Though soccer, hockey, basketball and tennis players often suffer a groin strain, you don't have to be an athlete to experience this injury. With weak inner thigh muscles, groin strains may also occur while performing everyday activities such as climbing a ladder or lifting heavy objects. To help prevent or minimize the possibility of a groin injury, perform exercises that target the muscles of your inner thigh, the adductors. If you have access to a pulley machine, perform adductor-strengthening exercises while standing or lying down.
The inner thigh muscles include the adductor longus, adductor brevis and adductor magnus. Collectively, these muscles are referred to as your hip adductors. When these muscles contract, they pull your thigh toward the midline of your body. All three muscles originate at the pubis area of the hip and insert at the linea aspera, a longitudinal ridge running down the back of the femur. Your hip adductors are targeted during pulley hip adduction exercises.
About the Equipment
Performing pulley hip adduction exercises requires a special fitness machine. The machine is designed with upper and lower pulleys, cables and a stack of weights. To set up the machine, you'll select the desired amount of weight, attach an ankle cuff to the end of the cable and use the lower pulley. For the standing hip adduction exercise you'll use one pulley machine and with the lying hip adduction exercise, you'll need two opposing pulley machines.
Standing Cable Hip Adduction
Place the pin into the weight stack at the desired weight amount. Strap the ankle cuff to your right ankle and stand with your right side toward the machine. Move away from the machine, to your left, and stop when the weight is an inch above the rest of the stack. While balancing on your left leg, start by lifting your right leg one or two inches off the floor. Keep your right leg straight and move it toward your left in front of your left leg as far as you can. Pause for a count of two, reverse your movement to the starting position and repeat. Perform two to three sets of 10 to 12 reps. Switch the cuff to your left ankle and repeat.
Cable Lying Hip Adduction
With the lying hip adduction exercise you work both legs at the same time. Set up two opposing pulley machines to the desired weight and attach an ankle cuff to the lower pulley cable of each machine. Sit near the right machine and strap the cuff around your right ankle. Scoot over to the machine on your left, pulling the cable enough with your right leg to allow you to attach the other ankle cuff to your left leg. Sit so your butt is evenly position between the machines. Lie back on the floor, bend your hips 90 degrees and start with your legs together, straight toward the ceiling. Slowly spread your legs and lower them to the side until you feel a stretch in your inner thighs. Raise and return your legs to the starting position and repeat. Perform two to three sets of 10 to 12 reps.
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