Your adductors, or inner thigh muscles, move your leg toward the center of your body. These muscles play an essential role in your knee and pelvic stability. Weak inner thigh muscles might distort your gait and trigger knee and back injuries. Rubber resistance bands support adductor exercises in all body positions.
Dynamic Crossover Drill
Low impact aerobic enthusiasts call it the grapevine. Athletes know it as the karaoke. While the drill promotes aerobic endurance, agility and coordination, a rubber resistance band, placed around your ankles, turns this exercise into an effective inner thigh workout. Stand upright, with the band around your ankles. Take a big step to the side with your right leg, and cross your left foot in front of it. Step to the right again, and cross your left foot behind it. The wider the crossover, the more your adductor muscles have to work. Perform four sets of 10 crossovers to the right and 10 to the left.
Prone Adduction
The prone adduction exercise also uses the rubber ankle resistance band. Lie prone with the band around your ankles. Lift your straight right leg from the floor and cross your right foot over your left ankle. Bring it back to center and return to the starting position. Perform 15 repetitions, then change sides. Keep your hip and pelvic bones pressed close to the floor as you perform the exercise. This exercise engages the inner thighs and gluteal muscles.
Leg Swings
Secure one end of a rubber resistance band to a stable object, and attach the opposite end to your right ankle. Kneel on all fours, lift your right leg from the floor, and bring it out to the side at a 90-degree angle. Contract your right inner thigh muscle and swing it across your body and to the left. Return the leg to the starting point and repeat. While your right leg performs the exercise, your left leg adductor stabilizes your knee and pelvis. Perform 12 repetitions on each side.
Gliding Adduction
Most inner thigh exercises fall into the open chain category, because your foot does not maintain contact with the ground. They effectively strengthen your inner thigh muscles, but since they do not involve weight bearing, they do little to help you maintain your bone density. Gliding or sliding movements provide one of the few weight-bearing inner thigh exercises. Adding a rubber resistance band increases the challenge. Secure a band to a stable object, and attach the other end to your right ankle. Stand upright on a newly waxed floor, and place a towel or a glider disc under your right foot. Keep your foot in contact with the floor and glide your right leg in to meet your left. Add challenge by moving farther away from the attachment point and placing your legs farther apart.
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