Introduction
Hips are essential for muscle building when it comes to gymming, and often people either neglect or do nonserious sets of hip abductions. This is why people don’t get that desired framework and complain about the quality of the exercises. While not doing hip adductor exercises results in unideal gymming posture. Doing adductor exercises regularly helps increase the rotational movement of the body and eventually increases the overall strength of the body.
In the following article, we will know more about the muscles involved in hip adductor exercises, the associated exercises of the concerned muscles, the right kind of Nutrition, and some other techniques to foster your overall performance inside the gym.
What are adductor muscles?
These muscles are located in the inner thigh region and help in rotational movement. There are five sub-categories of adductor muscles. They are:
- Adductor Longus
- Adductor Brevis
- Adductor Magnus
- Gracilis
- Pectineus
These are the five adductor muscles, and they need separate exercises for individual structure. They help in stabilizing the body and help in adduction of the hips and thighs. Click here to know more about adduction.
What is the importance of adductors?
There are particular necessities of adductors. They are:
- Reduces the probability of injury:
Strains are very common to athletes. Most athletes during their training face strains, mostly groin strains. This happens because of overstretching. Some athletes tend to stretch to a large extent, and as a result, that causes strains. Some exercises are suggested to prevent such strains.
Hip flexor strains are commonly attributed to overuse in sports such as running, cycling, and swimming. These sports rely heavily on the hip flexors, and this can be prevented by proper warm-up, increasing hip flexor strength/mobility, as well as adequately managing and progressing your workload. Remember to rest once or twice a week.
Weekend warriors who sit more than 6 hours a day during the week may be at higher risk for hip flexor injuries. Sitting puts your hip flexors in a shortened position, and the accumulated hours spent sitting during the week may lead to soft tissue tightness.
A great way to start hip flexor rehab is with soft tissue mobilization and isometric contractions. Avoid stretching that causes pain.
There are specific rehab exercises as well.
- Soft Tissue Mobilization w/ foam roller (try not to spend too much time)
- Banded hip flexor isometrics (contralateral leg extended)
- Psoas march
- Standing hip flexor march
- Hanging march
- A skips
- Draw-Ins
- Unilateral front plank
- Lift offs(progression)
- Increasing the rotational power:
Adductors help in making rotational movements. Sports players are often involved in various sports like football and baseball, and they need good rotations. Adductors help in the better cycle.
- Increased hip extension:
When hip joints are opened, it is involved in squatting, deadlifting, or weightlifting. This requires a hip extension, and adductors impact the hip extension tremendously.
To get rid of hip dips, try out these Exercises To Get Rid Of Hip Dips
What are the best hip adductor exercises?
There are a variety of hip adductor exercises that you can perform for your hip adduction muscles. You can refer here to know more.
Some of them are:
- Standing Hip Adduction:
For this explicit exercise, you just need a resistance band. Now wrap a resistance band in a vertical pole. Now, try to stand beside any vertical pole, covering the resistance band around it. Make sure that it should be around your thigh height. Now, place your inner leg inside the bar with the one closest to the pole and with the other still outside of the resistance band. You should also keep in mind that the resistance band should be above the knee and almost around the thigh.
Try holding the pole for balance and, try to place your weight on the outside leg. Slowly and steadily, pull the banded leg away from the bar across the other leg. Now return to the starting position and relax your muscles.
One should also ensure that the torso region remains as upright as possible and also never let your body tilt or turn to try and get the leg to move. Try engaging your core muscles, and this will help you with this. If you still find this one exercise very challenging and think that you need to change your mind, consider finding a lighter band to start with.
Single-leg glute bridge with a squeeze
Try to lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet completely flat on the ground.
Now, start putting the foam roller or small swiss ball between both of your thighs. Make sure to check that your arms should be by your very side.
Now start lifting one left up into the air and at the same time starts leaving the other remaining on the ground.
Try to push your hips up towards the sky, thereby squeezing your glutes in the top position. At the same ratio, try pressing the foam roller or ball between your thighs and begin lowering your hips back to the ground.
After you are done with one set, repeat this exercise a couple of times or as suggested by your gym trainer.
Copenhagen side plank
Try to lie on your side and propping up on your right elbow with the bench at the bottom of your feet. Now, try to rest your elbows on the foam mat to not hurt yourself against the floor. Check this amazing workout here.
Now, after you are done with the position, try to put your left leg that is the top leg, on the uppermost part of the bench. Now, push your hips off the floor, making sure that you are in a side plank position. Make sure that your right leg should also be lifted, but you can keep it beneath the bench so that it is always between both legs. Both of your legs can be bent or even straight, whichever way you prefer to do it.
The knack is to try holding this position for at least thirty seconds and not exceed more than one minute.
Try changing the sides and when you do it this time, make sure that you are supported on your left elbow with your right leg on the apex of the bench and the only left leg beneath it.
It is to be noted that just like any regular plank or side plank, you should keep in mind that your body is in the form of a straight line. Also, your hips should not be sagging or touching the floor, nor should they be fully extended. If this version of this Copenhagen side plank seems too easy for you, then try doing it with the supporting arm.
Try completely growing it so that you are just leaning only on your hand. Make sure that you keep the other hand straight up in the air while you are indulging in doing so so that your body overall makes a T shape.
- Side-leg raises type A
We will start this exercise by looping the resistance band around the thighs. Then we will try lying on the floor, leaning on one of our sides. Some people can rest their head in their hands and, bending at the elbows for better support.
Now we will initiate lifting the top leg in the air as far as we can get it while keeping our leg in the straight position. Now, lower it back slowly and repeat the exercise. We may switch sides when we feel that we are done.
It is to be kept in mind that this can also be done without the resistance band if someone is new to this exercise. We can then just omit the resistance band and add it back only when we are ready for extra resistance.
- Side-leg raises type B
This is an essential hip adductor exercise. Try to lie on your floor mat and resting on your side. If you want, you can prop your head on your elbow for better support or rest it on an extended arm according to your comfort. Try to lift the top leg in the air high, as high as you can, and keep it as straight as possible, maintaining a right posture. Now, after holding the top leg, probably suspended in mid-air, try to bring another leg up to meet it.
Now, once your legs touch in the air, try lowering the bottom leg down to the ground. Make sure that the top portion remains where it is, and the bottom leg touches the ground. Now, raise it again to meet the other leg and keep repeating your reps on the one side before changing the sets and make sure that you do not compromise on your posture.
Keep in mind that the height of the suspended top leg depends on the fitness level of an individual. The higher your fitness goals are, the harder it gets for you to achieve the targets.
- Cossack Squat
Start with a stiff stand using your feet in a wide stance, with your feet turning slightly in the outward direction. It should be as more expansive as your shoulder width. Also, try setting up your feet the same way you do a sumo squat.
Now, engage your core and brace. Slowly and steadily, bend into a squat, leaning to any one side. Now, squat down and try moving your weight and body to one leg. Then also, keep in mind that the other leg should straighten and be kept to the side. Now, try to get the straight leg as close to the ground as possible and maintaining the overall position.
Try to stand back up while moving back to the beginning position in a wide or broad stance. Now try to squat down again, thereby shifting your weight to the other side of the process, and then begin straightening the other leg. Try getting back up to the position where you have started and repeat the whole process.
It is to be kept in mind that when doing any hip adductor exercise, or specifically the cossack squat, always try and prevent the lower back from rounding. In any case, if you can not go all the way down as well, try just going as low as you can, and at the same time, make sure that you work on your squat depth and thigh flexibility.
What is the importance of Nutrition?
Nutrition is a very important aspect when it comes to hip adductors. For your overall gym growth, you need to be nutritionally very healthy so that you achieve all the milestones of the workouts. Previously in the articles, We have also focussed on several food habits and Nutrition, but at present, there are certain foods that you need to nourish your body with all the essential requirements it craves. This will let you know the additional information.
Some of them are:
- Meats, poultry, and eggs
No doubt, these foods are the prime requirements for a healthy lifestyle. These foods are compulsory for gymming people these days, and undoubtedly, it is important as well.
- Dairy and Grains
Milk products are a great source of Nutrition for people who are vegetarians. Proper milky foods and cereals, and pulses are very important for gymming people.
- Fruits and vegetables
Fruits and vegetables focus on different nutrients that our body needs. Always try having seasonal fruits and vegetables, and make sure that you eat them raw. This ensures that you also catch on the fibres as well.
Apart from these great foods, try having plenty of water and rest. Always focus on your overall development. Try having a good amount of sleep. Avoid late-night munching and emphasize quality sleep. Water is equally essential as well. So, together these things boost your overall gymming output and provide a structured body and better hip adductors.
Conclusion
The above-mentioned adductor hip exercises are the best adductor exercises and effectively work for the adductor longus, adductor Magnus and the associated adductor muscles. Make sure that you develop a sense of seer discipline and work on your goals.