Revitalize Your Inner Thighs: Top 5 Morning Workouts for Those Over 45, Recommended by Experts

Revitalize and tone your inner thighs with these straightforward bodyweight exercises.

The inner thigh area often becomes a focal point for many fitness enthusiasts as they age, primarily due to the development of persistent fat and loose skin caused by muscle deterioration and reduced collagen production. The key to addressing this issue lies in focusing on the adductor muscles. By enhancing their strength, you not only improve hip stability and balance but also relieve lower back discomfort. To assist you in this endeavor, we sought advice from Matt Bandelier, the director of business development at Eden Health Club, who shared five morning exercises designed to firm up your inner thighs more effectively than traditional squats after the age of 45.

“Let’s be honest: Conventional squats are fantastic for your glutes and quadriceps, but they often overlook the inner thighs unless you adjust your stance or incorporate specific weights or angles. If you’re performing squats and still find your inner thighs lacking firmness, this is likely the reason,” Bandelier explains.

Why Inner-Thigh Exercises Can Tone This Area Quicker Than Squats

Exercises that specifically target the inner thighs—particularly those involving adduction and multi-directional movement—engage muscles that are frequently overlooked, such as the gracilis and adductors.

Targeted inner-thigh exercises—especially ones that feature adduction and multi-directional movement—activate muscles that are often neglected, including the gracilis and adductors.

“For women over 45, these muscles are often undertrained, stiff, or disconnected due to years of doing quad-dominant workouts or cardio on autopilot,” Bandelier adds. “Instead of going deep and wide on heavy squats, you’re better off generating consistent tension with isolated movements that zone in on inner-thigh activation at clean angles.”

You can easily do these inner-thigh exercises at home—and no equipment is required.

Sumo Walks With Pause

“This exercise targets the adductors and glutes while keeping active tension. No momentum here,” Bandelier tells us.

1. Begin by assuming a wide stance with your toes slightly pointed out and knees tracking over your toes.
2. Step laterally into a wide squat.
3. Pause for a moment.
4. Step out to the other side, keeping the movement low and your core tight.
5. Perform 3 sets of 10 reps in each direction.

Standing Inner Thigh Leg Lift

“The standing inner thigh leg lift fires the inner thigh directly from the hip joint, clean isolation without strain,” Bandelier points out.

1. Begin by standing tall next to a sturdy surface for balance.
2. Slowly lift your inside leg—the one that’s closest to the chair—across your body. Make sure to control the lift-out and your movement as you return.
3. Optionally, loop a resistance band around your ankles to increase the load.
4. Repeat on the opposite side.
5. Complete 3 sets of 12 to 15 reps on each side.

Lateral Lunges With Reach

“The lateral lunge with reach emphasizes adductor lengthening and contraction under bodyweight, a secret weapon for tone,” Bandelier explains.

1. Begin by taking a wide step out to one side.
2. Press your hips back and lower into a lateral lunge.
3. Reach across toward your extended foot.
4. Then, press back up.
5. Repeat on the other side.
6. Perform 3 sets of 8 reps on each leg.

Chair Squeeze Pulses

“The chair squeeze pulse builds direct time-under-tension and strengthens the adductor connection through static control,” Bandelier says.

1. Begin by standing tall with a pillow or yoga block in between your knees.
2. Squeeze the pillow or block hard for 3-second pulses.
3. Keep your posture tall and focus on actively engaging your inner thigh muscles.
4. Perform 2 sets of 12 to 15 pulses with a hold after the final rep.

Inner Thigh + Glute Bridge Combo

“This exercise doubles up, adductors engage through the squeeze, glutes via the lift,” Bandelier tells us.

1. Lie flat on your back with bent knees and your feet flat and close together on the floor.
2. Position a pillow or ball in between your knees.
3. Squeeze and lift your hips off the ground into a glute bridge.
4. Hold at the top for a moment, squeezing the glutes.
5. Use control to lower.
6. Perform 3 sets of 10 reps with 3-second holds at the top.