Excercises To Tighten Inner Thighs

The inner thigh muscles, known as the adductor longus, brevis and magnus muscles, run along the inside of the upper leg from the knee to the pelvis. Because tightening and toning this muscle group requires you to move your legs toward and then beyond the center of the body, there are a fewer variances in inner thigh strengthening exercises than exist for many other muscle groups. Some common exercises that target this region are the inner thigh lift, leg circles and the side lunge. If you want to tone the inner thighs but do not want to build bulk in that particular area, it is important that you stretch your inner thighs after strength training.

Inner Thigh Lift

Lie on a mat with your right side down and your entire body in a straight line. Next, move your legs so that your feet are 6 inches in front of your torso and hips. Put the foot of your left leg in front of your right hip, which will still be resting on the mat. Put your left hand on the mat in front of you for balance. Engage your abdominals and slowly extend your right leg away from your body and then toward the ceiling, pretending someone is grabbing your foot and pulling it as far away from your center as possible. Exhale and return your leg to the floor. Repeat on the right leg and then the left for eight to 10 repetitions.

Leg Circles

Remain lying with your right side down on a mat. Create one long line with your body against the back edge of the mat. Stack one leg on top of the other and extend them both so that your feet are at least 6 inches in front of your body. Your bottom leg should be placed on the ground; the top leg should rest lightly on top of the bottom leg. Engage your abdominals and both legs. Begin creating small circles with the top leg, first in a clockwise motion and then a counterclockwise motion. The diameter of your circles should be roughly the size of a volleyball, and, as you become more advanced, they can grow to the size of a beach ball. Breathe regularly through 10 repetitions in each direction, and then turn over to perform the same exercise with the other leg.

Side Lunge

Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, your head held high and your shoulders relaxed. Engage your abdominals and step out horizontally with your right leg, shifting your weight to the right foot. As you do this, make sure that your knee is directly over your ankle, not extending beyond your toes. Push off with your right foot and shift your weight back to your left foot as you return to center. Repeat eight to 10 times. Do the same number of repetitions on the opposite leg.

Tailor Stretch

Sitting on the floor or a mat, bring the heels of your feet together. Pretend there is a string attached to the top of your head drawing it toward the ceiling and align each vertebrate directly over your hips. Engage your abdominals. Grasp each ankle with its corresponding hand (right hand to right ankle and left hand to left ankle) and allow the natural weight of your knees to help your knees drop to each side of your body and toward the floor. Hold for 30 seconds to one minute to stretch your inner thighs gently.