Hip adductors

Unlike many other large muscle groups, the hip adductors (which include the adductor magnus, the adductor longus, the adductor brevis, the gracilis, and the pectineus) are rarely focused on in conventional bodybuilding training programs. Similarly, they are frequently overlooked in athletic training contexts.

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#1. How large are the hip adductors?

The adductor magnus is one of the largest muscles in the body, after the gluteus maximus and the quadriceps. In contrast, the adductor brevis, adductor longus, gracilis, and pectineus are comparatively very small.

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Even so, when added to the adductor magnus, the other adductors nearly double the overall size of the adductors muscle group when measured by volume.

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#2. What are the hip extension leverages of the hip adductors?

The adductor magnus is a very good hip extensor that is probably the primary hip extensor when peak efforts are generated in the stretched (hip flexed) position. Thus, it is the main hip extensor in squats and deadlifts.

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Indeed, the greater hip extension leverage of the adductor magnus when the hip is flexed may be why it displays greater hypertrophy after being trained with deep squats compared to shallow squats. This does not preclude the possibility of stretch-mediated hypertrophy as well, however.

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EMG analyses have shown that the activation of the adductor magnus in hip extension exercises is increased if the hip is adducted slightly. In contrast, its activation is decreased when the hip is abducted. In practice, this suggests that narrow stance squats might be better for the adductor magnus than wide stance squats.

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#3. What are the hip adductor leverages of the hip adductors?

When measured with an extended hip (in the anatomical position), the adductor magnus has the best hip adduction leverage for the entirety of the normal range of motion, starting from the anatomical position and moving out into maximum hip abduction. The gracilis also has very good leverage and tracks the adductor magnus closely. In contrast, when the hip is adducted past the midpoint of the body, the other adductors (longus and brevis) become the muscles that have the best relative leverage.

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Nevertheless, EMG studies have revealed that the activation of the adductor magnus during hip adduction decreases with increasing hip flexion. Thus, when the adductors are trained in the conventional seated hip adduction machine, the adductor magnus may not be quite as preferentially activated in comparison with the other hip adductors.

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Conclusions

The hip adductors include the adductor magnus, the adductor longus, the adductor brevis, the gracilis, and the pectineus. The adductor magnus is one of the largest muscles in the body after the gluteus maximus and quadriceps. In contrast, the other hip adductors are much smaller. The adductor magnus is a hip extensor and has the best relative leverage for hip extension when the hip is flexed. Additionally, in hip extension exercises, its activation is increased when the hip is adducted and decreased when the hip is abducted. Thus, narrow stance leg presses or deep squats might be optimal for training this muscle. With the hip extended, the adductor magnus also has the best leverage for hip adduction (along with the gracilis) through the entire frontal plane range of motion from the anatomical position through to maximum hip abduction. In contrast, the adductor longus and adductor brevis have better leverage from the anatomical position through to maximum hip adduction. Nevertheless, surface electromyography (EMG) studies have shown that the activation of the adductor magnus during hip adduction exercises is greatly decreased by hip flexion. Therefore, it is possible that the seated hip adduction exercise allows greater relative contributions of the other adductors in comparison to the adductor magnus.