The hip adductors are the muscles on the inside of your upper leg. The function of the hip adductors is to adduct, or bring inwards, your leg. Having strong adductors is key to squatting heavy, kicking with power, jumping high, controlling the leg and ensuring good hip joint stability. Having flexible hip adductors is essential for being able to spread the legs wide during a side split, or high kick.

Anatomy

Above shows the Quad muscles utilise in hip adduction. These are big, strong muscles to keep the leg inwards and stop the knee from falling out.

The hip adductors exercise with Dynamic Bands

This exercise is simply called the straight leg hip adduction. It is the optimal exercise as it works the adductors through their range of motion. This exercise ensures the optimal limb movement, opening and closing the joint in the correct pathway. It is the perfect exercise to do to pre-exhaust before Squats.

How to perform the exercise

Setup the Dynamic Bands from a high anchor point.

Place your foot through one or both of the rope handles on the Dynamic Bands. Allow the bands to lift your leg up into the air.

Stand side-on to the anchor, keeping both legs straight, begin to draw your extended leg down and in towards the balancing leg. Try to bring the moving leg as close as possible to the other.

Squeeze this position, feeling the tension on the inside of the Quad. The reverse and repeat for multiple repetitions.

Switch legs and repeat on the other side.

Other variations

By setting up the Main Anchor from a lower anchor position it changes the angle of attack for the muscle. This will focus the stress when the leg is much closer to the body, training the concentric contraction more. This will reduce the stress on the stretch part of movement, but still provide and excellent contraction for the hip adductors.