Inner thigh exercises are essential for shaping and toning the inner thigh area. The adductor muscles, located from the groin area to the knees, play a crucial role in stabilizing the pelvis, aiding in hip movement, and facilitating thigh bone rotation. Strong inner thigh muscles not only improve your overall stability but also make everyday activities like standing, walking, running, and climbing easier.
However, a poor diet and a sedentary lifestyle can lead to the accumulation of fat in the inner thigh area. This can cause issues such as chafing, pigmentation, rashes, difficulty standing up or walking, and poor posture.
But don’t worry! By incorporating inner thigh exercises into your routine, you can strengthen your inner thigh muscles, prevent muscle loss, and reduce excess flab. Here are 15 effective inner thigh exercises that you can try at home:
Inner Thigh Workouts You Can Do At Home To Burn Fat
Warm-up – Before starting any exercise, it is crucial to warm up your muscles. Dedicate at least 10 minutes to prepare your muscles for the upcoming 35 minutes of adductor exercises.
Jumping Jacks
Target: Adductors, glutes, hamstrings, quads, deltoids, and lats.
How To Do Jumping Jacks:
- Stand straight with your legs shoulder-width apart. Keep your shoulders rolled back, hands by your side, and chest and chin up. This is the starting position.
- Hop and land gently with your legs wider than shoulder-width apart. Simultaneously, move your arms laterally up. Stop when your fingertips touch.
- Hop again and land gently with your legs close together. Bring your hands back to the starting position.
- Do this at a rapid speed. Keep breathing.
Sets And Reps: 3 sets of 20 reps
Side Lunges
Target: Adductors, glutes, hamstrings, quads, and hip flexors.
How To Do Side Lunges:
- Stand straight with your legs wider than shoulder-width apart.
- Bend your right knee, push your weight to the right, and lower your hips. Make sure your back is in line with your neck. Lean a little forward to keep your back straight.
- Pause for a moment and get back to the starting position.
- Do the same on your left side. This completes one rep.
Sets And Reps: 2 sets of 10 reps.
Curtsey Lunge
Target: Adductor, glutes, hip flexors, hamstrings, and quads.
How To Do Curtsy Lunge:
- Stand straight with your feet shoulder-width apart. Place your hands on your waist, roll your shoulders back, and engage your core. This is the starting position.
- Lift your right leg off the floor and place it diagonally behind your left leg.
- Bend both your knees and lower your body.
- Get back up and place your right foot beside the left.
- Lift your left foot off the floor and place it diagonally behind the right leg. Bend your knees and lower your body.
- Stand up and place your left foot beside the right. This completes one rep.
Sets And Reps: 2 sets of 8 reps.
Frog Jumps
Target: Adductors, quads, hamstrings, and glutes.
How To Do Frog Jumps:
- Stand straight with your feet shoulder-width apart.
- Flex your knees, push your hips out, and come to a sitting or squatting position. Bend your elbows and keep your palms close to each other in front of your chest.
- Jump, throw your hands to the side, and propel your body forward.
- Land softly and get back to the full squat position.
- With each jump, you move forward – just like a frog!
Sets And Reps: 2 sets of 8 reps.
Side-Lying Leg Lifts
Target: Adductors, hip flexors, and glutes.
How To Do Side-Lying Leg Lifts:
- Lie down on your right side, place your left hand on your waist, fold your right hand, and place your head on it for support. Make sure your neck, hips, and legs are in the same line. (Engage your core or maintain three plain neutral spine.)
- Lift your left leg. Stop when your leg is at a 30-degree angle.
- Pause for a moment and lower your leg.
- Lift it again before it touches your right leg.
- Do this 10 times before switching sides and repeating the same with your right leg.
Sets And Reps: 2 sets of 10 reps
In addition to the side-lying leg lift, you can also try standing leg lifts to tone your legs.
Sumo Squats
Target: Adductors, glutes, hamstrings, and quads.
How To Do Sumo Squats:
- Stand straight with your feet wider than shoulder-width apart, feet at a 45-degree angle, shoulders rolled back, chest up, and hands on your waist or palms together. This is the starting position.
- Push your hips out, flex your knees, and come to a sitting position. Make sure your knees are pointing out and are not overshooting the tip of your toes. Your knees and hips should be in the same line when you squat down.
- Pause for a moment and then get back to the starting position.
Sets And Reps: 2 sets of 12 reps.
Standing Alternate Side Crunches
Target: Adductors, glutes, hamstrings, obliques, lats, and quads.
How To Do Standing Alternate Side Crunches:
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, hands folded, and fingertips at the back of your head, arms open, shoulders rolled back, and core engaged. This is the starting position.
- Lift your left leg off the floor, bring your right elbow close to the knee, and crunch.
- Release the pose and place your left foot on the floor.
- Do the same with your right leg and left elbow to complete one rep.
Sets And Reps: 2 sets of 12 reps.
Externally Rotated Leg Lifts
Target: Adductors, hamstrings, quads, calves, and glutes.
How To Do Externally Rotated Leg Lifts:
- Sit on a mat. Place your hands at the back, flex your elbows, and lean back a little. Bend your right knee and place your right foot flat on the floor.
- Keep your left leg straight and rotate your feet out so that you can engage your adductors while doing the exercise.
- Keep your back extended and chest up. This is the starting position.
- Lift your left leg off the floor and keep your feet rotated out.
- Bring your leg down.
- Do this 10 times before switching legs.
Sets And Reps: 2 sets of 10 reps.
Weighted Step Side Lunge
Target: Adductors, glutes, hamstrings, quads, and calves.
How To Do Weighted Step Side Lunge:
- Hold a 13-pound (6 kg) kettlebell close to your chest. Keep your feet shoulder-width apart, shoulders rolled back, chest up, and look straight. This is the starting position.
- Take a wide step to your left, flex your left knee, and lower your upper body. Make sure your back remains straight, which means you have to lean a little forward to prevent a low back curve formation.
- Get up from the lunging pose and place your left foot beside your right, shoulder-width apart.
- Take a step to your right, lunge down, and come back to the starting position.
- This completes one rep.
Sets And Reps: 2 sets of 8 reps.
Full Squat And Side Raise
Target: Adductors, glutes, hamstrings, hip flexors, quads, and lower abs.
How To Do A Full Squat And Side Raise:
- Stand straight with your feet shoulder-width apart, toes directed outward at a 45-degree angle, shoulders rolled back, and core engaged.
- Bend your knees, push your hips out, and come to a full squat pose. Bring your hands close to your chest.
- Get back to the standing pose and raise your left leg laterally up.
- Lower your leg and get back to the full squat pose.
- Repeat 10 times before doing the same with your right leg.
Sets And Reps: 2 sets of 10 reps.
Plank Jacks
Target: Adductors, glutes, hamstrings, quads, abs, and shoulders.
- How To Do Plank Jacks:
- Get into a plank pose, engage your core, and make sure your elbows are right below your shoulders.
- Hop and place your feet wider than shoulder-width apart.
- Hop again and place your feet close together.
Sets And Reps: 2 sets of 20 reps.
Lying Single Leg Circles
Target: Adductors, abductors, hamstrings, quads, glutes, and lower abs.
How To Do Lying Single Leg Circles:
- Lie down on a mat with your hands by your side, palms flat on the mat, and core engaged.
- Lift your left leg off the floor and raise it straight up at a 90-degree angle.
- Start moving it in a wide circle. Do it 10 times to complete one set.
- Place your left leg on the mat, lift your right leg, and perform 10 leg circles.
Sets And Reps: 2 sets of 10 reps.
Lying Leg Split Pulse
Target: Adductors
How To Do Lying Leg Split Pulse:
- Lie down on a mat. Open your arms and place your arms laterally at shoulder level.
- Lift your legs off the floor at a 45-degree angle and split them wider than shoulder-width apart.
- Pulse your legs. You will feel a stretch in your inner thigh area.
- You may gently press your inner thigh area with your hands if doing it without support seems difficult to you.
- Pulse 15 times before taking a short break of 10 seconds.
- Repeat thrice.
Sets And Reps: 3 sets of 15 reps.
Resistance Band Adductor Stretch
Target: Adductor, glutes, hamstrings, lower abs, and shoulders.
How To Do Resistance Band Adductor Stretch:
- Take a wide loop resistance band and place it just above your knees.
- Get down on all fours, and keep your back in line with your neck. Do not pike up or bend your back. Make sure your elbows are right below your shoulders, and your knees right below your hips. Keep your core engaged.
- Lift your right knee off the floor. Without extending your legs straight, bring your knee laterally up to your hip level.
- Pause for a moment and bring your knee back down to the floor.
- Do it 10 times to complete one set with your left leg.
Sets And Reps: 2 sets of 10 reps.
Seated Butterfly Pose
Target: Adductors
How To Do Seated Butterfly Pose:
- Sit on a mat. Flex your knees, open your legs, and bring your foot soles together. Hold your feet together with your hands, bringing them close to your groin area.
- Roll your shoulders back, chest up, and engage your core.
- Lift both your knees. Pause for a moment and push your knees down.
Sets And Reps: 2 sets of 20 reps
In addition to these exercises, there are many other leg exercises for adductors that can help strengthen your inner thigh muscles. These include wall sit exercises, groin exercises, clamshell exercises, cable adductor exercises, inner thigh circle exercises, inner thigh scissor exercises, inner thigh ball squeeze, and seated butterfly stretches.
Note: You can also try adductor machine exercises to further tone your legs.