Did You Know Your Inner Thighs Are Part Of Your Core?

Well, kinda. My thighs are on my legs...no? So how do they effect my core and why should I prioritize strengthening them? Unsurprising spoiler: it has zip to do with a thigh gap! 

We could all stand to be a little stronger in the inner thighs. The muscle fibers of your adductors (fancy word for inner thighs) cross directly over your pubic bone, and attach into the core. Because of this connection, the inner thighs can tell us a whole lot about the pelvic floor. 

Ok, why should I care about my pelvic floor?

What a lot of traditional fitness excludes from core workouts is the deepest part of your core- which is our friend, the pubocoxxygeal muscles or PFM if you’re in the know. This is especially important for my prenatal/postpartum people out there working on rebuilding their core from ze beginning, but it’s relevant to everyone with a pelvic floor….*cough* everyone.

Because our adductors work in cooperation with the pelvic floor, they can serve as a mirror to what’s going on in there. If you can’t fire your inner thighs without gripping your hip flexors and glutes, it’s likely that the same is true of your pelvic floor. While it’s true, there’s no I in team, if you can’t activate a muscle in isolation without compensating with nearby muscle groups, in this case our abs, glutes and hip flexors, you can potentially create strain and tightness that diminishes function- aka makes you weaker over time.

It also means, when we integrate activation of multiple muscle groups together intentionally, instead of accidentally from compensation- it can help make us stronger. Syncing activation of your pelvic floor and inner thighs and TVA (low abs) packs a higher punch muscle recruitment wise than just doing mindless crunches.

I’m basically just arguing again for the 500th time for somatic and interoceptive awareness. Tuning in with your body is not only calming and helps you stay present- but it makes a big impact on how your body experiences the exercise too. If we are doing all this hard work to change our mindset to view movement as a means of feeling strong- we want the work we’re doing to be effective at actually building that strength! 

So, how do I strengthen my inner thighs and pelvic floor? 

Information!  A fun (if you’re a pilates instructor at least!) way to test your mind-body connection is to test your inner thigh strength from right to left. 

Laying on your side, with a yoga block, pillow, or towel between your thighs, squeeze the prop and notice which side is doing more work, if any. It’s important to be on your side because laying on your back can trick your brain into not making imbalance as obvious. Do both sides. 

Don’t freak out if you notice a difference. No one’s body is totally symmetrical, but it is EMPOWERING to have the information to work with. Once you have this information, you can maintain this awareness during each workout you do- and strategize by doing the side that needs more work first to help encourage balance.  Having this information also greatly increases the chance that you’ll be more present in how you’re executing each exercise, and when we’re visualizing the muscle that’s working- the muscle works harder. 

Wanna strengthen your inner thighs together? There’s a CORE CONTROL collection on Helen Phelan Studio and every workout is designed to help you access your strongest center. You can check out the free 10 day trial to work your way through the collection at your own schedule at the link above!