Your hip adductors include your inner thigh muscles and hip rotators that turn your leg in and out. Their function is to accelerate your hip and leg toward the center or across your body and decelerate your hip and leg when they move away from your body to the side, according to physical therapist Gray Cook, author of "Movement." The adductors also stabilizes your legs and hip when you move to avoid injury. Exercising on a stability ball helps improve leg and hip stability and body awareness.
Misconceptions
Many people believe that doing hip adductor exercises, such as squeezing the knees together in a sitting or supine position will help firm up their thighs and burn fat. However, your body does not burn fat from any specific areas since the fat-burning process occurs throughout your body, according to dietitian Ellen Coleman, author of "Ultimate Sports Nutrition." Doing repetitive movement with resistance with your inner thighs can make the muscles bigger, resulting in bigger thighs.
Ball Bridge and Leg Curl Combo
Maintain your legs parallel to each other will strengthen your hip adductors. Lie on the ground with your arms by your sides and your calves on a stability ball. Lift your buttocks off the ground with your legs straight. Keep your feet pointing up and your legs parallel to each other. Bend your legs to bring the ball closer to you while keeping your buttock high off the ground. Do not round your lower back. Extend your legs, and return to starting position. Repeat the movement 10 times for two sets. This exercise improves hip and leg stability.
Ball Pike
Place your hands in a push-up position on the ground about shoulder-width apart, and put your toes on top of the stability ball. Keep your head in alignment with your spine, hip and legs. Push your pelvis up as you roll the ball toward your head. Your heels should touch the ball the closer your roll the ball toward your head. Hold the end position for two seconds, and slowly return to the push-up position. Keep your legs parallel to each other. Do 10 reps for three sets.
Expert Insight
Always warm-up properly before exercising or you can easily strain a muscle or joint. Cook recommends that you do dynamic warm-ups where you move your joints to their full range of motion. For example, you can do hip swings where you stand with one hand against a wall for support and swing one leg forward and back in a rhythmic, controlled manner. This improves tissue extensibility and nerve stimulation in your hip joints, including your adductors.
References
- "Movement"; Gray Cook; 2010
- "Ultimate Sports Nutrition"; Ellen Coleman; 2004
Member Comments