All three muscles in your inner thigh, the adductor brevis, adductor longus and adductor magnus, perform more than one movement. The adductor brevis and adductor longus flex your leg at the hip, the adductor magnus extends your leg, and both the adductor brevis and adductor magnus externally rotate your leg. The one movement all three muscles have in common, and the best way of toning them, is hip adduction: bringing your legs together or bringing one across in front of the other.
Hip Adduction
Hip adduction is both the name for the movement your inner thigh muscles perform and the name of an exercise that works your inner thighs. You'll need a low cable pulley with an ankle cuff attachment.
Wrap the cuff around your right ankle. Stand with your right shoulder facing toward the pulley. Step away from it until you feel tension in the pulley. Move your left foot slightly back. Squeeze your core muscles to keep your pelvis stable and level as you bring your right ankle across in front of your body. Stop when you can't move your right leg any more without tilting your pelvis. Allow your right leg to return slowly to the starting position. Repeat a full set of 12 repetitions on your right side, as recommended by the Mayo Clinic, before shifting the ankle cuff to your left leg.
Hip Rotations
Hip rotations tone not only your inner thighs but your glutes, quads, hamstrings, chest, back and abs too. Best of all, you don't need any special equipment to do them.
Assume a push-up position, supporting your body on hands and toes. Squeeze your core muscles to keep your body straight. Bring one knee up toward your chest. Keep your shoulders level as you shift your hips to bring your bent knee across underneath your torso. Shift the opposite direction to rotate your bent knee out, away from your body. Keep your spine level and stable throughout the exercise; that will limit you to the appropriate range of motion. Once you've done a full set of repetitions with one side, switch to the other leg and repeat.
Side Lunges
Side lunges tone your glutes, quads and hamstrings along with your inner thigh muscles. They require no equipment, and once you master the basic side lunge you can make it more difficult by holding a weight in front of your torso.
Start by standing square, feet shoulder-width apart. Take a wide step out to the right. Simultaneously push your hips back, bend at the right hip and knee and shift your weight to the right. Stop when your right knee and hip are both bent at a 90-degree angle. Your left leg should be straight but not locked. Push off with your right leg to go back to the starting position. Repeat a full set on your right leg before switching to the left.
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