The 5 Best Inner Thigh Exercises Ever

Are you looking to tighten up those inner thighs? At Studio SWEAT onDemand, we know exactly how frustrating it can be to target specific muscle groups like the inner thighs, but don’t worry, where there’s a will, there’s a way. If you’re someone who’s eager to achieve totally strong legs inside and out, we’ve put together this list of the 5 best inner thigh workouts around.

Specifically, you want to aim to build up the adductor muscles, the fan-like muscles by the groin and inner thighs. Because while we don’t believe that spot reduction is a real thing, you can build muscle in specific areas, and get those thighs nice and toned.

But, enough chit-chat. Are you ready for some killer leg exercises you can group into one fat-torching inner thigh workout? Take a look at our favorite inner thigh exercises that you need to be doing, like right now.

Do 10 to 12 reps of each exercise below, then repeat them all another 2 or 3 times for one heck of an inner thigh burn!

1. Lie Down Leg Lift

Yes, you get to lie down, but don’t be fooled—this inner thigh exercise can target your thighs with pinpoint precision. This exercise is proof that “simple” doesn’t necessarily mean “easy”.

Here’s how to perform a lie-down leg lift:

• Lie down on your side as seen in the image
• Rest your top leg on the floor, in front of your back leg
• Extend your bottom leg, making sure to point your toes
• Lift the bottom leg about a half a foot off the ground, hold for 5 seconds
• Lower the bottom leg back down without letting it touch the floor
• Repeat 10x per side

2. Diamond Bends

We love Diamond Bends because they don’t need any jumping or any equipment—your only resistance is gravity and the weight of your legs.

Here’s how Diamond Bends are done:

• Lie on your back with your hands by your sides
• Raise your legs so they’re at a 90° angle from the rest of your body
• Slowly, bend your knees until your legs form a diamond shape, keeping heels together
• Engage your inner thighs
• Extend legs to previous, elevated position
• Repeat 10x per side

3. Cross Jacks

Yup, there is an absolutely sweat-inducing inner thigh move called the Cross Jack. This killer exercise is full-body, calorie-torching, and heart-pumping—in other words, you will feel these in the morning.

Here’s how you do Cross Jacks:

• Stand straight, feet shoulder-width apart
• Hold your arms up at your sides
• Jump in the air
• While airborne, cross your legs, right over left
• At the same time, cross your arms, right arm over left
• Land on the ground, jumping back to the starting position
• Repeat, this time leading with your left arm and leg
• Repeat 10x

4. Sumo Jump

People love this powerhouse inner thigh exercise because it’s awesome for the thighs specifically, but targets the rest of your lower body too. Note: the Sumo Jump is heavy on the joints, so if you’re experiencing knee problems, we recommend finding an alternative inner thigh exercise.

Here’s how you Sumo Jump:

• With your hands on your hips, stand with your feet slightly wider than hip distance apart, toes facing out
• Bend at the knees until your thighs are almost parallel to the floor
• Jump up while bringing your legs together
• Land at the starting position
• Repeat 10x

5. Inner Thigh Adduction with Elastic Resistance Band

Why is this inner thigh resistance band exercise such a classic? The move is simple and intuitive, and all you need is a multi-purpose circle resistance band to get the job done.

Here’s how you perform this exercise:

• Loop the elastic band around a low object that won’t move when you pull on it
• Stand on your left leg with the resistance band looped around your right foot, standing far enough away from your anchor point that you don’t feel any slack
• Slightly raise your right log off the ground and use the muscles on the inside of your right leg to pull your right foot in and slightly across your left leg
• Slowly return the right leg to the outside
• Repeat 10x per side

At Studio SWEAT onDemand we encourage people to learn how to strengthen their thighs not because of some silly bikini-body mantra; we genuinely believe they’re important for your lower-body strength and balance, especially if you do a lot of indoor or outdoor cycling, which tends to build up the muscles opposing the inner thighs. Of course, if you want amazing full-body workouts led by real trainers, check out Studio SWEAT onDemand’s 7-Day Free Trial. You get access to 850+ of the hottest workouts you can stream on any device, and a community of real people like you. Best of all, you can use any bike you like.

Are you ready? Time to have the best leg day of your life.