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The abductors are a group of four incredibly strong muscles in the outer thigh. A multitude of fitness programs specifically target strengthening the abductors as a group and even more specifically, the three abductors that make up the “glutes.” Cues like “squeeze your butt!” while performing squats and various other leg-focused exercises are meant to target this muscle group, although there are arguably more effective ways to strengthen these muscles.
With such a strong emphasis on strengthening the rear and outer thighs, more and more people are rolling out their IT bands (iliotibial band—a thick fibrous band of connective tissue on the outer thigh) on a stiff foam roller, both in and out of the gym. While foam rollers offer a grimace-inducing, seemingly “productive pain,” the solution to sore outer thighs, knees, and hips doesn’t have to be painful. You see, IT band syndrome (a condition where the IT band becomes so tight that it rubs against the thigh bone causing inflammation and pain) is usually due to an imbalance in the stretch and strength of the 4 major muscle groups in the legs: quads, hamstrings, adductors, and yes, abductors. Instead of irritating your inflamed IT band by rolling it out on a stiff roller, focus on balancing the strength and stretch of the abductors in relationship to their partner muscle, the adductors, to bring the IT bands back to health.
The abductors are a group of four muscles in the outer thigh: gluteus maximus, gluteus medius, gluteus minimus, and tensor fascia lata. They start (originate) at the back of the outer hip. From there, they stretch across the back of the hips to form the rear (buttocks) and taper down the outer (lateral) side of the leg to end (insert) along the thigh bone (femur). The abductors resemble an upside-down golf club.
The abductors are primarily responsible for hip abduction, but also assist with internal (medial) and external (lateral) hip rotation. Hip abduction occurs at the hip when you open the legs away from centerline—an imaginary vertical line along the center of the body dividing the left and right sides. The hips are abducted when you take a wide stance to keep your balance on the subway. Internal (medial) rotation is rotation of the leg at the hip joint toward centerline, while external (lateral) rotation is rotation of the leg at the hip joint away from centerline. In internal rotation, the knees point in toward each other. In external rotation, the knees point away from each other.In The Wizard of Oz, Dorothy alternately rotates her legs internally and externally while clicking her heels together in the famous “there’s no place like home” scene. When her heels reach out away from centerline (pointing outward), her legs are internally rotated, and when her heels are touching, her legs are externally rotated.
When you strengthen a muscle, for example, by lifting weights, tiny micro-tears develop in the muscle fibers. When you rest after strengthening, the body sends the necessary nutrients to repair the damage to that muscle, and to stimulate its growth to prevent future damage. It is this process of repairing the micro-tears that strengthens the muscle. Anytime you open your legs away from each other or rotate the hips, in or out of the gym, the abductors are strengthened. In everyday life, the abductors are strengthened each time you take a wide stance while playing golf, step out of a car, or go Latin dancing. In the gym, popular abductor-strengthening exercises include standard squats, jumping jacks, and side-lying leg lifts. In all these scenarios, the hips are abducting.
When you stretch a muscle, some of the individual muscle fibers (long, thin muscle cells) are pulled out to their longest length, while other muscle fibers remain contracted. The more muscle fibers that lengthen, the greater the stretch. To increase the number of lengthened muscle fibers requires consistent and repetitive stretching. When all the fibers lengthen fully, the muscle is at its longest and allows for maximum flexibility at the surrounding joints. This flexibility increases your overall range of motion and decreases risk of injury. Ideally, stretching takes place after movement. Movement increases blood flow to the muscles for a safer stretch. This is often referred to as stretching “warm” muscles. The increased blood flow from movement raises the temperature in the muscle so it is literally warmer. Plus, the blood flow boosts the oxygen supply to the body and causes the muscle fibers to have greater flexibility. So, contrary to what many of us were taught, there is no need to stretch before exercise. When you stretch a “cold” muscle, the muscle fibers are less flexible. So, not only is the stretch limited, the muscle is more susceptible to injury. Stretching and strengthening have a converse relationship. For example, if the legs must open away from centerline to strengthen the abductors, then they must pull toward centerline to stretch. In everyday life, you stretch the abductors when you sit cross-legged at your desk, when doing the “grapevine” (sometimes called the karaoke), or when you squeeze your legs together while trying on a too-tight skirt. In the gym, popular abductor-stretching exercises include supine spinal twist, seated spinal rotation, and supine abductor stretch.
Muscles support and move the skeleton, making them critically important for the structural health of your body. Muscles are made up of sheets of fibrous tissue that can contract and release. Both ends of a muscle connect to one or more bones via tendons. When a muscle contracts, the bones on either side of the muscle pull toward one another. When a muscle releases or stretches, the bones move away from each other. For example, when you’re walking, your muscles continuously contract and release to keep you moving. The body’s intricate muscle system often pairs muscles in an agonist-antagonist relationship. This means the muscles support each other by working together, so while one muscle contracts, its partner muscle stretches. In the thighs, the adductors are paired with the abductors (the muscle group on the outside of the leg). If your dominant focus is on strengthening the abductors without stretching them, then your adductors are always stretched, or strung out. When your adductors are over-stretched, they never get the chance to strengthen. The muscle and connective tissue then become thick and tough. Tough tissues are not as flexible and are more likely to be damaged or torn when you exert force on them (either by stretching or strengthening). More often than not, the abductors are much stronger than the adductors. We actually have more (and larger) muscles for abducting the leg and externally rotating it than we do for adducting and internally rotating. The reason is simple: gravity. Without any musculature in the legs, gravity would pull the bones down and in toward center. To counter gravity and keep us standing tall, our body developed strong abductors and external rotators. The problem arises when these strong muscles prevent the adductors from developing fully. The result is a strong outer leg and weak inner leg. When there is not proportionate strength and stretch between the adductors and the abductors, the ankles, knees, and hips may be pulled out of alignment. When the bones in a joint are misaligned, they cannot function optimally and are more susceptible to injury. Balancing the strength and stretch of the adductors in proportion to the abductors is key to having healthy, pain- and injury-free ankles, knees, and hips.
Try our abductor workout to strengthen, stretch, and optimize this muscle group.
The most common abductor injuries include strain, tear, and inflammation. Other ailments related to imbalanced abductors include IT band syndrome, piriformis syndrome, sciatica, knee pain, hip pain, and low back pain.
