Your inner thigh muscles, or adductors, are physiologically active during the motion of jogging. They assist in swinging the legs forward and back, and are responsible for stabilizing them from swinging uselessly side-to-side. However, similar to the other thigh muscles involved, they are not likely to gain size and shape just from steady jogging. If you want to stimulate growth of the adductors, break up one or two jogs per week with a bounding drill. Bounding requires the adductors to fire explosively, propelling the body forward and laterally. Most importantly for shaping the inner thighs, it is a strength/power building exercise that leads to increased muscle size.
Step 1
Warm-up with light jogging for 5 to 10 minutes.
Step 2
Arrange cones in a zig-zag pattern on a jogging track. Place the first cone on the ground in front of your right foot. Place the second cone 2 feet in front of you and 2 feet to the left. Place the third cone 2 feet in front of the second cone and 2 feet to the right; cones one and three should be in line. Place all ten cones continuing in this zig-zag formation.
Step 3
Return to cone one and place your right foot in front of it. Bring your left foot to the ground next to it.
Step 4
Lift your left foot off of the ground. Using the power on the inside of your right thigh, push off of your right foot, bounding into the air, and land on the ball of your left foot right in front of cone two. Immediately, and without letting your right foot hit the ground, push off of your left foot and land with the ball of the right foot in front of cone three. Bound back and forth until your left foot reaches cone ten, then walk back to the beginning.
Step 5
Repeat three to five times.
Tips and Warnings
- Increase the intensity of the adductors by moving cones two, four, six, eight and ten farther to the left, or add up to ten more cones.
Things You'll Need
- 10 small orange cones
References
- NSCA's Performance Training Journal; Plyometric Training to Reduce Skiing Related Knee Injuries; Jason Brumitt; February 2006
- NSCA's Performance Training Journal; Theoretical and Practical Issues for Plyometric Training; Matthew R. Kutz; April 2003
- NSCA; Concurrent Strength and Endurance Training for Strength/Power Athletes; Jared Coburn
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