Side Lying Hip Adduction
Strengthen your inner thighs and hip stabilizers with the side lying hip adduction. Improve hip mobility and core control for better lower body function.
Description
This is a lower body exercise that primarily targets the inner thighs but also works the hips and glutes. The person lies on their side and lifts their bottom leg while keeping their hips stacked and torso stable.
How to Do Side Lying Hip Adduction
- 1Setup
Lie on your side with your body in a straight line, head supported by your bottom arm or hand, and your bottom leg extended straight.
- 2Setup
Stack your hips directly one on top of the other, ensuring your torso is stable and not rocking. Bend your top leg and place your foot flat on the floor in front of your bottom leg for support.
- 3
Exhale as you slowly lift your bottom leg straight up towards the ceiling, leading with your heel and keeping your foot flexed. Focus on squeezing your inner thigh muscles.
- 4
Inhale as you slowly lower your bottom leg back down with control, stopping just before it touches the floor. Maintain tension in your adductors throughout the movement.
- 5
Complete the desired repetitions on one side, then carefully switch sides and repeat with the other leg.
Tips
- Maintain a stable core by engaging your abdominal muscles throughout the movement to prevent your hips from rocking forward or backward.
- Focus on a slow, controlled lift and lower to maximize time under tension and muscle activation in the inner thigh.
- Keep your bottom foot flexed and imagine leading the movement with your heel to better target the adductor muscles and prevent using momentum.
- The range of motion should be where you feel the inner thigh working; avoid lifting too high if it causes your hip to rotate externally.
Common Mistakes
- ×Rocking your hips forward or backward reduces adductor engagement; keep your hips stacked directly on top of each other and your core tight.
- ×Using momentum to swing the leg up rather than controlled muscle contraction decreases effectiveness; focus on slow and deliberate movement of the bottom leg.
- ×Lifting the bottom leg too high by externally rotating the hip over-engages hip flexors; keep the bottom leg straight and the movement limited to the adductor's active range.
Variations
Bridge Hip Abduction
Strengthen your glutes and hip abductors with the Bridge Hip Abduction. This bodyweight exercise targets hip stability and outer thigh muscles effectively.
Side Plank Hip Adduction
Strengthen your core, obliques, and hip adductors with the Side Plank Hip Adduction.
Side Bridge Hip Abduction
Master the Side Bridge Hip Abduction to strengthen your obliques, glutes, and hip abductors.
Side Plank Hip Adduction (bent knee)
Strengthen your inner thighs and obliques with the bent-knee side plank hip adduction. This exercise builds core stability and hip strength.
Related Exercises
Side Lying Leg Circle
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Lying Side to Side Knee
Enhance core strength, hip mobility, and spinal flexibility with the Lying Side to Side Knee.
Hip Swirls
Enhance hip mobility and strengthen core stabilizers with Hip Swirls. This bodyweight exercise targets hip flexors and adductors, improving control and
Criss Cross Leg Raises
Strengthen your hip adductors and core with Criss Cross Leg Raises. Lie on your back, lift your legs, and cross them in a controlled, fluid motion.
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