5 Reasons To Focus On Inner Thigh Exercises With Your Pilates And Fitness Workouts
If I asked you to “name the parts of your legacy”, what would you list? quadricycles? Hamstrings? Calves? pimples? Feet? ankles? Did I miss something?
What about your inner thighs? When was the last time you focused a bit 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 to 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 about targeting the thighs, most of the attention is placed on the quadriceps. (along front of thigh)and the hamstrings (along the back of the thigh) since these two muscle groups are necessary to bend and stretch 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 start focusing on exercises to work the buttocks 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 occurring 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 added stress (wear, pressure and pain) in the knee joints. And if your knees don’t hurt, there’s a good chance your lower back does!
Above and/or below the weak and tight inner thighs there is an increased risk of pain or injury. Think of you’ve been training your inner thighs… I find that many clients, instead of engaging the full length of the muscle starting from where the leg meets the body, the tendency is to squeeze the legs together starting at the knees. which only puts more stress on already stressed knee joints.
Whether you practice Pilates, yoga, walk, run, play sports, lift weights, or just want to stay safe and healthy for your activities of daily living, here’s your five reasons to find, feel and focus on stretching and strengthening the 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 get older, there is a tendency to stand and walk with a wider step thinking that this helps our balance. But this “wider” stance only further weakens the inner thighs and makes us less stable. Keeping things inside strong so it’s easy to stand up and walk with your legs together will help you stay more centered for better balance.
2. HEALTHY HIP MECHANICS – Inner thighs stabilize the leg as it sways back and forth for a healthy walking and running gait. They are also essential 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, pain-free movement in the knee. The knee joint can only flex and extend, but the leg can move in all directions from the hip. Without proper inner and outer thigh support, the risk of medial or lateral knee injury (pain) can be increased.
4. BETTER ANKLE MOBILITY – Do you have stiff ankles, tight calves, heel pain… a contributing factor may 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, it can help improve posture, reduce foot pain, and keep ankles healthy with better mobility to prevent sprains and strains, Achilles tendinitis 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 that your inner thighs should be working won’t get them to fire up and start working properly… It will take an intentional approach to enhancing the mind-body connection, deliberate muscle engagement 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 the inner thighs along with how they relate to the rest of the 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 are you 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 develop healthy movement habits?
Is it time you find, feel, and focus on your inner thighs?
