5 at-home exercises for the ultimate inner thigh workout, according to a personal trainer

• The appearance of your inner thighs, and whether you have a thigh gap, is largely due to genetics
• However, building strong inner thigh muscles may give them a slimmer appearance.
• The best inner thigh exercises include sumo squats, later lunges, and glute bridges
• Visit Insider's Health Reference library for more advice.

Strong inner thighs stabilize your hips, knees, low back, and core, making them essential for walking, jumping, and other daily activities.

That's why it's important to do inner thigh exercises, which target all five muscles in the region:

Plus, strong inner thighs may help you achieve more toned, slimmer legs. However, the appearance of your thighs and whether or not you have a "thigh gap" are largely due to genetics.

And while the exercises listed in this article will help you build stronger thighs, they won't help you lose inner thigh fat. That's because you can't concentrate on weight loss in one area; rather, you'll have to focus on losing weight overall.

With that, here are some inner thigh exercises recommended by Lauren Seib, a personal trainer with her own private practice. Do three or four rounds of 10 to 12 reps, twice a week.

1. Sumo squat

Equipment used: 5-pound dumbbells (optional)

How to do it:

1. Stand with your feet wider than your shoulders.
2. Externally rotate your toes slightly, so your knees track toward your second toe.
3. If you are not using weights, hold your arms in front of your chest. If you are using weights, hold them by your inner thighs.
4. Inhale as you lower until your thighs are parallel to the floor. Keep a neutral spine and your chest lifted. Move your rear back a bit, like you're sitting in a seat.
5. Stand back up.

Muscles targeted: adductors, glutes, hamstrings, core

2. Lateral lunges

Equipment used: 5-pound dumbbells (optional)

How to do it:

1. Stand with your feet together, holding dumbbells in each hand.
2. Keeping your core engaged, take a large step to your left side.
3. Bend deeply into the left knee, framing your shin with the weights while keeping your right leg long and chest lifted.
4. Push off and return to the starting position.
5. Repeat on the other side.

Muscles targeted: adductors, abductors (outer thighs), glutes

3. Side-lying inner thigh lifts

How to do it:

1. Lie on your right side, cradling your head with your right arm.
2. Bend your left leg and plant the foot in front of your right thigh.
3. Hold on to your left ankle with your left hand.
4. Keeping your core engaged, especially your obliques, lift and lower your right leg about three to five inches.
5. Repeat on the other side.

Muscles targeted: adductors, core

4. Glute bridge with prop squeeze

Equipment used: playground ball, pillow, or rolled-up towel

How to do it:

1. Lie on the floor, face up.
2. Bend your knees, planting your feet flat on the floor.
3. Place the prop in between your thighs.
4. Exhale as you lift your hips, engaging your glutes and hamstrings.
5. Press in firmly on the prop to tap into your inner thighs.
6. Hold for about two seconds.
7. Lower back down.

Muscles targeted: adductors, glutes, hamstrings, core

5. Criss-cross flutter kicks

How to do it:

1. Lie on your back.
2. Lift your legs to a 45-degree angle, while keeping your low back and palms connected to the mat.
3. With pointed toes, criss-cross your ankles a few inches in each direction.

Muscles targeted: adductors, core

Insider's takeaway

When strengthening your thighs, you won't see results overnight, so be patient, Seib says. "These muscles are really essential to support you and, in multiple ways, engage your core better to move properly in life, versus just a vanity reason," Seib says.

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