Best Groin Exercise (hip adductors)
Physical therapists are obsessed with glute exercises, actually I think most of us involved in athletics, training and rehabilitation are primarily focused on training these muscles (hip abductors). I’m the first to admit that when I hear someone has a knee or hip or a low back problem, I automatically look at hip ABDuction and almost never look at hip ADDuction. Weak hip adductors are one of the most common risk factors for groin injury in sport (British Journal of Sports Medicine 2015). In fact one study found that professional hockey players with adductor strength that is less than 80% of abductor strength were seventeen times more likely to have a groin injury. A lot of the time we don’t isolate this muscle group since we are under the impression that squatting and lunges will already strengthen them. However the research in this area shows that the actual muscle activity of the adductors is low during wide stance/hip external rotation squats compared to exercises that isolate the adductors. A new favorite exercise of mine is a modified Copenagen plank (I hope I didn’t lose anyone with that word!).
First an anatomy lesson:
The groin is composed of hip adductors; hip flexors; gluteals and abdominals. Here’s an image that shows some of the main muscles involved. One of the primary muscle groups involved is the adductors, these muscles are on the inside of your thigh and connect onto your pubic symphysis (that small bone at the front of your pelvis). Their main action is to pull your leg in toward the middle of the body.
Copenhagen plank
The Set Up
Grab a bench or a box or chair (start on the lowest setting, I think the bench is a bit tall for me and I’m tall, so starting on a shorter surface and building up is the way to go).
Lie on your side and place your top leg on top of the bench with your knee bent, this leg is the adductors you will be isolating. Place your elbow on the ground (think forearm side plank set up). Your other leg can be bent or straight (straight will make it a little more challenging).
The exercise:
Begin by lifting your hip up off the ground (again, think side plank), but your bottom knee/leg can remain in contact with the ground. Once you can hold this position, you can then straighten your leg or lift your bottom leg up off the ground. You can train the adductors isometrically and hold this position for 10-15secs and repeat 10 repetitions, or perform 10-15 repetitions in 3-4 sets.
The exercise continued
Progression of the above with leg off ground. Start with a bent leg off the ground and holding 10-15secs for 10 repetitions, then progress to the leg straight.
If this is too difficult for you, or is painful. Try laying on your side and bending your top leg over the bottom (like this sexy guy here →) then lift your bottom leg off the ground.
You’ll get good adductor activation this way and can build up to being on a box or bench. Give it a try, as always, if you have any questions, let me know!
