Work for better hip mobility and strength with these great adductor exercises.
Our hip strength and mobility is key and certain adductor exercises can work for our benefit when looking to maximize everything we want out of all movements. When it comes to building strength and working on that prime mobility, looking at certain exercises to challenge us but also support us can prove worthwhile in the long run. Let’s take a look at some adductor exercises and see what these can do for our overall training and performance goals.
What Are The Adductor Muscles?
Your adductors are a group of muscles in your inner thigh responsible for movements such as pulling your legs together. Your adductor muscle group consists of individual muscles being: the adductor magnus, the adductor longus, the adductor brevis, the adductor minimus, the pectineus, and the gracillis. Having strong and stable adductors will work wonders for both sport specific and functional movements (1).
Benefits Of Strong Adductors
With strong adductors you work to tackle any movements or lifts you need with the comfort of knowing exactly how these muscles work and that they will be strong enough to handle it. Benefits of strong adductor muscles include:
- Improve functional movements: Work to protect yourself against unwanted pain and strain with everyday movements by having strong adductors.
- Prevent injuries: We all want to stay healthy and strong adductors will not only prevent injuries against themselves but muscles around them also (2).
- Promote hip mobility and extension: As pivotal movers, your ability to move your hips will prove to be worthwhile in the long run, as well as focusing on extension (3).
- Strengthen hips and legs: With stronger stabilizer muscles, your overall strength will improve (4).
- Better athletic performance: For those sport specific needs, strong adductors can aid in better sport specific movements.
- Better rotational power: Rotate your hips better with these stronger muscles so they aren’t as weak.
Best Adductor Exercises
These top adductor exercises will offer variety to your workouts and can be used as either warm-up stretches or exercises in your workout itself. By focusing on these muscle groups, you challenge yourself to strengthen an often times overlooked muscle.
1. Glute Bridge Squeeze
The glute bridge squeeze is a great exercise to strengthen all the muscles in this area and will work to take care of both your pelvis and your back. The adductors are worked through the extension of the hip.
Using a foam roller, medicine ball, or something similar to these, place the object in between your legs and lay on your back. Your knees will be bent. With your core engaged, squeeze the object as you lift your glutes off the ground. Pause at the top and gently lower back down.
2. Side Leg Raises
Side leg raises are great for they can be done with just your bodyweight and primarily work your adductors. You can use weights or bands if you want and maintaining proper alignment is key.
Laying on one side with your legs straight out, position yourself so you are comfortable. Raise the top leg high and pause at the top for a few seconds. Lower back down and repeat for your desired number of reps before switching to the other side.
3. Clamshells
Clamshells are similar in general motion to the side leg raises, although a bit different in positioning. A great inner thigh exercise, it can be done with weights or bands, or just bodyweight.
Lay on one side with your knees bent and lift the top leg as far as it will go. Hold for a brief pause and lower back to the starting position. Repeat for your desired number of reps.
4. Cossack Squat
The Cossack squat is one of those strength training exercises to give you more strong, stable, and comfortable stability when working both your adductors and abductors. It will train your body a bit differently for that added challenge.
With your feet around hip width apart, shift your weight onto one leg. As you stay in the upright position, hinge your hips back slightly but only as far as your range of motion will allow. Drive your foot through the floor and return to the starting position.
5. Foot Elevated Side Lunge
This exercise will see an elevation of one foot as you dip into a lunge. It is a great exercise to strengthen the adductors while being in a lengthened position to test range of motion.
Place one foot on a bench or step stool and step your other foot a good distance away so you can straighten the elevated foot. Lunge towards the foot that is planted on the ground and keep your core engaged and back neutral. Return to the starting position and repeat for your desired number of reps.
How To Prevent Injury
Working these muscles, or any muscle for that matter, can lead to that unwanted pain and soreness. If you don’t take proper care off the bat then this can escalate into injury that you just don’t want or need. Warming up will prove to be key before any workout to get those muscles primed and ready to go. For those looking for an extra boost, a pre-workout supplement is certainly something to consider. Any static or dynamic stretching will really boost all the gains you want most.
Immediately after exercise, stretching and using tools like foam rollers can greatly benefit your pain alleviation. A protein powder is a great post-workout supplement for it can not only enhance growth but also aid in that valuable recovery you want most. With muscles like your adductors, you want to make sure you are giving these the care they need so they can fully function and work for your benefit without any pain.
Wrap Up
These adductor exercises will work wonders for building up those potentially overlooked and weak adductor muscles so you can get the most out of each and every workout. By working on strengthening these muscles, you alleviate any unwanted pain and strain that may come your way so you can thrive both with sport specific movements and those that are more functional. Really get the most out of your performance with these great exercises and you won’t be disappointed by the results.
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*Images courtesy of Envato
References
- Hrysomallis, Con (2009). “Hip Adductors’ Strength, Flexibility, and Injury Risk”. (source)
- Crow, Justin F.; Pearce, Alan J.; Veale, James P.; VanderWesthuizen, Dan; et al. (2010). “Hip adductor muscle strength is reduced preceding and during the onset of groin pain in elite junior Australian football players”. (source)
- Brooks, Toby; Cressey, Eric (2013). “Mobility Training for the Young Athlete”. (source)
- Haroy, Joar; Clarsen, Benjamin; Wiger, Espen G.; Oyen, Mari G.; et al. (2019). “The Adductor Strenghening Programme prevents groin problems among male football players: a cluster-randomised controlled trial”. (source)
