Hip Abduction Machine: Muscles Worked and How to Do It
TL;DR
The hip abduction machine targets the abductors, the muscles on the outside of the hip that move your leg away from your body, with the glutes assisting through the same outward motion. It's a common accessory for hip stability and glute development.
- Primary muscle:
- Abductors
- Secondary muscles:
- Glutes
Muscles worked
Your abductors, mainly the gluteus medius and minimus on the side of the hip, are the prime movers. They contract to press your legs outward against the machine's pads, and they also play a big role off the machine in keeping your hips stable when you walk, run, or squat.
Your glutes assist through the same movement, since the gluteus maximus also helps rotate and move the leg outward. Training the abductors alongside the glutes helps round out hip strength that a lot of leg exercises don't reach directly.
Log Hip Abduction Machine in PR Streak
PR Streak's library has 873 exercises, each with photos and step-by-step instructions like this one. Log this move and see what you lifted last time right next to every set, with every PR caught automatically and a chart for every exercise.
How to do it
- To begin, sit down on the abductor machine and select a weight you are comfortable with. When your legs are positioned properly, grip the handles on each side. Your entire upper body (from the waist up) should be stationary. This is the starting position.
- Slowly press against the machine with your legs to move them away from each other while exhaling.
- Feel the contraction for a second and begin to move your legs back to the starting position while breathing in. Note: Remember to keep your upper body stationary to prevent any injuries from occurring.
- Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.
Form tips
- Sit tall with your back against the pad instead of leaning forward to push more weight.
- Move the legs apart under control, then let them return slowly instead of letting the stack snap them back.
- Keep your upper body still. The movement should come from the hips, not from rocking your torso.
- Pause briefly at the widest point of the movement to keep tension on the abductors.
Exercise details
| Equipment | Machine |
|---|---|
| Level | Beginner |
| Mechanic | Isolation |
Used by lifters following PPL, 5x5, upper/lower, and more.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does the hip abduction machine work?
It mainly works the hip abductors on the outside of your hip, the muscles that move your leg away from your midline. The glutes assist through the same motion, making this a useful accessory for hip and glute strength.
Is the hip abduction machine worth doing?
It's a good accessory for hip stability, especially for lifters whose main training is squats, lunges, or running. It isolates a muscle group that's hard to target directly with most compound lower-body lifts.
What else trains the glutes alongside the abductor machine?
A walking lunge works the glutes through a larger range and adds the quads and hamstrings into the mix, making it a good complement to isolated abductor work.
More abductors exercises
Exercise instructions and photos come from the free-exercise-db library, public domain, the same library used inside the PR Streak app.
