Adductor Machine
The hip adductor machine is a seated exercise in which you squeeze your thighs together against padded levers from a wide starting position. It isolates the inner-thigh adductor muscles and is used to build adductor strength and size with very little overall fatigue.
Also called: Hip Adduction Machine, Seated Hip Adduction, Hip Adductor Machine, Inner-Thigh Machine · Equipment: machine · Pattern: pull
Step by step
- Set the start position so your legs open to a comfortable stretch along the inner thighs.
- Sit back with your hips and back against the pad and your feet on the foot rests. Place the pads against the inside of your thighs, just above the knees.
- Hold the handles and keep your pelvis still on the seat.
- Squeeze your thighs together until the pads meet or nearly meet.
- Hold the squeeze for about a second.
- Let your legs open back out under control to the start stretch, resisting the weight rather than letting it pull you open.
- After the last rep, return slowly until the weight stack rests.
- Squeeze your thighs together
- Hold for a second at the finish
- Control the way back out
- Pads on the thighs, not the knees
- Hips still on the seat
In VALDA, these cues are one tap away on the exercise while you train.
What it trains
| Muscle | Role | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Adductors: adductor longus | Prime mover | C |
| Adductors: adductor brevis | Prime mover | C |
| Adductors: adductor magnus | Secondary | C |
| Adductors: gracilis | Secondary | C |
| Adductors: pectineus | Secondary | D |
Evidence grades: A = strong research base · B = good · C = limited · D = coaching consensus.
What goes wrong, and the fix
Letting the legs fly open
Fix: Resist the weight on the way out and take about two seconds back to the start.
Start width set too wide
Fix: Set the start to a comfortable stretch and widen it gradually over the weeks.
Pads on the knees
Fix: Place the pads on the inner thighs, just above the knees.
Heaving with the trunk
Fix: Sit still with your back on the pad and use a load you can squeeze smoothly.
Skipping the squeeze
Fix: Bring the pads together and hold for about a second on every rep.
What the research says
Rehab & prehab · first choiceMuscle growthGeneral fitnessSport performanceEndurance
- Muscles worked — EMG studies found dedicated adduction exercises activate the adductor longus far more than squats or lunges, with side-lying adduction and ball squeezes ranking highest. The adductor machine was not among the exercises tested.
- Adductor magnus — Imaging research found the adductor magnus, the largest adductor, can produce more than twice as much torque for hip extension as for adduction. Training trials found deep squats grew the adductors more than half squats or hip thrusts.
- Adductor strength — In a controlled trial, 8 weeks of the Copenhagen adduction exercise produced large gains in eccentric adduction strength compared with usual training. No comparable trial has tested the adductor machine.
- Load and effort — Studies show muscle growth is similar across a wide range of loads when sets are taken close to failure, and sets that finish a rep or two short of failure capture most of that benefit.
- Sets and reps — A common approach is 2–4 sets of 10–20 reps with a controlled return, often paired with the hip abductor machine.
Swap it mid-workout
With VALDA Pro, FLEX offers alternatives like these when you swap an exercise mid-workout.
Log the adductor machine in VALDA, with these cues one tap away while you train and your history for it in one place.
General information about exercise technique, not medical advice. If you have an injury or a health condition, your healthcare provider is the right person to ask.