Are you looking to sculpt and tone the inner side of your thighs? You’re not alone. Many individuals desire slimmer, more defined inner thighs, and achieving this goal involves targeted exercises.
In this guide, we’ll introduce you to the ten best exercises specifically designed to help you achieve those toned inner thighs you’ve been dreaming of.
Whether you’re new to fitness or a seasoned enthusiast, these exercises can help you on your journey to firmer and more sculpted leg muscles. Let’s dive into the world of inner thigh toning!
Forward Lunge
- Stand with your feet together, holding a dumbbell in each hand.
- Take a big step forward with your left foot.
- Lower your body into a lunge until your right knee is hovering just above the floor.
- Ensure your left leg forms a 90-degree angle in the front, and your right leg forms a 90-degree angle in the back.
- As you become stronger, aim to have your back leg gently touch the ground before pushing off with your front foot to return to a standing position.
- This completes one repetition.
- Alternate legs for your next repetition.
This exercise helps improve hip mobility, flexibility, and strengthens your quadriceps for toned thighs.
Lateral Lunge
- Start by standing with your feet together, holding a dumbbell in each hand.
- Take a big step to your left side.
- Lower your body into a lunge, hinging forward at the hips while keeping your chest lifted.
- Your right leg should remain straight, with your toes pointing forward.
- Push off with your left foot while keeping your right foot firmly on the ground.
- Return to the starting position. This completes one repetition.
- Alternate legs for your next repetition.
This lateral lunge targets the inner thighs and glutes, working in the left-to-right plane of motion to improve strength and balance in each leg.
Curtsy Lunge
- Start with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding a dumbbell in each hand at your sides.
- Step your left foot diagonally behind you while bending your right knee until it’s nearly touching the floor. Your front knee should be at about a 90-degree angle.
- Push through your right heel to stand back up, returning to the starting position.
- Bring your right foot slightly in front of your starting position, tapping your heel to the floor. This completes one repetition.
The curtsy lunge helps strengthen both the inner and outer thighs while adding a balance element to your leg workout. Maintaining the 90-degree angles with your legs is crucial for proper form and effectiveness.
Single-Leg Deadlift
- Begin by standing with your feet together, holding a dumbbell in each hand in front of your legs. This is your starting position.
- Shift your weight to your right leg, and while maintaining a slight bend in your right knee, lift your left leg straight behind your body. Hinge at the hips to bring your torso parallel to the floor and lower the weight toward the floor.
- Keep your back flat throughout the movement. At the bottom of the motion, your torso and left leg should be nearly parallel to the floor, with the weight a few inches above the ground. (If your hamstrings are tight, you might not be able to raise your leg too high.)
- Maintain a tight core, push through your right heel to stand up straight, and pull the weight back up to the starting position. Lower your left leg to meet your right, but try to keep most of your weight on your right foot.
- Pause in this position and contract your glutes. This completes one repetition.
You can repeat this exercise for your desired number of repetitions. The “Single-Leg Romanian Deadlift” is an excellent exercise for strengthening your glutes and hamstrings while enhancing balance.
Side Lunge
- Starting Position: Stand with your feet together, maintaining an upright posture. Keep your hands on your hips or at your sides for balance.
- Step to the Side: Take a big step to your right side, extending your right foot outwards. As you step, shift your body weight onto your right leg.
- Lower Into a Lunge: Begin to lower your body into a lunge by bending your right knee. Keep your chest lifted and your back straight. Your left leg should remain straight with your toes pointing forward.
- Push Off: Push off with your right foot to return to a standing position. Bring your right leg in front of your chest, bending your knee to a 90-degree angle.
- Alternate Legs: This completes one repetition. Repeat the exercise by stepping to your left side and performing the lunge with your left leg. Continue to alternate legs.
The side lunge targets various leg muscles and improves balance. It’s an effective addition to your leg workout routine.
Goblet Squat
- Starting Position: Stand with your feet slightly wider than hip-distance apart, and turn your feet slightly outward. Hold a dumbbell vertically, with both hands gripping one end. Your elbows should be pointing down.
- Lower into Squat: Keeping your chest lifted and maintaining a strong posture, initiate the squat by bending your knees and pushing your hips back. Lower your body into the squat position, going as low as your mobility allows. As you descend, ensure that your knees are tracking in line with your toes.
- Wide Knees: As you squat down, widen your knees out to the sides without allowing your feet to lift off the ground. This helps engage your inner thighs and targets the inner side of your thighs effectively.
- Pause and Hold: At the bottom of the squat, pause for two to three seconds. This pause allows you to focus on engaging your muscles and maintaining balance.
- Return to Starting Position: Push through your heels and engage your quads, glutes, and core as you stand back up to the starting position. Keep your chest lifted throughout the movement.
Remember that proper form is essential for this exercise to be effective and safe. The goblet squat targets multiple muscle groups, making it a valuable addition to your lower body workout routine.
Skaters
- Starting Position: Begin by standing upright with your feet hip-width apart.
- Jump to the Right: Take a big lateral jump to your right side. As you land, place your right foot on the ground while lifting your left foot off the ground behind your right ankle.
- Jump to the Left: Now, jump laterally to your left side. As you land, place your left foot on the ground and lift your right foot off the ground behind your left ankle.
- Repeat: Keep alternating these lateral jumps from right to left. Each time you complete a jump to both sides, it counts as one repetition (rep).
- Arm Movement: To get your arms involved and improve balance, swing your arms in coordination with your legs. Swing your right arm forward when jumping to the right and your left arm forward when jumping to the left.
Skaters are an excellent exercise for elevating your heart rate, strengthening your glutes and thighs, and enhancing ankle stability. It’s a dynamic move that adds a cardio element to your workout routine.
Sumo Squat
- Starting Position: Begin by standing with your feet wider than shoulder-width apart, and your toes pointing outward, away from your body. This wide stance is characteristic of the sumo squat.
- Squatting Down: Keep your chest lifted and maintain good posture. Lower your body into a squat, aiming to bring your thighs parallel to the ground. This movement engages your glutes, quads, and inner thigh muscles.
- Pause and Hold: Pause briefly at the bottom of the squat to maintain control and feel the engagement in your inner thighs.
- Stand Up: Push through your heels, squeezing your inner thighs as you straighten your legs and return to the standing position.
This exercise, the sumo squat, is effective for getting your heart rate up, as it works multiple leg muscles, including the glutes, quads, and inner thighs. The wider stance emphasizes the inner thigh muscles, making it an excellent addition to your leg workout routine.
Plie Squat Pulse
- Starting Position: Begin by standing with your feet wide apart, and your toes pointing outward to the sides. This wide stance is characteristic of the plie squat.
- Squatting Down: Keep your chest lifted and maintain good posture. Lower your body into a deep squat, going as low as you comfortably can. This movement engages your inner thighs, quads, and glutes.
- Raise Your Heels: While in the deep squat position, lift your heels off the ground. This engages your calf muscles.
- Pulse Up and Down: In this partial range of motion, start pulsing up and down while maintaining control and balance. Focus on squeezing your inner thighs as you pulse.
- Repetitions: Perform eight pulses in this partial squat position.
- Return to Starting Position: After completing the pulses, lower your heels back down to the ground and stand up straight.
The plie squat pulses effectively target your inner thighs, quads, glutes, and even engage your calf muscles when you raise your heels. Challenge yourself to maintain good form and perform this exercise for a full minute to get the most benefit from it.
Jumping Jacks
- Starting Position: Begin by standing with your feet close together, and your arms resting at your sides.
- Jump Outward: Simultaneously jump your feet outward to the sides while raising your arms over your head. Your legs should be wider than hip-width apart at this point.
- Return to Starting Position: Quickly jump your feet back together while lowering your arms back to your sides. This is one complete repetition.
- Cross Jacks (Optional): To engage your inner thighs even more, you can add a variation called “cross jacks.” In this version, as you jump your feet outward, cross one foot in front of the other. Alternate which foot crosses in front with each repetition.
Jumping jacks provide an effective cardiovascular workout while engaging the muscles responsible for abduction (moving your legs away from the midline) and adduction (bringing them back to the midline).
