important to eat light calorie and follow a low carb diet for fast results. When the body needs energy, it begins to burn carbs followed by fat and protein. Therefore, if you eat a low carb diet, the body will not find enough carb to burn, it will start to burn fats and proteins.

If you keep starving and eat less than your metabolism gets slow and hinder weight loss. The first thing to burn fat is to boost metabolism.

For ideal fat loss, one should eat 200 to 500 calories per day.

Add plenty of vegetables, fruits, lean protein, vegetables, fiber, and healthy fats. Avoid fried foods, baked foods, alcohol, and processed sugary foods.

Myths About Inner Thigh Workouts

Your inner thighs are different from the outer thighs and big part of overall lower body strength. Therefore, it is worth taking time to strengthen inner thighs.

However, there are some misunderstandings about inner thigh workouts. Spot training is not for anybody part so that you can intentionally reshape your inner thighs. There are other main reasons to give work muscles.

The inner thigh adductors or muscles are made up of five different muscles, which are responsible for balancing the outward rotation of your knee, help to draw the legs to the centreline of the body. These muscles are connected to the pelvis and perform a key role in hip flexion and extension. They are also important in balancing core. Together, these five muscles such as pectineus, adductor Longus, Gracilis, adductor Brecis, and adductor Magnus, which are responsible for stability and preventing injury for hips, knees, and low back.

Here are some myths regarding inner thigh exercises.

Myth 1. Doing Inner Thigh Workout Will Suddenly Change the Shape

First and primary, it is essential to note that performing workouts that focus on inner thighs will not directly tone them. It is a myth known as spot training, and it does not work suddenly. You can do workout and strengthen muscles, but complete body fat, bone structure, and body composition will determine the appearance. Note, you cannot lose the body fat from one particular area, even if you are doing the workout for those muscles.

There is a claim that you can get all changes in body composition, including thighs by doing a cardio workout and strength training continually, and following a healthy diet plan.

Try combining different exercises to increase gym time and get effective results. It will increase your heart rate and burn calories. Make sure you are taking enough rest in between the exercises because muscles need more energy for maintaining the body to burn more calories during rest. The body will increase the basal metabolic rate and burn calories for toning inner thighs.

Myth 2: More Inner Thigh Work Will Increase Weight in Your Legs?

Some people say making inner thigh work more will increase thigh size, but it is not true. The weight will not increase at certain levels unless you have mass training, burning high calories with high protein consumption.

Therefore, do not let this myth stop you from doing inner thigh workout. If you need inner thigh strength and toning, you need to do its specific exercises.

Myth 3. There Are Not More Benefits of Inner Thighs Exercise

Inner thighs exercise is not a spot training, but it will increase overall core strength and prevent injury risk. Strong adductors are specifically good for preventing the risk of injuries. The muscle groups of leg work in a combined manner to provide stability and balance in the body. The inner thigh muscles help internal rotation, which balances the external rotation from outer glutes and thighs. It will help knees to track properly during movement to handle the force of weight lifting exercises like lunges or squats.

The inner thigh muscles also a part of the pelvis base, which is important in core stability, including lower back, hips, and abs. All the five adductor muscles are linked to the pelvis, so having weak inner thighs leads to poor balance. Doing exercises helps to strengthen inner thighs and support outer thighs, which completely support the pelvis.