Beautiful legs: how to pump up your inner thighs

Author: Timko Ilya - the ruler of the entire site and fitness trainer | more details >> Rod. 1984 Trained since 1999 Trained since 2007. Author and creator of the site tvoytrener.com. CCM in powerlifting. Champion of Russia and South Russia according to AWPC. Champion of the Krasnodar region according to IPF. 1st category in weightlifting. 2-time winner of the Krasnodar Territory championship in t/a. Author of more than 700 articles on fitness and amateur athletics. Author and co-author of 5 books.

Place in the ranking of authors:
out of competition
(become an author) Date: 2012-05-29 Views: 251,956 Rating: 5.0

Articles are loading...

Why medals are given to articles:

Primary muscles - gracilis and adductor muscles of the thigh Additional - iliopsoas and pectineus Difficulty - easy

Description of the exercise

The leg should be brought slightly overlapping. That is, move it slightly behind the supporting leg. This will give additional contraction to the muscles. The working leg is straight.

Main features

1. This exercise can be done either from the lower block in a crossover or using a pendulum simulator. Both standing and sitting. But it seems to me that the most effective option is standing in a crossover.

2. You need to bring the working leg slightly overlapping with the supporting leg. That is, we move the working leg slightly behind it. This will increase the range of motion.

3. You need to move your leg all the way back. The further the better. It is advisable to stretch the inner thigh muscles as much as possible. However, we do this smoothly and without jerking.

4. The leg should be straight during the entire exercise.

5. Choose a weight that allows you to do at least 10 repetitions. The inner thigh is quite easy to injure with heavy weight, since such loads are unusual for it.

6. Remember, this exercise does not burn fat in this area of ​​the thighs. But he just trains the muscles there.

Thigh adductor muscles, exercises:

1. Exercises for the thigh muscles. Normal hip adduction. You will need a chair for this activity. Starting position: lying on your side, one leg on the seat of a chair, the other under the chair. We slowly lift the lower leg up and hold the position for 3 seconds, returning the leg to the starting position. Repeat 12 times. Then we change legs. If the internal muscles or back muscles of the thigh begin to hurt, you should reduce the number of repetitions, and then gradually increase the number of repetitions during the next sessions.
2. Exercise "Scissors". Starting position: lying on the floor, palms under the buttocks. Raise your legs 30 cm from the floor, and then spread and cross your legs (like scissors). Repeat 20 times. After rest, you can repeat this exercise again.
3. Exercises for the muscles of the thighs and buttocks. Leg bending with knees apart. Starting position: lying on the floor, with your palms under your buttocks for comfort. We raise our legs up, keeping our feet closed, bend our legs and at the same time spread our knees, bringing our feet as close as possible to the groin. This exercise is performed slowly 12 times. After resting, repeat a few more approaches.
4. Here is the “Stretching” exercise. This inner thigh exercise is a standard stretch. The starting position is sitting on the floor with your knees abducted and your feet touching together. We bend forward slightly, while keeping our back straight. You can apply a little pressure on your knees with your elbows to clearly feel the tension in the muscles of this part of the thigh. Do 10 bends, 5-10 approaches.
5. Squats. Exercises with squats are considered one of the most effective training exercises in athletics. Starting position: standing straight, with your feet slightly apart. We do squats, making sure that the back is always straight (ideally, the line of the back and the line of the hips are equal to 90º). We return to the starting position. For a more noticeable result, you can do squats as slowly as possible, putting stress on all the muscles involved in this process. We do 30 squats in 2-5 approaches, depending on physical fitness.
6. How to pump up the rectus femoris muscle? Exercise “Lunges”. Starting position: stand straight, legs apart, hands on your belt. We make a sharp lunge with one leg first: bend the leg at the knee and “spring” it a little, then change the leg. We do the exercise 15-20 times for each leg. Repeat in 5-10 approaches with breaks. In fitness centers, you will be offered a special exercise machine for such classes, and all exercises will be performed under the guidance of a trainer.

The best exercises for the inner legs

The adductor exercises presented below can be performed by both men and women equally. The only difference will be in the weight loads.

Sumo deadlift

The exercise can be performed in a Smith machine. But we will analyze the classic technique with a barbell.

1. We assemble the barbell on the floor and stand close to it;
2. We spread our feet wide and turn our toes diagonally;
3. We lower our pelvis and clasp the bar with our palms;
4. We exhale and, with the effort of our legs, rise to a vertical position;
5. At the top point we slightly move our shoulders back;
6. Then, while inhaling, we smoothly sit down and lower the barbell to the floor.

On topic: Everything will be fine, how to pump up your legs

• When performing, keep your back straight.
• Avoid bringing your knees inward.
• We lower the pelvis low, until the thighs are parallel to the floor.
• When working with heavy weights, be sure to use wrist straps and a weightlifting belt.

“Wide” leg press in the simulator

This version of the exercise differs from the classic technique in that the feet are placed wide, which allows the emphasis of the load to shift to the inner surface of the thigh.

1. We sit in the leg press machine;
2. Place your feet wide on the bench press platform (closer to the edges);
3. We remove the weight from the supports and, while inhaling, lower the carriage towards us;
4. As you exhale, squeeze out the load.

• When doing this, do not straighten your legs completely, so as not to injure your knee joints.
• We make sure that the lower back remains pressed to the seat.
• We move smoothly, without jerking.

Leg abduction in the simulator

The exercise is intended for focused training of the hip adductors. It is performed in a special “seated” simulator.

1. We install the foot rests so that they diverge to the sides as wide as possible;
2. We sit down in the exercise machine, press our hips against the supports and smoothly move them apart as far as the stretch is possible;
3. Exhale, tense the thigh muscles and bring the knees together;
4. As you exhale, move to the starting position.

When bringing together, at the extreme point, we maintain a 2-second pause to create a greater load on the adductors.

Leg adduction in crossover

The exercise creates an accentuated load on the adductor muscles of the thighs.

1. We stand on our right side about 1.5 meters from the loads;
2. We fasten the cuff with the cable of the lower block to the right ankle;
3. With an exhalation, we bring the leg towards us (with a slight extension behind the left one);
4. With an inhalation, we gently move the limb away.

• When doing this, we do not bend the “working” leg.
• We try to move the limb smoothly, without jerking.

Plie squats

The exercise creates an even load on the buttocks and adductors. More often used by girls.

1. Take one dumbbell (weight) and stand up straight;
2. Place your feet at 70-80 cm, toes diagonally;
3. We hold the projectile with straight arms in the groin area;
4. As you inhale, we squat, as you exhale, we rise.

• When performing plie squats, lower the pelvis until a 90° angle is formed at the knees.
• Avoid bringing the hips inward.

Training the inner thigh correctly

In order to pump up the inner thigh, first of all, it is necessary to correctly design the training process. Let's talk about what you need to pay attention to so that your training brings maximum results.

• Varied workouts. The body quite often gets used to the loads, and therefore they need to be constantly changed so that they bring results. This could be changing the intensity of your workout, increasing the weight you use, or changing exercises entirely. The main thing is that the training changes and is varied. In this case, you don’t have to worry about the muscles getting used to the load.
• Execution technique is another one of the main issues during training. Each exercise has its own technique. Therefore, any exercise, even the smallest one, must be performed correctly. Otherwise, training will not only not bring good results, but can also seriously harm the body.
• Number of approaches. You should not do exercises 40 times in 5-7 approaches. This is a lot, but at the same time the exercise will not be performed at full strength. It is better to perform 10-15 repetitions, but with maximum impact. This will bring much more results.

So, we have looked at the aspects that you should pay attention to when designing and conducting a workout. These tips will help you train as efficiently as possible without causing any harm to your body.

Why train your adductors?

As we have already said, in bodybuilding this muscle group complements the overall appearance of the muscles of the lower body. Therefore, all competitive bodybuilders should work their adductors. But developed adductors are also necessary in other disciplines. For example, in running, outdoor sports, equestrian sports, alpine skiing, gymnastics.

In these sports areas, the adductor muscles help to dramatically change body position, maneuver between obstacles, perform complex swinging movements with the legs, and much more. Simply put, the medial muscle group is involved in all dynamic and static movements of the athlete, stabilizing his position.

Separately, we note the benefits of exercises on the adductor muscles of the thigh for women. Fitness lovers, as a rule, strive to lose weight and tone their figure. At the same time, cellulite on the thighs is one of the main women's problems. Exercises for the adductor muscles help eliminate sagging and significantly improve the appearance of the legs.

Lunges

Lateral lunges are performed to improve muscle tone and develop endurance. Initial position:

1. Stand up straight, spread your legs to the sides.
2. Place your hands on your belt.

Performance:

1. A sharp lunge is made to the right. To do this, the right leg is first bent at the knee and then left to the side.
2. The position of the knee is traced. It should not protrude more than the outline of the sock.
3. The left leg is placed in the most extended position, which provides a slight stretch.
4. You should try to sink to the lowest possible position, but you should not perform actions that are beyond your personal capabilities.
5. You need to stand in this position for a few seconds, after which the starting position is assumed.
6. A similar lunge is made to the left side. It is necessary to ensure that when performing the exercise in both directions, the distance between the legs does not differ.

About 20 lunges are performed. You can divide them into two times, taking a short pause.

Exercise No. 5 – Lying hip adduction

Lying leg raises are an equally effective exercise that activate the deepest muscles of the inner thighs, helping to strengthen them. To perform it, you need to lie on your side on the floor, leaning on your elbow, as shown in the next photo.

The leg that lies on the floor must be left straight, and the other leg must be bent at the knee and placed behind. In this position, you should perform hip adduction with a delay of 2-3 seconds at the top point.

To get the maximum effect from the exercise and strengthen the problem area of ​​​​the hips, it is better to perform the movements slowly. This will allow you to feel how each muscle group is pumped and understand whether you are reproducing the movements correctly.

Tips for Newbies

It is not necessary to complete the entire list; it is enough to highlight one main movement (basic) and several additional ones. A workout for girls might look like this:

1. Plie squats – 3-4 sets of 12-20 reps
2. Leg adduction, lying on your side – 2-3 sets of 15-20 repetitions
3. “Scissors” lying on the floor – 2-3 sets of 15-20 repetitions

If you dream of powerful legs, then you can’t do without hard training in the gym! Pay attention to the legs of famous bodybuilding stars. Their adductor muscles of the thighs are no worse developed than the quadriceps.

In order to pump up such legs, they often use squats with wide legs and the above exercises.

Men can train their inner thighs as part of their leg workout. Add 1-2 exercises.

Eg:

1. Sumo deadlift – 3-4 sets of 8-12 reps
2. Leg curls in the simulator - 3-4 sets of 10-15 repetitions

A few exercises are enough to provide the necessary stimulus for muscle growth. Train your legs once a week, giving them plenty of time to recover.

If you decide to train your legs at home, then the number of workouts can be increased to two per week, as they will be tonic in nature.

And don’t forget that if you train a muscle at the end of the workout, you need to perform a set of light stretching exercises. I will now show you how to stretch the adductor muscles:

The muscle needs to be stretched until you feel a slight stretch. Stay in this position for 5-10 seconds.

Anatomical features of the adductor muscles

The adductors are part of the medial muscle group of the thighs and are divided into three “bundles”:

1. Adductor longus femoris muscle. The shape resembles a flattened triangle. It originates from the lower edge of the pubic bone. The other end is attached to the middle part of the femur. Purpose: participates in adduction and flexion of the leg;
2. Adductor brevis muscle of the thigh. It has the shape of a triangle and is located under the long one. It originates from the pubic bone. The reverse end is attached to the upper part of the femur. Purpose: adduction and flexion of the leg;
3. Adductor major muscle of the thigh. It lies deeper than the others. It originates from the pubic and ischial bones. The other end is attached to almost the entire surface of the femur. Purpose: adduction, flexion, extension of the leg.

Adductor muscles of the legs

Features of adductor training

We offer recommendations that will help increase the effectiveness of adductor muscle training:

• Work your adductors on the same day as your glutes workout. This will avoid shortening the adductors;
• After your workout, do some light stretching. This will also help avoid shortening and improve the ductility of the fibers;
• To pump up the hip adductors, use high weights and low repetitions (for men);
• To strengthen the adductors and get rid of cellulite , work with light weights for a large number of repetitions (for women);
• Women are allowed to do stretching, yoga, and Pilates on their free days to improve the flexibility of the adductors.