Unless you’ve dealt with an injury in your upper leg or you’re spending more time in the gym strength training you might not have used these terms much. Which is why adductors vs abductors can leave us a bit confused, so we’re going to clear it up and understand what they do for your runs, plus how to strengthen them.
As a running coach, I’m interested in them because they occasionally relate to an injury and we want to resolve it. But also because understanding how to work your lower body is massively important for our goals.
Yes, there’s literally only a one-letter difference between the words but the muscle groups do opposite things.
The abductor and adductor muscles in your hips and thighs work together to allow side-to-side leg movements. Your abductor muscles move your leg away from the midline of your body, while your adductor muscles bring it back towards the midline.
Yes, training these muscles specifically is beneficial to you as an athlete, not just for bodybuilding.
So let’s dive a little deeper here into these important running muscles, what they do, common issues runners may have, and how to resolve them.
What are the Adductors?
The adductors are made up of the adductor longus, brevis, magnus, and minimus, as well as the pectineus, gracilis, and…
