While you might not consider your inner thighs as a priority area for building strength, it could be time to give them some love in your workout routine.
Your inner thigh muscles are collectively known as ‘the adductors’, a group made up of five different muscles: adductor brevis, adductor longus, adductor magnus, gracilis and pectineus.
Weakness and tightness in these muscles may contribute to knee, hip and lower-back pain and reduced ankle mobility – as well as issues with balance and stability.
In short, strong inner thighs can help support healthy ageing.
If you don’t know where to start with strengthening the all-important adductors, 58-year-old certified nutritionist and fitness coach Theresa Moloney recently shared her top tips on Instagram, urging women to remember that ‘you can sculpt stronger, more defined muscles at any age.’
Indeed, in a small study of frail care home residents in their 90s (!), researchers found that eight weeks of high-intensity strength training increased quadriceps strength by an average of 174% (!!!) – and also improved walking ability.
‘I used to think I needed more inner-thigh isolation exercises [movements that target a specific muscle group and joint],’ Moloney noted. ‘What changed everything was learning to use compound movements [exercises that use more than one muscle group at once] that work my inner thighs, hips and glutes together.’
‘For sculpted inner thighs at 58,’ Moloney said that she relies on the following three exercises.
Theresa Moloney’s go-to inner-thigh exercises
How to make the moves into a workout: Moloney does 10-12 reps of sumo squats followed by 10-12 reps of side lunges and curtsy lunges on each side, repeating the full circuit three times. She’s using 8lb dumbbells – equivalent to roughly 3.6kg – but it’s important to choose the right weight for you (possibly beginning with bodyweight). Read our handy guide on how to pick the correct weight without guessing here.
How to do the exercises1. Sumo squat
- Stand with your feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart, evenly distribute your weight, and turn your toes out to 10 and 2 o’clock.
- Keep your core tight and chest tall as you inhale, bend your knees, and sink your hips down until your thighs are parallel to the floor.
- Exhale as you drive through your feet back to an upright standing position.
2. Side lunge
- Start with your feet shoulder-width apart and core braced for stability.
- Take a wide step out to the side with one leg, planting the whole foot.
- Hinging your hips back, bend your knee to 90 degrees so that your thigh is parallel to the floor. Keep your stationary leg straight, with your foot flat on the floor.
- Push through your planted foot to return to the starting position.
3. Curtsy lunge 
- Stand with your feet hip-width apart – hands on your hips if you’re not using dumbbells.
- Take a big step back with your right leg, crossing it behind your left.
- Bend your knees and lower your hips until your left thigh is nearly parallel to the floor. Keep your torso upright and your hips and shoulders as square as possible to the wall in front of you.
- Return to the start.
Hannah Bradfield is a Senior Health and Fitness Writer for Women’s Health UK. An NCTJ-accredited journalist, Hannah graduated from Loughborough University with a BA in English and Sport Science and an MA in Media and Cultural Analysis. She has been covering sports, health and fitness for the last five years and has created content for outlets including BBC Sport, BBC Sounds, Runner’s World and Stylist. She especially enjoys interviewing those working within the community to improve access to sport, exercise and wellness. Hannah is a 2024 John Schofield Trust Fellow and was also named a 2022 Rising Star in Journalism by The Printing Charity. A keen runner, Hannah was firmly a sprinter growing up (also dabbling in long jump) but has since transitioned to longer-distance running. While 10K is her favoured race distance, she loves running or volunteering at parkrun every Saturday, followed, of course, by pastries. She’s always looking for fun new runs and races to do and brunch spots to try.