Lying Adductor Stretch
What Is the Lying Adductor Stretch?
Lying Adductor Stretch is an isolation exercise that primarily targets the hips and groin, stretching the inner-thigh adductors, and also lightly stretches the hamstrings. It is a beginner-level movement done lying on your back with both legs raised straight toward the ceiling, then opened into a wide V so gravity draws them apart.
Because you lie flat, your back and pelvis are supported by the floor and the weight of the legs does the stretching, so there is nothing to balance and no need to hold yourself upright. That makes it an easy way to work on inner-thigh flexibility in a cooldown after running, field sports or lower-body training, and a gentle way to build toward positions that need wide hips, such as sumo and wide squat stances, straddles and side splits. Many people do the same stretch with their legs resting against a wall, which lets the legs relax completely and makes longer holds more comfortable.
The stretch lands mainly on the adductors, the group of muscles that pull the legs together, including the adductor longus and the large adductor magnus. The hips are bent to about 90 degrees here, which matters for the back part of the adductor magnus. A study of 16 healthy men used ultrasound to measure how much each adductor was stretched as the leg was taken as wide as it would go at different hip angles, and found the back part of the adductor magnus was stretched most with the hip bent to 90 degrees, while the adductor longus was stretched about the same at every angle. Keeping the knees straight also puts the inner hamstrings and the gracilis, which cross the knee, under tension. Bent-knee positions such as the Butterfly Stretch take that tension off and stay closer to the groin.
This stretch suits beginners, older adults and anyone who finds a seated straddle hard because the lower back rounds when sitting up. If tight hamstrings stop your legs from reaching vertical with straight knees, bend the knees slightly or rest the legs on a wall. Once it feels easy, the Seated Wide-Leg Forward Fold and Frog Pose are deeper ways to stretch the same muscles.
Muscles Worked
- Adductor Longus
- Primary
- Adductor Magnus
- Primary
- Semimembranosus
- Medium
- Semitendinosus
- Medium
- Rectus Abdominis (Lower)
- Minimal
Instructions
- Lie on your back on the floor with your head down and your arms resting on the floor alongside your body, palms facing down.
- Bend your knees toward your chest, then straighten both legs up toward the ceiling so they are together and stacked over your hips.
- Keep your knees straight and point or relax your feet, with your kneecaps facing the ceiling.
- Let your lower back and pelvis rest heavily on the floor.
- Slowly open your legs out to the sides into a wide V, keeping them as close to vertical as you can.
- Stop when you feel a comfortable stretch along your inner thighs and let gravity hold the legs there, without pushing them wider.
- Hold the position and breathe slowly, letting the legs open a little wider as the inner thighs relax.
- To finish, bring your legs back together, bend your knees toward your chest and lower your feet to the floor.
Common Mistakes
Pushing the legs apart
Pressing on the thighs with your hands or muscling the legs wider forces more range than the adductors are ready for, so let gravity open the legs.
Bouncing the legs
Pulsing the legs in and out triggers the stretch reflex and tightens the inner thighs instead of letting them relax into the stretch.
Letting the legs sink toward the floor
As the legs drop lower, the lower back tends to arch off the floor and the hip flexors have to work harder to hold them.
Legs rolling inward
Letting the knees and toes turn in toward each other shifts the pull away from the inner thighs, so keep the kneecaps facing up or slightly out.
Holding the breath
Holding the breath or tensing the shoulders keeps the whole body guarded, while slow, steady breathing lets the legs open further over the hold.
Injuries
Lying Adductor Stretch is a low risk exercise when performed with proper technique. You are lying on the floor with no load, and gravity rather than force sets how far the legs open, so problems usually come from pushing past a comfortable stretch or from holding the position too long.
The inner thigh is the main strain point. Pressing the legs apart with your hands or bouncing them can strain the adductors or the hamstrings, so let the legs open under their own weight and stop at a mild to moderate pull. If your back arches off the floor as the legs sink, the lower back takes strain, so keep the legs higher or rest them against a wall. A pinching feeling at the front of the hip means you are too deep, so bring the legs a little closer together. Holding the legs above the heart for a long time can make the feet tingle or go numb. When that happens, bend your knees toward your chest and rest before you go again.
To make it easier, bend the knees slightly, rest the legs on a wall, or use the Butterfly Stretch instead. To progress, hold a little longer or move on to the Seated Wide-Leg Forward Fold. Skip the stretch while you have a groin strain, and after about 20 weeks of pregnancy, lying flat on the back for long periods can lower blood pressure, so keep holds short or choose a stretch done in a seated position.
Stop if you feel sharp pain in the groin, at the pubic bone or at the front of the hip, or numbness that does not ease when you bring the legs down.
- Primary Focus
- Hips & groin
- Equipment
- Body weight
- Modality
- Stretching
- Difficulty
- Beginner
Alternative Exercises
Frequently Asked Questions
- Q: Can I do this stretch with my legs against a wall?
Yes. Sit sideways next to a wall, swing your legs up it as you lie back, and shuffle your hips close to the wall before letting the legs slide apart. The wall takes the weight of the legs, so your hip flexors and lower back can relax and longer holds become more comfortable.
- Q: How long should I hold the Lying Adductor Stretch?
The ACSM recommends holding a static stretch for 10 to 30 seconds for most adults, or 30 to 60 seconds for older adults, and repeating it until you have about 60 seconds in total, 2 to 3 days a week. With the legs resting on a wall, many people hold for a few minutes.
- Q: Why do I feel it behind my thighs or knees?
Raising straight legs to vertical also stretches the hamstrings, so if they are tight you will feel them before your inner thighs. Bend your knees slightly until the pull moves to the inner thighs.
- Q: Is it normal for my feet to tingle or go numb?
It is common when the legs stay above the heart for a while, but it is a sign to come out of the stretch rather than push through it. Bend your knees toward your chest, rest until the feeling returns, and use shorter holds.
- Q: Will stretching my inner thighs prevent groin strains?
Not on its own. Groin strains usually happen when the adductors have to produce force while stretched, as in kicking and changing direction, so strengthening them with exercises such as Machine Hip Adduction or the Cossack Squat matters more, with stretching kept as a complement.