Adduction Side Leg Raises

Hip adduction side leg raises strengthen the hip adductors or inner thigh. Developing strong hip adductors can help prevent injury such as a pulled groin muscle. Groin injuries are common among athletes in sports that require a quick change of direction or explosive movements.

Hip Adductors

The hip adductors consist of five different muscles located in the inner thigh -- the adductor brevis, adductor longus, adductor magnus, pectineus and gracilis. These muscles work together to bring your leg inward, closer to your body. Sports involving skating, kicking, sprinting or lateral movements require strong hip adductors.

Hip Adduction Strains

Muscle strains might occur in the groin or hip adductors when the eccentric force or the lengthening of the muscles become too great for the muscles to withstand. This essentially causes the groin area to become overstretched, resulting in a muscle strain. Athletes who have hip adductor weakness in the preseason were 17 times more likely to develop a hip adductor muscle strains, according to 2001 research published in the "American Journal of Sports Medicine." However, strengthening the hip adductors during preseason training with exercises such as side leg raises may help reduce the risk of developing a muscle strain in your hip adductors.

Hip Adduction Side Leg Raises

Lie on your left side on the floor with your legs extended out. Position your left leg slightly in front of your right leg. Place your right foot flat on the floor with your knee bent. Lift your left leg off the floor about six inches. Pause for a moment before lowering back down, but not resting the left leg on the ground. Repeat the leg raises for 20 to 25 repetitions on both legs for two to three sets. Add ankle weights to increase the resistance if necessary. Perform side leg raises two to three times week on nonconsecutive days to help strengthen your hip adductors.

Additional Hip Adduction Exercises

In addition to side leg raises, strengthen your hip adductors with exercises such as seated or standing hip adduction machine, standing low-pulley cable hip adduction, wide-stance squats or sumo squats and side lunges. Warming up thoroughly for five to 10 minutes before strength training or exercising also can reduce the risk for muscle strains. Furthermore, stretching your hip adductors after warming up or following a strength training session with stretches such as the butterfly stretch or a seated straddle stretch, also may prevent groin strains.