Having strong inner thighs not only helps look good in skirts and shorts but can also improve sports performance and reduce the risk of certain knee injuries. In fact, the stronger your inner thigh muscles are, the more stable your knees will be when facing a unilateral load (i.e. an exercise that only involves one limb at a time – such as a single-leg squat).
Inner thigh exercises can be integrated into your current workout or performed on their own as part of a lower-body training day.
What are the Best Inner Thigh Exercises?
Here are the 7 best inner thigh exercises to tone muscle and keep those thighs looking great.
1. Banded Sumo Walks/Staggered Stance Split Squats.
Directions:
Begin by standing with feet hip-width apart and a mini-band wrapped around the bottom of your shins.
Take a staggered stance, with one foot in front of the other, making sure to align hips directly over knees.
Now drive through your front heel to slightly extend that back knee while also pushing back off the front heel and squeezing your rear glute.
Keep hips and shoulders facing forward throughout the movement, and focus on maintaining a flat back position.
If you've never performed staggered stance split squats before, it might take some time to adjust your balance; just be sure not to step too far out over the front leg as you'll lose stability.
Perform 10 reps on each side.
2. Banded Deadlift/RDL Variation.
Directions:
Begin by placing a mini-band just above your knees and stand with feet hip-width apart. Now push your hips back, chest up, bend forward at the waist until you can grasp either end of the band with palms facing down.
Keeping your chest up, push your hips forward and straighten your legs to lift the band towards the ground.
After you've gone through half of the range of motion, make sure to squeeze your glutes at the top of the movement before returning back to the start position. Perform 10 reps.
3. Single-Leg Deadlift with Hip Abduction.
Directions:
Begin by standing with feet hip-width apart and a mini-band wrapped around the bottom of your shins. Now take a step back with one leg, while also reaching the same arm back to touch the ground. Perform single leg deadlift, allowing the opposite knee to bend; only go through half of the range of motion at this time. From this position, make sure to keep hips facing forward and chest up. Then use the opposite arm to help drive your body back into an upright position, squeezing your glute at the top of the movement.
For more stability, you can place the free leg on a low bench or stool behind you as shown below. Perform 10 reps on each side.
4. Bent-Leg Hip Thrusts with Leg Adduction.
Directions:
Begin by lying face-up on a mat with knees bent and feet flat on the floor, about hip-distance apart.
Place a mini-band around your thighs just above your knees and keeping that knee bent, push one leg into the band to create tension. Then bridge hips up into the air, squeezing your glutes and ensuring that shoulders remain elevated throughout the movement. Once you reach the top position, pull feet towards one another and adduct (bring together) legs by activating inner thigh muscles.
Make sure to keep those shoulders off the ground as this will help increase glute activation; those should only make contact with the floor if it is absolutely necessary (i.e. if your hamstrings are extremely tight). Perform 10 reps on each side.
5. Mini-Band Lateral Walks.
Directions:
Begin by standing with feet hip-width apart and a mini-band wrapped around the bottom of your ankles – just above the inside of both feet.
Now walk sideways for a specified distance and time, ensuring to keep feet turned out with toes pointing slightly away from each other. Forward motion is not considered walking sideways so make sure your weight is shifted towards the side you are walking to!
Once you've gone through half of your distance, switch directions and walk back in the opposite direction. Perform 10 reps on each side.
6. Single-Leg Floor Bridge With Abduction.
Directions:
Begin by lying face up with knees bent, feet flat on the floor hip-width apart, band around the top of quads just below knees.
Now drive one leg into the band to create tension before lifting your hips off ground into a bridge position while simultaneously straightening out that same leg as high as possible without touching the floor (you should only go through half of the range of motion at this time).
Once you reach the top position, make sure to squeeze glutes and glute and then lower back down. Ensure that shoulders remain elevated throughout the movement; those should only make contact with the floor if it is absolutely necessary (i.e. your hamstrings are extremely tight or if you feel like your neck needs a rest from the supporting neck).
Perform 10 reps on each side.
7. Motorcycle Crunch.
Directions:
Begin by lying face up with knees bent, feet flat on floor hip-width apart, band around the top of quads just below knees; arms placed straight out in front of chest with palms facing ground and hands clasped together as shown below.
Now crunch upper body towards right knee and drive left leg into the band to create tension. Return back to starting position while simultaneously reaching right arm towards the ceiling and crunching upper body towards the left knee. This will be one rep.
Be sure to really drive that working side (right) hip into the floor using your glute to get full extension of the hamstring before coming up off ground again; only go through half of the range of motion at this time.
Ensure that shoulders remain elevated throughout the movement; those should only make contact with the floor if it is absolutely necessary (i.e. if your hamstrings are extremely tight). Perform 10 reps on each side.
Do not go beyond half of the range of motion of glutes at the top position. If you do, then you are extending your hip which is not considered "sitting."
The Bottom Line:
When it comes to tone your inner thighs, these 7 Exercises will help you achieve those goals. For more information on the Booty Band, please check out their website at womengluts.com
