Hip (Abductor) Exercises

Leg Muscle Groups

There are two categories of muscles within the hips (abductors). The inner hips are known as the iliopsoas (also responsible for pulling the lumbar spine) and container three muscles: illiacus, psoas major, and psoas minor. The muscles more directly responsible for abduction of the hips are the fascia lata and the tensor fascia lata.

These muscles are small in nature and do not require a large amount of weight for effective targeting. The best strategy for hip (abductor) exercises is to perform them at a low weight but aim for a high amount of repetitions.

A list of hip (abductor) exercises:

Cable hip abductions are a nice way to strengthen and form the hips. The use of cables allows for very fluid motions while performing the exercise.
Machine abductions do an excellent job of targeting and shaping the hips (gluteus medius and gluteus maximus), which can thereby make the waistline appear more narrow.