Exercising your inner thighs and butt does more than tone your muscles and improve your physical appearance. Strong inner thighs and glutes stabilize and protect the major joints in the lower half of your body---your hips, knees and ankles. Benefits of exercising the butt and inner thighs include injury prevention and improvements in posture and athletic performance. Save time and maximize your results by doing strength-training exercises that utilize the butt and inner thigh muscles at the same time.
Bridge
Step 1
Lie on your back. Bend your knees and place your feet on the mat. Adjust your feet so that they are 2 feet in front of your hips (and are placed directly in front of them). Extend your arms by your hips and rest them on the mat.
Step 2
Relax your head and shoulders on the mat. Tighten your abdominal muscles and squeeze your glutes. Push up through your heels and lift your lower back and glutes off of the mat, stopping when you form a straight line with your knees, hips and shoulders.
Step 3
Drop your knees out 2 inches on their respective sides. Keep your upper body and abdominal muscles still while you do this. As with all your movements, make sure you do this slow and controled. Return your knees back in and lower your glutes to the ground. Repeat until you complete 12 to 15 repetitions. Intensify this exercise by keeping your glutes off of the ground during the entire exercise. (Lower until right before they hit the ground and then start the next repetition.) Do two sets of this exercise.
Lunge and Inner Thigh Kick
Step 1
Stand your feet shoulder-width apart and bend your knees slightly. Straighten your back, relax your shoulders and tighten your abdominal muscles.
Step 2
Step your right foot forward 2 feet and stack your knee over your ankle. Lift onto the toes of your left foot. Point your hips and shoulders straight ahead. Avoid twisting your body as you do this exercise. Move your left knee toward the floor, stopping right before it hits the floor.
Step 3
Push up through your right heel and come to standing. Immediately, lift your left leg 6 inches off of the ground and slowly push it as far as you can to the right. Return your right left foot to its start position, lower into another lunge and repeat until you complete 12 to 15 repetitions. Switch legs and do the same on the other side. Do two sets of this exercise.
Wall Squat with Inner Thigh Squeeze
Step 1
Grab the weighted ball and stand with your back against a wall. Press your head, shoulders and lower back against the wall--all three maintain contact throughout the entire exercise. Tighten your abdominal muscles.
Step 2
Walk your sneakers 2 feet in front of your body and stack your knees over your ankles. Lower your hips and glutes towards the ground, stopping when the back of your legs are parallel to the ground.
Step 3
Place the weighted ball in between your thighs. Press against the ball and hold in this position for one minute. Return to standing. Do two sets of this exercise.
Tips and Warnings
- Hold a low weight on your abdominal muscles to intensify the bridge exercise. Hold a dumbbell in each hand to intensify the lunges. Roll a towel and use it for resistance if you do not have a weighted ball.
Things You'll Need
- Weighted ball
References
- "ACE Personal Trainer Manual"; American Council on Exercise; 2003
- Health News: Inner Thigh Strength with Pre-Pilates Exercises
- Yoga Journal: Glute Camp
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