Try this Circuit for Inner Thigh Training

Ugh. Inner thighs. They're notoriously difficult to train. Ridiculous expectations of 'thigh gap' aside, the inner thighs are perhaps the only muscle group that can rival abdominals and calves for difficulty to train. One of the reasons is lifestyle. Translation: you gotta get up and move!, Another reason  — the real challenge — is genetics. Some people simply store more fat on their thighs. In fact, roughly 60% of where you store fat is genetically predetermined, and while this may be a sobering reality, it is not an impossible one. After all, this leaves you 40% with which to work, and that's a lot.

With this smattering of facts of out the way, let's get onto some inner thigh anatomy. Aside from giving you some insight into how your body works, knowing what muscles conspire to move your body will give you an appreciation of the mechanics of your beautiful bod.  

Inner Thigh Anatomy

Your inner thigh muscles are known as the hip adductors (though most people just call them adductors). There are five muscles in this grouping. They are:

Gracilis: Originates at the external point of the pubic bone and extends down the upper middle shaft of the shinbone.  The gracilis helps with hip adductions (bringing the hip in) and flexing the knee.

Obturator externus: This triangular and flat muscle covers the surface of the front wall of the pelvis. The obturator externus rotates the thigh laterally and will also help adduct the thigh (bring it in toward centre).

Adductor brevis: A deep muscle of the inner thigh, the adductor brevis helps adduct the hip.

Adductor longus: As the name suggests, this long, thin muscle originates from the superior ramus of the pubis and has its insertion point in the middle third of linea aspera (part of the rear femur).  It aids with hip adduction and hip joint flexion.

Adductor magnus: This muscle originates in the pubis and inserts in the rear femur. Like many of the other inner thigh muscles, the adductor magnus adducts the hip and flexes the hip joint.

Inner Thigh Training: Bringing it All Together

Properly training your inner thighs employs the same tactics as successfully training any muscle group in your body. You need to train it regularly using a variety of different types of movements and types of training. While there are no absolute best moves for inner thigh training, (because any move that trains any of your inner thigh muscles is good for your inner thighs as a whole and the ‘best’ exercise depends on what you are trying to achieve (e.g. strengthening joints, or muscles or joints or agility or power), there are a few moves we love to work our ol' adductors since they allow us to train them hard to a variety of ends, at just about any fitness level.

Let’s get to it then. Check out a few of our favourite exercises for inner thighs. Add one on to the end of your next HIIT circuit, or, do these three moves as a circuit. Smash it out for four rounds, 50 seconds on, 10 seconds rest.

Curtsy Lunges

Tips: Add resistance with Booty Bands for optimal training. Engage your core to help with stabilization.

Challenger Hip Flex

Tips: Perform this on the floor if the Challengers are too difficult. Keep supporting leg straight and core engaged. Ensure spine is flat and long.

Raised Side Split Squat

Turn raised foot out, roughly 15 degrees. Engage core, and sink deeply into supporting heel. Squeeze glutes as you come up to engage butt and inner thigh.