I personally feel that inner and outer thigh exercises are, useless...
If your goal is to build inner and outer thigh muscle, then unweighted inner/outer leg lifts aren't going to do much because there's no resistance. You need to be working with weights or resistance bands if you're trying to build muscle. If you build muscles under a layer of fat your legs will look bigger.

If you want to spot reduce your thighs in that area, we all know that there's no such thing as spot reducing. Only a low fat diet along with cardio and weight training will reduce your overall body fat, you will look leaner all over. Some areas, such as legs, butt and tummy are the most difficult places to reduce and the fat will be the last place to leave.

If you didn't like Curves maybe a regular gym with a personal trainer to show you some exercises would be your best bet. Lunges and squats are your butt and legs best friend. There are umpteen variations you can do for both that will lean your legs out nicely. I get my ideas from Oxygen magazine, their Special issues for Butt and Legs are great for suggestions on workouts.

???

Seeing how the IT band is strengthened by abductors (outer thigh) muscles and the adductors (inner thigh) muscles are the opposing group, any runner will tell you that those muscles need to be trained and trained well.

Knee pain?

IT band is out of whack.

Diva0203, my advice to you is keep working those muscles. You got 'em, you may as well use 'em.

Either that, or find a good orthopaedic surgeon who specializes in knees. Sooner or later, you're gonna need him.

;-)

My legs were not going anywhere with suats and lunges when I added some leg lifts it made the world of difference but I do the fire hydrents (someone said that is what they are called) and lost an inch 1 and 1/2 on both legs combined. Now thought they are stuck again maybe time to add more reps.

Diva0302 -- Did you mention you had knee pain? I didn't see that...

AnAbsoluteDiva -- I interpreted the question as being, were inner and outer thigh exercises conducive to reducing the size of the thigh... Maybe I was wrong....

canadian mom -- the variety of squats and lunges I do hit the legs ALL around ...Here is a sample of what I do: the side to side lunges, reverse lunges, front lunges, walking lunges, walking lunges with a front kick, walking lunges with a back kick, wheel lunges (front, side, reverse), plus I do these holding 10-20 lbs weights...Here I found Squat Exercises Photo Gallery plus I do others that are very good too not shown in that gallery... Much more fun than doing leg lifts... I just looked up firehydrant leg lifts, I haven't done those in a while, I just may try them this week... I love variety...

Oh dear, poor Diva , please by all means, use weights and don't be shy about using them ... As you lose the fat your muscles will show through and you will look awesome, but you must lose the fat on top of the muscles that's the point I was trying to make. Weight training is a girl's best friend for many reasons, here are a few : Found those reasons in this article Weight Training 101

Diva - I actually went to a physical therapist for my knee pain. I had tons of leg exercises but only 2 that worked the inner or outer thigh muscles. Both used some form of resistance or weight.

1. Get a band of some sort, attach it to something stable. I put mine under a coffee table leg. You do 4 directions. You face away from whatever the band is attached to, put one of your legs in the bands loop and you lift straight up. That works your quads. Then you turn 90 degrees in one direction. Then you lift away from the attachment point, you are working either your inner or outer thigh (depending on leg and direction of turn). Then you face toward the bind point and lift behind you, you are working your hamstrings, then you turn yet again 90 degrees and you are working your inner thigh (or outer thigh but the opposite of the second to last exercise). You then switch legs and work the next leg. I know it is hard to explain but basically you make a loop with a band of some sort, you put one leg in, you lift in the direction of creating tension, then turn 90 degrees until you have worked all 4 directions.

2 - Turned out leg lifts with weights. Bend one leg, straighten the other. For the straight leg, turn the leg out so that the inner thigh is facing up. Then lift your leg up.

If you have questions, feel free to PM me. It is important to strengthen your leg muscles if you have knee problems.

I've been through a recent round of PT myself. The exercise I am doing is called the bowler. Stand on left leg, hold light weight in right hand, sweep right leg behind and to the left side like you are doing a curtsy or bowling a ball. Lean over until your hand with the weight just touches the floor. At this point if you havent fallen over you should look like the pro bowler dudes right when they release the ball.

This is for my outer hip (piriformis) - not thigh, but it is to help with pronation which does affect the knee and ankle.

lol the one with the broom in back of the neck lol i always did that! guilty!

Weights are so important for women. Besidse the bemefits mentioned above, you might lose fat, but if you're not building muscle what's the point? You'll still have a soft body.

I used to have to do the 'broom' exercise for rep softball. Except we used our bats, in the middle of winter! Thank God I was a pitcher and had a towel in my bag, which went over it, but it was pure torture the first week for those who didn't. I wish I had this article then to give to my coach. I found them useless, even for making your body pivot.

Wow - this has certainly changed my approach to weight training at the gym!

Nice ARTICLE.
Accurate information.
Thanks for posting it.
cert pft fitmom1

Just one comment about the cardio. I also go on long walks for longer than an hour but as has been said here, that probably doesn't get my heart rate up enough to be harmful. But as for more than 60 minutes of intense cardio per day, my gym trainers in the past have said it is okay as long as you don't do it all at once. Example, okay to do an hour morning and an hour evening. I haven't seen this mentioned here -- the posts seem to be about doing it all at once -- and wondering what others here who are knowledgable think about this.

Thanks
Sue