Ah, the inner thigh. It’s a notoriously difficult body part to isolate and exercise.
The adductor (the muscle that runs from the inside of your knee up to the inside of your groin) is necessary for keeping your ankles, knees, and hips safe during movement. The stronger your adductors, the more stable your knee joint and the stronger (and leaner) your legs will be.
Here’s the thing—in order to work your adductors, you need to focus on your abductors, too. Your abductors are way easier to activate and use—they’re those outer thigh muscles that you use to lift your leg up away from you. The abductors and adductors are complimentary muscles that work together to stabilise your leg and give you strength and power for running, jumping, and leaping.
Plus, working these two muscles can totally transform the shape of your legs—summer bods are created in winter, right? We tapped one of our favourite trainers, LIT Method co-founder Taylor Gainor, to show us her favourite inner thigh exercises. These three are her go-to movements; all you need is a resistance band and a few minutes, and you’re good!
Toe Taps
Step 1
With your toes pointing forward and the band around your mid-thighs, sit back into a squat. Tap the left leg out to the side.
Step 2
Come back to the center, and stand upright.
Step 3
Lower back down into a squat, and tap the left toe out to the side. Repeat 30 times on each leg.
Crabwalk
Step 1
Start in a low squat. Step your right leg forward, coming into a double bent knee lunge (right foot forward, left leg back). Then, step the left foot forward in line with the right foot to come into a low squat.
Step 2
Step the right foot back behind you, coming into a double lunge. Then step the left foot back to return to the starting squat position. Repeat 20 times.
Squat to Curtsy Lunge
Step 1
Start in a low squat, with the band around your mid-thighs.
Step 2
Step the right foot behind you on the back diagonal, coming into a curtsy lunge. Return to the center, and repeat on the other side. Do 30 reps on each leg.
