What is Hip Abduction?
Hip abduction is where the leg moves away from the mid-body, backward, forward or sideways. You do this movement when you take a side step or step out of a car. The muscles responsible are the hip abductors, a small muscle group located in the outer thighs and around the glutes. These muscles help spread your legs and push out your hips. Referred to as stabilizers, these muscles are often forgotten and that’s where the Hip Abductor Machine comes in.
Hip abduction exercises can not only help you get tight and toned hip muscles but can also prevent and treat pain in the hips and knees.
Hip abduction exercises can benefit athletes as well as men and women of all ages.
Why Exercising Your Hip Abductors is Important
Studies show that adductor muscle strain can be debilitating and hip strengthening muscles are essential for reducing incidence of adductor related injuries. Weak hip abductors can impact the entire bio-mechanism functioning of the lower body – your knees, ankles and feet. By exercising the abductor muscles we can improve core stability, better coordinate movements and improve general flexibility. The hip abduction machines make it possible to specifically work on this muscle group in isolation and strengthen it. However care must be taken– small muscle groups are more prone to injuries and strain.
Benefits of Hip Abduction Exercise
Reduces Knee Valgus or Leg Deformity
Knee valgus refers to when the knees cave inward, making an inward curve appearance for the entire leg, giving a “knock-kneed” appearance. This is most commonly seen in women of younger age as well as older adults. It can also be noticed in people having muscle imbalances or improper form during exercises.
Studies have shown that knee valgus is associated with lack of hip strength and thus hip abduction exercises can improve the condition by strengthening the gluteus medius, gluteus minimus, and tensor fasciae latae (TFL).
Better Muscle Activation and Performance
The hip abductors are closely related to the core muscles and are extremely essential for balance and athletic activity. Due to long hours being spent sitting during the day, many people tend to develop weak gluteus muscles.
Being inactive for a long time can lead to the body “turning off” these muscles, making them even harder to use during exercise. This can lead to usage of other muscles by the body that are actually not meant for those tasks.
Thus certain techniques can help increase activation of the gluteus medius; exercises such as while performing squats, using a resistance band around the knees can increase overall performance and increase muscle activation.
Decreases Pain
Weak hip abductors muscles, particularly the gluteus medius, may lead to overuse injuries, and patellofemoral pain syndrome (PFPS). PFPS can cause pain behind the kneecap when you sit for long hours or while getting down stairs.
Thus hip abductor strength is important when it comes to knee health and stability. In addition to exercises that strengthen the quadriceps, hip abductors, and hip rotators, are also equally important. Furthermore, anti-inflammatory drugs, rest, and stretching of the muscles surrounding the hip and knee can also help decrease the pain.
The Hip Abduction Machine
This hip abduction machine has two pads that rest on your outer thighs as you sit in the machine. While using the machine, you push out your legs against the pads with resistance provided by the weights.
This movement targets all the small muscles involved in hip abduction –the tensor fasciae latae as well as three more glute muscles that are, gluteus medius, minimus and maximus.
Points to Remember:
- Adequate support for your back is important, so make sure to adjust the back pad in the machine as appropriate.
- Ensure your movements against the resistance are controlled and smooth.
- Keep your feet aligned and in line with your knees.
There are several other gym machines that deliver similar results and some of them are:
Multi-Hip Machine – M2 1014
The M2 1014 Multi-Hip machine is a versatile piece of equipment with which all the thigh muscles can be targeted– the front, back, as well as the inner and outer muscles of the thighs. This machine can be used for Hip Flexion as well as Hip Extension in addition to Hip Abduction and Adduction.
Hip Abductor/Adductor – PF 1006
The M2 1014 Multi-Hip machine is a versatile piece of equipment with which all the thigh muscles can be targeted– the front, back, as well as the inner and outer muscles of the thighs. This machine can be used for Hip Flexion as well as Hip Extension in addition to Hip Abduction and Adduction.
Hip Abductor – M2 1003
The M2 1014 Multi-Hip machine is a versatile piece of equipment with which all the thigh muscles can be targeted– the front, back, as well as the inner and outer muscles of the thighs. This machine can be used for Hip Flexion as well as Hip Extension in addition to Hip Abduction and Adduction.
As mentioned in the earlier sections, the hip abduction exercises can offer many benefits and can be used in both the therapy settings and among bodybuilders, athletes and weightlifters.
You can begin with just exercising by side leg lifts while lying down, clamshells, and banded side steps or squats.
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Frequently Asked Questions About Hip Adductor/Abductor
What are hip abductor muscles?
The hip abductor muscles include the gluteus medius, gluteus minimus, and tensor fasciae latae which not only help moving the leg away from the body, but also help in rotation of the leg at the hip joint. The hip abductors come into play for staying stable while walking or standing on one leg. Weakness in these muscles can cause pain and interfere with free, easy and proper movement.
What are the advantages of hip abduction exercise?
There are many benefits of incorporating hip abduction exercise in your routine, some of them are:
Reduces knee valgus:
Knee valgus is basically the knees cave inward, giving a “knock-kneed” appearance which can be commonly seen in young women and older adults or in those who have muscle imbalances. Studies have shown that knee valgus is associated with lack of hip strength, and it can be improved with hip abduction exercises.
Improves muscle activation and performance:
Due to long hours spent sitting during the day, many of us develop weak gluteus muscles. Being inactive for a long time makes the body ‘turn off’ these muscles, making them difficult to use during exercise, thus making your body resort to using other muscles (which are meant for those tasks). Using a resistance band to perform stretching exercises for hip abductor muscles can get these muscles engaged and improve muscle activation.
Decreases pain:
Weakness in the hip abductors or weak hip abductor muscles particularly the gluteus medius, causing pain behind the kneecap when you sit for long hours or even while walking down the stairs. Thus hip abductor strength is important when it comes to knee health and stability, hence this exercise even helps in strengthening the quadriceps, hip abductors, and hip rotators.
What are different hip abductor machines?
Multi-Hip, Hip Abductor, Hip Abductor/Adductor are some of the commonly used and most effective machines for targeting hip abductor muscles.
What is a hip abductor machine good for?
A basic Hip Abduction machine has two pads that rest on your outer thighs as you comfortably sit in the machine. It makes you push out your legs against the pads with resistance provided by the weights and helps in targeting all the small muscles involved in hip abduction- the tensor fasciae latae as well as three more glute muscles that are the gluteus medius, minimus and maximus.
