Machine Hip Adduction
A seated machine isolation that squeezes the pads together, loading the inner thigh through hip adduction.
How to do it
- Set the machine so your legs start comfortably apart, without forcing the stretch.
- Sit upright with your back flat against the pad and grip the handles.
- Place the inside of each thigh against the pads.
- Draw your legs together until the pads meet.
- Squeeze briefly at the closed position without letting the pelvis rotate.
- Open the legs slowly back to the start and repeat.
Key technique cue
Don't start too wide; close smoothly and let the pads open back under control.
Common mistakes
- ✕ Setting the start too wide, which pushes the adductors into a stretch they cannot control.
- ✕ Arching the lower back, which tips the pelvis and changes what the pads actually load.
- ✕ Letting the pads fly open on the return, which drops the eccentric half of the repetition.
- ✕ Chasing heavy loads on a cold muscle, which is how the adductor group gets strained.
Benefits
- ✓ Directly loads the adductor group, which most compound leg work only touches.
- ✓ The seated path removes balance, so the inner thigh works through full range.
- ✓ Adductor strength supports change of direction and reduces groin strain risk.
About the exercise
The hip adduction machine mirrors the abduction machine: pads sit on the inside of the thighs and you draw the legs together against resistance from an open start. The movers are the medial thigh group, adductor longus, brevis and magnus plus gracilis and pectineus, which also stabilize the pelvis in gait and are the muscles behind most groin strains. It fits lower body accessory blocks and groin strain prevention for field and court sports.
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