Side-Lying Hip Adduction
What Is the Side-Lying Hip Adduction?
Side-Lying Hip Adduction is an isolation exercise that primarily targets the hips and groin, specifically the adductor muscles of the inner thigh, and also engages the obliques and the supporting shoulder to hold the side-lying position. It is a beginner-level movement that needs nothing but a mat: you lie on your side, cross the top leg in front with its foot on the floor, and lift the straight bottom leg toward the ceiling.
The exercise trains the adductors on their own, without the hips, knees and back sharing the load the way they do in a squat or a lunge. That makes it a common choice in physical therapy, in groin-strain prevention programs and in home workouts, and a useful counterweight for anyone who does plenty of outer-hip work but little for the inner thigh. In a study of 24 physically active college students, side-lying hip adduction produced more adductor longus activity than ball squeezes, side lunges, standing adduction on an exercise ball, rotational squats and sumo squats.
The working leg is the bottom one. Because only the weight of that leg resists the lift and the range is short, the load stays light, which is why the exercise is usually done for higher reps, slowly, with a pause at the top. An ankle weight on the bottom leg is the simplest way to add resistance. It is easy to confuse with Side Hip Abduction, which lifts the top leg away from the body and works the outer hip instead.
Side-Lying Hip Adduction suits beginners, people building back from a groin strain under a clinician's guidance, and runners and field-sport athletes laying a base for heavier adductor work. Once a full set feels easy, Copenhagen Plank (Bent Knee) and then Copenhagen Plank load the same muscles far more heavily, and Machine Hip Adduction or Cable Hip Adduction let you add weight in the gym. Focusing on the inner thigh genuinely helps here, because rolling the pelvis back or swinging the leg forward lets the hip flexors take over a movement this small.
Muscles Worked
- Adductor Longus
- Primary
- Adductor Magnus
- High
- Deltoid
- Low
- Gluteus Medius
- Minimal
- Serratus Anterior
- Minimal
- Vastus Medialis
- Minimal
Instructions
- Lie on your left side on a mat with both legs straight and stacked.
- Prop your upper body up on your straight left arm, hand flat on the floor slightly in front of your shoulder, and place your right hand on the floor in front of your hips for balance.
- Bend your right knee and plant your right foot flat on the floor in front of your left thigh.
- Keep your left leg straight, your kneecap facing forward and your hips stacked, with your chest lifted away from the floor.
- Exhale and lift your left leg straight up toward the ceiling as high as you can without rolling your hips back.
- Pause for a moment at the top and squeeze your inner thigh.
- Inhale and lower the leg slowly until it almost touches the floor.
- Repeat for all reps, then turn over and work the other side.
Common Mistakes
Rolling the pelvis back
Letting the top hip drift backward turns the lift into a hip-flexor movement and takes tension off the inner thigh, so keep the hips stacked.
Turning the leg out
Rotating the bottom leg so the kneecap and toes point to the ceiling shifts the work to the hip flexors, so keep the kneecap facing forward.
Swinging the leg forward
Lifting the bottom leg forward instead of straight up toward the ceiling shortens the work for the adductors and lets momentum do the job.
Bending the working knee
A bent bottom knee shortens the lever and makes the lift easier, so keep the leg straight from hip to heel.
Dropping the leg
Letting the leg fall back to the floor skips the lowering half of each rep, where much of the work happens.
Sagging into the supporting shoulder
Letting the trunk sink toward the floor loads the shoulder and lower back, so press the floor away and keep the chest lifted.
Injuries
Side-Lying Hip Adduction is a low risk exercise when performed with proper technique. The leg lifts only its own weight through a short range, so the strain stays modest. The places that complain are the groin when a recent adductor strain is pushed too hard, the lower back when the pelvis rolls or the trunk sags toward the floor, and the wrist and shoulder of the supporting arm, which carry part of your body weight in the propped position.
Keep your hips stacked and your trunk lifted so the work stays in the inner thigh rather than the back. If the straight-arm prop bothers your wrist or shoulder, lower onto your forearm with the elbow under the shoulder, or lie flat and rest your head on your bottom arm. Lift slowly and lower just as slowly rather than letting the leg drop.
To make it easier, shorten the lift to a few inches or hold the top position briefly instead of doing full reps. To progress, add an ankle weight or a longer pause, then move to Copenhagen Plank (Bent Knee) and Copenhagen Plank, which load the adductors much harder.
Stop if you feel a sharp or pulling pain in the groin, pain at the front of the pubic bone, or pinching in the front of the hip. A recent groin strain or long-standing groin pain should be assessed by a physiotherapist or sports medicine clinician, who can set the starting load and the pace of progression.
- Primary Focus
- Hips & groin
- Equipment
- Body weight
- Modality
- Strength
- Difficulty
- Beginner
Alternative Exercises
Other Names for the Side-Lying Hip Adduction
The Side-Lying Hip Adduction is also known as:
- Inner Thigh Lift
Frequently Asked Questions
- Q: Which leg does the work in Side-Lying Hip Adduction?
The bottom leg. It stays straight and lifts toward the ceiling, while the top leg crosses in front with its foot on the floor and only provides balance. Lifting the top leg away from the body is a different exercise, Side Hip Abduction, which works the outer hip.
- Q: Will Side-Lying Hip Adduction slim my inner thighs?
No. Training a muscle does not burn the fat that sits over it, so the exercise strengthens the adductors but does not trim that area on its own. Fat loss comes from your overall diet and activity.
- Q: How is it different from the Copenhagen Plank?
Both train the adductors, but the Copenhagen Plank makes the top leg hold up most of your body weight, so it is far more demanding. Side-Lying Hip Adduction works well as a starting point, and Copenhagen Plank (Bent Knee) is the usual next step.
- Q: How can I make Side-Lying Hip Adduction harder?
Strap an ankle weight to the bottom leg, slow the lowering down, or hold the top position for 2 to 3 seconds on every rep. When those stop being challenging, move to a Copenhagen plank or a weighted adduction machine.
- Q: How many reps should I do?
Because the load is light, 2 to 3 sets of 12 to 20 slow reps per side is a common prescription. Stop each set when you can no longer lift without rolling the hips back.