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Side-Lying Hip Adduction
Why Include This
Side-lying hip adduction is a low-load, gravity-resisted isolation exercise for the medial thigh, commonly used early in groin-injury rehabilitation and adductor-strengthening progressions. Surface EMG studies of adductor exercise batteries in athletes have shown that side-lying (isolated) hip adduction produces high adductor longus activation relative to many functional alternatives, and because adductor brevis shares the adduction moment arm at low hip-flexion angles it is loaded concurrently (fine-wire confirmation for brevis specifically is limited, since its depth makes surface EMG unreliable). Adductor strengthening programs are supported by moderate-quality evidence for reducing groin problems in athletes; the specific superiority of this variant over others is not established, so it is best positioned as an accessible entry-level option that requires no equipment.
Evidence basis: moderate
Positions & Range of Motion
- Start
- Side-lying on the training side with head supported on the lower arm or a pillow, trunk and bottom leg in a straight line, bottom knee extended and foot in neutral. Top leg is flexed at the hip and knee with the foot planted flat on the floor in front of the bottom thigh (or the top leg rested on a bolster), top hand on the floor in front of the chest for balance. Bottom leg's inner thigh faces the ceiling.
- End
- Bottom leg raised 15-30 cm off the floor (roughly 20-30 degrees of hip adduction relative to the floor), knee straight, toes pointing forward, pelvis still stacked vertically with no trunk lean or backward roll.
- Range of Motion
- Approximately 20-30 degrees of hip adduction of the bottom leg, moving from slight relative abduction (leg resting on floor) to adduction past midline against gravity; range is short by design and should stop before the pelvis begins to tilt or roll.
How to Perform
Lying on one side with the top leg crossed over and supported in front, the bottom leg is lifted toward the ceiling against gravity, isolating the hip adductor group of the bottom leg. The movement is performed slowly through a short arc, with a controlled lower back to the start.
Opens a YouTube search for “Side-Lying Hip Adduction”
Coaching Cues
- 1
Stack your hips vertically and keep your bottom leg straight, in line with your trunk — do not let the top hip roll backward.
(setup) - 2
Lead with your inner heel, as if sliding it up along a wall behind you.
(external) - 3
Feel the squeeze along your inner thigh, not in the front of your hip.
(internal) - 4
Lift for 2 counts, pause briefly at the top, and lower with control for 3 counts without letting the foot rest between reps.
(tempo)
Evidence-Based Dosing & EMG Data
2-3 sets of 10-15 slow, controlled repetitions per side, 3 sessions per week. Progress by adding an ankle weight or slowing the eccentric phase once 3x15 is achieved without inner-thigh fatigue before rep 12. For early groin rehab, keep pain at or below 3/10 during and after.
Surface EMG comparisons of adductor exercises in athletes report high adductor longus activation for isolated side-lying hip adduction, comparable to or exceeding several functional exercises, though below the Copenhagen adduction. Adductor brevis activity is inferred from shared function and moment arm rather than measured directly, because its depth beneath adductor longus and pectineus makes surface EMG recordings unreliable and fine-wire data for this exercise are scarce.
Muscles Involved (7)
Primary Movers
Secondary Movers
Stabilizers
Easier Variations ↓
Isometric adductor squeeze (supine ball squeeze)
Lying on the back with knees bent, squeeze a ball or pillow between the knees and hold 5-10 seconds. Removes the range-of-motion and side-lying positioning demands while still loading the adductors; useful when concentric lifting is painful.
Reduced-range side-lying adduction
Perform the same side-lying lift but only through the first few inches of range, or with a pillow under the bottom leg to shorten the lowering distance and reduce time under tension.
Harder Variations ↑
Ankle-weighted side-lying adduction
Add a 1-4 kg cuff weight at the bottom ankle to increase external load while keeping the same movement pattern; progress weight when 15 controlled reps become easy.
Copenhagen adduction (short-lever)
Transition to the partner- or bench-supported Copenhagen adduction, which loads the adductors at much higher intensity in a side-plank position and has trial evidence for groin-injury risk reduction in athletes.
Target Movements (1)
Why This Exercise Matters
Everyday activities this exercise helps you do — essential means it directly trains the capacity the task needs:
Goals This Helps With
Rehab, performance, prevention, and mobility goals this exercise supports — essential means it's a cornerstone:
Research Notes
claude-researched 2026-07 (muscle-coverage), panel-verified muscle roles. Sources not yet linked.