When it comes to a better butt and thighs that is only the beginning to the benefits of hip abductions and hip adductions. This article aims to share why you should be doing them. You may just find you agree with placing these commonly skipped exercises high on our Hierarchy of Exercises list.
Hip Abductions, what are they?
Abduction is the act of taking something away. In fitness or biomechanical terms, abduction is the movement away from your body. Therefore, hip abductions are an exercise where you exert force from your hips or legs outwardly. In life, this is when you side step, get out of a chair, change direction, twist, and other common movements.
What muscles are engaged during hip abductions?
When performing a hip abduction, you actively engage multiple muscles. For this article, we will focus on the four primary muscles engaged.
1. Gluteus Maximus: The largest muscle in your body located at the posterior or back of your hip joint. Makes up the majority of your butt.
2. Gluteus Medius: Your primary muscle used for hip abduction is located towards the side of your hips or butt.
3. Gluteus Minimus: The smallest of the three gluteus muscles and is located on the side of your hip deeper underneath the gluteus medius. Your gluteus minimus works together with your gluteus maximus and medius to abduct your hip.
4.Tensor Fascia Lata: Your Tensor Fascia Lata or TFL is located on the side of your body, edging towards the front of your hip. Your TFL works together with your glutes to perform various movements such as a hip abduction.
Benefits of Hip Abductions
Pain Relief
Hip abductions help strengthen your stabilizing muscles, specifically your glute meds. We always like to ensure people are aware that your body is one connected system to better understand why certain exercises are important. Often when someone has lower back pain, it is not an issue with muscles in your lower back that is causing the pain. Sometimes, the culprit can be unengaged or weak glute meds. Strengthening and activating your glute meds can help reduce or eliminate back pain by bringing balance and relief to your lower back.
Many of us sit for a large portion of the day. Sitting can weaken or turn off our glutes which can decrease our mobility and cause pain. Strengthening your muscles with hip abductions can help build back your glutes and reduce pain in your hips and knees.
Injury Prevention
Stronger hip muscles can help with muscle imbalances that can result in knee pain and reduce your chance of injury. Your hips are the core to your lower body and the stronger more stable your hip muscles are, the stronger and more stable your lower body will be. Weaker hip muscles put more stress on the rest of your lower body like your knee and ankle joints.
Hip Stabilization
Your hip abductors are stabilizing muscles and play a key role in your stability and balance while standing, walking, or running. As you strengthen your hips, you can expect to have a sounder foundation and reduce your risk of losing your balance or falling.
Improve Performance
Hip abductions are not only for women, contrary to popular stereotypes. Whether you are a desk jockey (even more important) or an athlete, you can expect your daily or athletic performance to increase.
A Better Butt & Thighs
Hip abductions are a great option to target your Gluteus Medius and Gluteus Minimus to fill out, tighten, and shape your butt.
What are hip adductions?
Adduction is the action of moving something toward an object. In this case, hip adductions are the movements towards your body or midline. In life, this can be motions where you are sweeping your foot, kicking, walking, running, getting out of a chair, and plenty more.
What muscles are engaged during hip adduction?
When performing a hip adduction, you actively engage multiple muscles. For this article, we will focus on the four primary muscles engaged.
1. Adductor Magnus: A large triangular muscle on the inside of your thigh.
2. Adductor Longus: A large fan shaped muscle on the inside of your thigh
3. Adductor Brevis: A smaller triangular shaped muscle on the inside of your thigh
4. Gracilis: A long thin muscle on the inside of your thigh. Crosses at your hip and knee joints helping to adduct your hip.
Benefits of Hip Adductions
Reduce Your Risk of Injury
Your groin is a sensitive area and certainly not something you want to injure. Hip adductions target muscles that make up your groin to help you reduce your chance of injury.
Hip Stabilization
Your hip abductors are stabilizing muscles and play a key role in your stability and balance while standing, walking, or running. As you strengthen your hips, you can expect to have a sounder foundation and reduce your risk of losing your balance or falling.
Improve Performance
Your hip adductors are an important group of muscles used in common activities. If you strengthen your hip adductors, you likely will improve your athletic performance. Essentially all rotations of your legs involve your hip adductors. Therefore, the stronger your hip adductors, the more power you can generate in many movements.
Your hip adductors also play a key role in hip extensions. Hip extensions are an important movement for athletes but can also be important in everyday life. For athletes, hip extension will help with explosive movements like sprinting and jumping but for daily life, it will help you stabilize yourself and react to surprises.
Conclusion:
Similar to your shoulders, your hips are arguably the most important joints in your lower body. Your hips play a large role in nearly every movement or position. The stronger your hips are, the more you can expect to move properly and reduce your chance of injury.
If you enjoyed this read and exercises, please share with your friends and family and as always, please do not hesitate to reach out with any questions you might have.