What is the difference between abductors and adductors

Similarly, the most famous are those found on the inner thigh. In the legs we have a total of five muscles that, being independent but with a common task, make up the adductor muscle: pectineus muscle, adductor major muscle, short adductor muscle, long adductor muscle and gracilis muscle. Be that as it may, the important thing is that these adductor muscles, also known as adductor muscles of the lower limb, have, standing on the inner thigh, the function of closing the legs.

That is, to bring the thigh to the height of the midline of the body and bring one leg closer to the other. Having strong adductors is essential in many sports, especially soccer, swimming, cycling, and running. Therefore, it is very important not to forget about these muscles and do exercises to strengthen them.

In the gym there are machines that allow you to work them, but you can also do it from home. Again, although the most famous are those of the legs, they are found in many other regions of the body. In fact, all the examples of abductors that we have seen before have an antagonistic adductor with which it is complemented. Whenever there is someone who pulls out abductors there must be someone who pulls in adductors. After individually analyzing what they are, surely the differences between abductor and adductor have become more than clear.

Even so, in case you want or need to have the information with a more visual character, we have prepared the following selection of the most important differences between abductor and adductor muscles in the form of key points. As we have already discussed, this is the most important difference.

And the one that can be applied to all the groups of abductor-adductor muscles of the body not only those of the legs , such as those of, in addition to the thighs, hands, fingers, thumbs, feet, eyes , etc. The abductor muscles are those that have the mechanical function of separating a part of the body from its axis , that is, to perform external movements. This, in the case of the legs, translates into lateral movements that separate one leg from the other.

On the other hand, the abductor muscles are those that have the mechanical function of bringing a part of the body closer to its axis, that is, of making internal movements. This, in the case of the legs, translates into joining one with the other. A difference to apply to the muscles of the lower limb, which, as we have discussed by active and passive, are the most relevant at a sports level. The abductor muscles, to allow these movements away from the legs, are located on the outer face of the thigh they look out , from where they perform the contractions that allow the abduction movements that we have already detailed.

On the other hand, the adductor muscles, to allow these movements of approach between both legs, are located on the inner side of the thigh they look inwards , from where they perform the muscular contractions that are translated into these adduction movements that allow the approach to the axis.

Open the hips, lubricate the knees and get blood flowing around the lower body with an abductor and adductor machine superset. Perform these in a rep range to keep injury risk low, and focus on staying within your active range of motion and controlling the weight. Three sets should be sufficient to get you up.

My preference would be more functional movements, however. See the list below…. If you have one lower body strengthening session per week, some exercises you might want to include in your programme include:. Stretch the adductors by sitting upright with feet touching in front of you. Place your elbows on your knees and push them down towards the floor, shifting your weight forward for a deeper stretch. There are a number of stretches you can do for the abductors but one, suitable for all levels, involves sitting upright again with one leg outstretched and the other leg crossed over this leg, towards the opposite side of the body.

Hug the knee and look in the opposite direction to where you are pulling the knee to increase the stretch. Thing is, though, understanding some of that tricky terminology can go a long way toward helping you fine-tune your form, avoid injury, and see the results you're after faster.

Case in point? Adduction vs. I know what you're thinking: These two words are practically identical. They've got to be pretty similar, right? Not so fast. Convinced to finally get these two terms straight? Here, trainers explain the difference between abduction and adduction—plus, a breakdown of exercises you already do that actually focus on these movements.

You're welcome! Imagine that a line runs from the center of the top of your head, all the way down to the floor, in between your feet. This is what fitness pros refer to as your midline, which is basically just the center of your body, Hammond explains. Any movement in which you pull one or both of your legs or arms away from this midline and out to the sides, is considered abduction, he says.

That's abduction. Unsurprisingly, muscles that help your body perform abduction movements are called abductors. For your legs, for instance, "the abductors are key contributors to stabilizing the hips," Hammond says.