5 Reasons To Focus On Inner Thigh Exercises With Your Pilates & Fitness Workouts

If I asked you to “name the parts of your legacy”, what would you list? quads? Hamstrings? calves? pimples? Feet? ankles? Did I miss something?

What about your inner thighs? When was the last time you put some focus on working your upper and inner thigh muscles? For healthy movement habits, a balanced body needs the benefit of strong, fit, and flexible inner thigh muscles. How much love and attention are you giving your entire leg? (inner thighs included).

Every muscle in our body needs to have an adequate amount of strength and flexibility to function well. When we think of targeting the thighs, most of the attention is put on the quads. (along the front of the thigh)and hamstrings (along the back of the thigh) since these two muscle groups are necessary to bend and straighten the knee and help us get up, sit down, climb stairs, etc…

And from there it is usually, “I want to tone my hips.” Prayed “I want a better look, a tighter butt.” So we started to focus on exercises to work the glutes and outer thighs, and sometimes we completely forget about the value of the upper inner thighs, which is very important and sexy!

When I work with new clients, I am amazed at how little muscle activity is taking place in these muscles! For many people, the inner thigh muscles are weak and tight. (if possible) which can result in restricted hip mobility, tight hamstrings, poor leg alignment, and additional stress (wear, pressure and pain) in the knee joints. And if your knees don’t hurt, chances are your lower back does!

Above and/or below the weak and tense inner thighs there is an increased risk of pain or injury. Think you’ve been training your inner thighs… I find that many clients, instead of engaging the full length of muscle starting from where the leg joins the body, the tendency is to squeeze the legs together starting at the knees which just puts more stress on already stressed knee joints.

Whether you’re into pilates, yoga, walking, running, sports, lifting weights, or just want to stay safe and healthy for your activities of daily living, here’s five reasons to find, feel and focus on stretching and strengthening your inner thigh muscles (adductor muscles).

1. IMPROVE BALANCE – The inner thighs are an important part of the leg to help maintain balance when standing and walking. As we age there is a tendency to stand and walk with a wider stride thinking this helps our balance. But this “wider” stance only further weakens the inner thighs and makes us less stable. Keeping the inside stuff strong so it’s easy to stand and walk with your legs together will help you stay more centered for better balance.

2. HEALTHY HIP MECHANICS – Inner thighs stabilize the leg while rocking back and forth for a healthy gait for walking and running. They are also critical for support and lateral (side to side) movement. Sports like basketball, tennis, racquetball, and horseback riding would be impossible without strong inner thighs.

3. KNEES WITHOUT PAIN – The supportive balance between the inner thighs and outer hip muscles is what stabilizes the leg for healthy movement and no knee pain. The knee joint can only flex and extend, but the leg can move in all directions from the hip. Without proper support on the inner and outer thigh, you can increase the risk of injury (pain) to the medial or lateral knee.

4. BETTER ANKLE MOBILITY – Do you have stiff ankles, tight calves, heel pain… a contributing factor could be what happens at the other end of the leg? Your inner thighs are just as important as what happens to your feet. The inner thigh muscles contribute to the way you stand, rolling in or out at the ankle. With the right amount of support and flexibility at the hip end of the leg with the inner thighs, you can help improve posture, reduce foot pain, and keep your ankles healthy with better mobility to prevent sprains and strains, Achilles tendonitis and other debilitating. Soccer, knee and hip problems.

5. ENJOY MORE BASIC SUPPORT – Of course, your inner thighs are not part of your core… BUT, what they do or don’t do can dramatically affect how well you can maintain good posture and enjoy healthy movement habits. For a strong, well-lifted core, good inner thigh support along with proper pelvic floor function is an important foundation for hip placement and a healthy, well-aligned spine.

Just knowing your inner thighs should be working won’t get them to turn on and start working properly… It will take an intentional approach to enhancing the mind-body connection, the deliberate engagement of the muscles and fine-tuning your movement habits during exercise. Exercise and activities of daily living to activate the inner thighs for proper support.

Understanding how to properly use your inner thighs along with how they relate to the rest of your body for improved balance, healthy hip mechanics, pain-free knees, better ankle mobility, and more core support is part of the process. retraining your body for better health. When you understand the value of better body mechanics, you’re one step closer to better health.

What are your inner thighs doing for you? Does it help you stay strong, healthy and in balance? Or do you feel challenged to stand tall, find it difficult to balance easily on one leg, or are you struggling to maintain your good health and have problems with foot, knee, hip or back pain?

What can YOU do to take action and start incorporating the right inner thigh exercises into your weekly workouts to retrain your body for better posture and healthy movement habits?

Is it time for you to find, feel and focus on your inner thighs?