Cable Hip Adduction
Cable hip adduction is a standing exercise in which you sweep one straight leg in towards and across your standing leg against a low cable strapped to your ankle. It works the adductors on the inside of the thigh through a full range, from a stretched start to a crossed-over finish.
Also called: Cable Inner Thigh, Standing Cable Adduction, Cable Inner-Thigh Pull, Ankle-Strap Adduction · Equipment: cable · Pattern: isolation
Step by step
- Attach an ankle strap to a low pulley. Stand side-on to the machine and fasten the strap around your inside ankle, the one nearer the machine.
- Step away until the cable is taut with the working leg out to the side, and hold the column or a rack for balance.
- Stand tall on your outside leg with a soft knee, hips level and facing forward.
- Keeping the working leg straight and your toes forward, sweep it in towards your standing leg and across the front of it.
- Pause briefly with the leg crossed just past your standing foot.
- Let the leg travel back out to the side under control until you feel a stretch along your inner thigh.
- Finish the reps, then turn around and work the other leg.
- Stand tall on your support leg
- Sweep across, past your standing foot
- Hips level and square
- Control the leg back out
- Hold the column for balance
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 cable pull the leg out fast
Fix: Let the leg travel out slowly, only to a stretch you can control.
Leaning or swinging the torso
Fix: Stand tall and hold the column so only the working leg moves.
Hips rotating
Fix: Keep both hips facing forward and your toes pointing ahead.
Cutting the range short
Fix: Bring the leg all the way across, just past your standing foot.
Bending the working knee
Fix: Keep the working leg straight throughout the set.
What the research says
Muscle growthRehab & prehabGeneral fitnessSport performanceEndurance
- Muscle activity — An EMG study of eight adduction exercises in elite footballers found standing hip adduction against an elastic band produced among the highest adductor longus activity, close to the Copenhagen adduction. Cable adduction was not tested.
- Rep ranges — Research finds muscle growth is similar across a wide range of loads when sets are taken close to failure, and lighter, higher-rep work favours local muscular endurance.
- Volume — Research links more weekly sets for a muscle to more growth, with diminishing returns. There is no direct research on growth from cable hip adduction.
Swap it mid-workout
With VALDA Pro, FLEX offers alternatives like these when you swap an exercise mid-workout.
Log the cable hip adduction 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.