Seated Hip Adduction
What Is Seated Hip Adduction?
Seated hip adduction using the adductor machine is an isolation exercise that strengthens the muscles in your inner thigh that pull your legs towards your body.
The main muscles used in seated hip adduction are the adductor magnus, adductor longus, and gracilis of the inner thighs. These muscles are often overlooked in favour of the larger leg muscles like the quads and hamstrings, but they are important for building functional strength and stability that will help you lift heavier weights.
Strengthening the adductors can improve hip and pelvic stability, which is essential for exercises like squats, lunges, and deadlifts. Stronger adductors also support performance in sports that involve rapid changes of direction, like football, squash, or tennis.
Doing adductor exercises on the seated adductor machine keeps the upper body still, allowing you to focus on the inner thighs. It also gives you easy access to the weights stack so you can make incremental changes to the resistance during your sets.
To get the most out of seated hip adductors, pairing them with exercises like banded lateral walks or adductor bridges. Take time to set up the hip adductor machine and learn good technique with our description below.
Check out more hip adductor exercises: Side Lying Hip Adduction
Commonly Asked Questions About Seated Hip Adduction
Seated hip adduction strengthens the inner thigh muscles to improve hip and pelvic stability, which helps you lift more in compound exercises with less risk of injury, It can also make you more powerful on lateral movements which is useful for many sports.
Seated hip abduction and adduction exercises target opposing muscle groups in the hips and thighs. Abduction exercises work the outer hip muscles (gluteus medius, gluteus minimus, tensor fasciae latae) to move the legs outward. Adduction exercises target the inner thigh or adductor muscles to move the legs inward.
The seated hip adduction machine works the adductor muscles, including the adductor magnus, adductor longus, and gracilis. These muscles draw the legs together during sideways movements and help keep the pelvis stable when you are lifting weights.
Seated Hip Adduction Tips
Set up the back pad, knee pads, and foot rest so you are sitting comfortably.
Select a moderate weight that you can do 10-12 reps with.
Don’t let the knee pads hit each other in the central position.
Control the knee pads as they move out to the side.
How To Do Seated Hip Adduction
Set up the hip adductor machine by using the lever to close the knee pads in the centre.
Sit with your back against the support, and legs either side of the knee pads.
Put your feet on the foot rests, and press your knees into the outside of the knee pads.
Use the lever to open the pads out until you feel a light stretch in your inner thighs.
Hold on to the handles to stabilise your upper body and squeeze your thighs together to bring the knee pads into the middle.
Hold this position for a few seconds before allowing the pads to move outwards again.