The inner thighs are one of the most commonly skipped areas in a home routine. Squats and lunges work them a little, but the muscles themselves — the adductors — rarely get direct attention unless you go looking for the machine at the gym.
You don't need that machine. A handful of floor and seated exercises will train your inner thighs properly, and you can do the whole routine below in about 15 minutes on a mat or even the sofa. First, though, one honest point that saves a lot of frustration.
Can inner-thigh exercises target fat there?
No — and it's worth knowing before you start. The idea that exercising one area burns the fat on top of it is called spot reduction, and research doesn't support it.
In one study, published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research in 2013, participants trained just one leg with thousands of leg-press reps over 12 weeks. They did lose some body fat — but not specifically from the trained leg. A later review and meta-analysis of the research reached the same conclusion: training a muscle doesn't selectively reduce the fat over it.
So why train your inner thighs at all? Because stronger adductors are genuinely useful. They pull your legs together and help keep your hips and knees steady when you walk, climb stairs, change direction or stand on one leg. Training them rounds out your lower body in a way squats alone don't.
What the inner-thigh muscles actually do
The adductors are a group of muscles running from your pelvis to the inside of your thigh bone. Their main job is bringing your leg toward the middle of your body. They also work alongside the glutes to stabilise your pelvis every time you shift weight from one foot to the other.
That's why the best inner-thigh routine mixes two kinds of exercise: ones where you squeeze your legs together, and ones where the muscles control your leg as it moves away.
The five exercises
1. Seated squeeze
Sit on a chair or the edge of the sofa with your feet flat. Place a firm cushion, rolled towel or small ball between your knees. Squeeze steadily for five seconds, then relax for five. That's one rep. Do 10.
This is the easiest place to start, and a good one to repeat during TV time.
2. Side-lying inner-thigh lift
Lie on your left side. Bend your top (right) leg and place that foot on the floor in front of your bottom knee, or rest the knee on a cushion. Keep your bottom leg straight, then lift it a few inches off the floor, pause, and lower slowly. Do 10–15 each side.
The movement is small. If you're swinging the leg high, you're using momentum rather than the muscle.
3. Wide-stance squat
Stand with your feet wider than your shoulders and toes turned out slightly. Push your hips back and lower as far as feels comfortable, keeping your knees tracking in line with your toes. Press back up through your whole foot. Do 10–12.
4. Lateral lunge
From a wide stance, shift your weight to one side, bending that knee and keeping the other leg straight, then push back to the middle. You'll feel the straight leg's inner thigh working to control the stretch. Do 8 each side. Hold a counter for balance if you need to.
5. Short side plank with leg on the sofa
Lie on your side next to a sofa or low bench. Rest the inside of your top knee on the seat, keeping your bottom leg free. Prop yourself on your forearm and lift your hips so your body forms a straight line. Hold 10–20 seconds each side. This is a beginner-friendly version of an exercise called the Copenhagen plank, and it's harder than it looks.
The 15-minute routine
- Warm-up (2 minutes): march in place, then 10 gentle leg swings side to side on each leg.
- Seated squeeze: 10 reps.
- Side-lying lift: 12 each side.
- Wide-stance squat: 12 reps.
- Lateral lunge: 8 each side.
- Short side plank: 15 seconds each side.
- Rest one minute, then repeat steps 2–6 once more.
Do it two or three times a week, with a day in between. It fits alongside the two strength sessions a week recommended by the CDC — if you're building a full routine, our beginner's guide to strength training at home shows how to cover the rest of your body.
How to make it harder
- Slow the lowering phase of the side-lying lift and squat to three seconds.
- Add ankle resistance bands to side-lying lifts and standing leg movements.
- Hold the seated squeeze longer — work up to 10 seconds.
- Extend the side plank by resting your ankle, rather than your knee, on the sofa.
- Add a third round once two feels comfortable.
Common mistakes
- Swinging instead of lifting. Smaller, slower movements work the adductors far better.
- Letting knees cave in on squats. Keep your knees pointing the same way as your toes.
- Going too deep on lateral lunges. Your inner thighs are working while stretched. Build depth over a few weeks.
- Expecting shape change from this alone. Visible changes come from overall activity, strength training and diet over time — not from one routine.
- Training through groin pain. Muscle effort is normal; sharp pain isn't. Ease off and check with a professional if it persists.
FAQ
How often should you train your inner thighs?
Two or three times a week is plenty, with at least a day between sessions. They're part of your lower body, so they also get some work from squats and lunges.
Can you lose inner-thigh fat with exercise?
Exercise can help you lose body fat overall, but research shows you can't choose where it comes from. Inner-thigh exercises build strength in that area; they don't specifically burn the fat on top of it.
Are inner-thigh exercises good for beginners?
Yes. The seated squeeze and side-lying lift are gentle starting points, and you can progress from there.
Can you do inner-thigh exercises sitting down?
Yes. Seated squeezes work well, and a seated thigh trainer makes the same movement adjustable and easier to repeat.
How long until you notice a difference?
Most people feel the exercises getting easier within a few weeks. Treat that as the sign it's time to make them harder.
Start with the seated squeeze and side-lying lift this week. Add the rest once they feel familiar.
For the seated squeeze, with resistance
The Thigh Trainer
A 360°-adjustable inner-thigh and hip trainer with a built-in rep counter. It takes the seated squeeze from this routine and adds adjustable resistance, so you can train your inner thighs from a chair or the sofa and track your reps as you go.
Explore the Thigh Trainer →See how it fits into a real routine in our 10-minute sofa routine, or add ankle resistance bands for the side-lying and standing moves.
Sources
- Ramírez-Campillo et al., Regional fat changes induced by localized muscle endurance resistance training, Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research (2013)
- Ramírez-Campillo et al., A proposed model to test the hypothesis of exercise-induced localized fat reduction (spot reduction), including a systematic review with meta-analysis, Human Movement (2022)
- CDC, Adult Activity: An Overview