The adductors are the muscles on the inside of your thigh. There are several of them, and the biggest, the adductor magnus, is also a big part of what straightens your hip when you stand up from a squat. This page lists the adductor exercises that already have a full guide on this site, says what the studies measured in each, and builds a short session. It's about training, and the activity and force results come from single lab sessions, not from growth over weeks, unless I say otherwise.
The adductor exercises, and what was measured
| Exercise | What the studies measured |
|---|---|
| Copenhagen plank | In 40 elite soccer players doing eight adduction exercises, the authors called the Copenhagen adduction and a band adduction dynamic high-intensity exercises; the muscle measured was the adductor longus.1 In 15 people, a model of muscle force ranked the long-lever version in the top tier for every adductor muscle, and the short lever for two of them.2 In 48 field-sport athletes, adduction torque in the isometric version rose with a longer lever and with added weight.3 |
| Side-lying hip adduction, ball squeeze | In 24 physically active college students, side-lying hip adduction produced more adductor longus activity than any of the other five exercises, and ball squeezes produced more than the sumo squat, rotational squats and a standing adduction on a ball.4 The adduction machine is on its own page. |
| Sumo squat, wide-stance squat | Ranked last for adductor longus activity among six inner-thigh exercises in the student study.4 In 10 male competitive bodybuilders at 80% of their max, a back squat with twice the usual stance produced more adductor longus activity on the way up than the front squat; the abstract says than all the other squats tested.5 |
| Squat, deadlift, step-up | In the force model, the deadlift and sumo deadlift were top-tier for the gracilis and the hip-extending part of the adductor magnus, and the step-up and squat for that part of the adductor magnus.2 In 17 men over ten weeks, full squats grew the adductors 6.2% against 2.7% for half squats.6 In a nine-week trial of 34 untrained adults, the estimated difference in adductor size change favored the squat group over the hip thrust group by 2.5 cm² (95% confidence interval 1.2 to 3.9).7 |
Two more guides cover side-to-side work with no inner-thigh study cited here: the lateral lunge and the lateral band walk. They are useful moves, but I'm not claiming what they do for the adductors.
The biggest adductor has two jobs
Imaging of the adductor magnus in 15 young adults showed that most of its volume sits in parts set up to extend the hip, and its capacity to produce torque was more than twice as great for hip extension as for adduction.8 That fits with the force model ranking the deadlift and the squat high for it,2 and why I'd keep both in a week before adding inner-thigh moves on top.
The Copenhagen adduction has a training trial. In 24 under-19 football players, adding an eight-week progressive Copenhagen adduction program to their usual training raised eccentric hip adduction strength by 35.7% while the group that trained as usual didn't change.9 That is one small trial in under-19 football players.
An adductor session (practical)
This is a practical layout, not a protocol from a study. Adductor work fits on the end of a leg day:
- A full-depth squat or a deadlift, already in your leg day.
- A Copenhagen plank from the short lever, two or three holds of 10 to 20 seconds a side. Move to the long lever when the short one is easy.
- Side-lying hip adduction, ball squeezes or the adduction machine, two or three sets of 10 to 15.
Stop each set with a rep or two left. (How to judge reps left.) The American College of Sports Medicine's 2026 stand found muscle growth was enhanced by ten or more sets per muscle group a week,10 a figure for whole muscle groups; I don't give an adductor-only count, so count the squat and deadlift sets as well. At home, a pillow or a ball does the squeeze, and a sturdy chair or a couch does the Copenhagen.
Common questions
What is a Copenhagen plank, and is it an adductor exercise?
It is a side plank with the top leg on a bench, so the inner thigh of that leg holds your body up. In the studies above it ranked at the top for adductor force and was described as a high-intensity adductor exercise.2,1 The guide is the Copenhagen plank.
Does the sumo squat work the adductors?
It was ranked last of six inner-thigh exercises for adductor longus activity in the student study,4 while a wide-stance back squat produced more adductor longus activity on the way up than the front squat in the bodybuilder study.5 So a wide stance adds some, and a direct move adds more.
Do squats work the inner thigh?
Yes: full squats grew the adductors 6.2% in the ten-week trial,6 and the nine-week trial estimated a 2.5 cm² difference in adductor size change favoring the squat group over the hip thrust group.7
How many adductor sets a week?
There is no adductor-only number in the studies cited here. The 2026 stand's ten or more sets per muscle group a week is for whole groups,10 so count your squats and deadlifts too.
If you'd rather not plan it alone
A Copenhagen plank and a squeeze are quick to add; deciding where they fit among your squats, hinges and the rest of your week is the part a page can't do. Coaching is the version where your workouts are built around the days you actually have, and a weekly call looks at the week you just had and rebuilds the next one. Coaching to build muscle explains how that works, and here's how to apply. Otherwise: finish your next leg day with two short-lever Copenhagen holds a side.
General education only, not medical advice. If you have a medical condition, are pregnant, or take medication, check with your doctor before changing how you train or eat.
Sources
- Serner A, Jakobsen MD, Andersen LL, et al. EMG evaluation of hip adduction exercises for soccer players: implications for exercise selection in prevention and treatment of groin injuries. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 2014. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23511698/ (accessed October 29, 2026).
- Collings TJ, Horsman A, Hams AH, et al. Hip adductor muscle forces during strength training and rehabilitation exercises. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 2026. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41931009/ (accessed October 29, 2026).
- O' Connor C, Duffy D, Thornton L, et al. Impact of lever length and added external weight on hip adduction torque during isometric Copenhagen adduction exercise variations. Journal of Sport Rehabilitation (published online ahead of print), 2026. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42933384/ (accessed October 29, 2026).
- Delmore RJ, Laudner KG, Torry MR. Adductor longus activation during common hip exercises. Journal of Sport Rehabilitation, 2014. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23945760/ (accessed October 24, 2026).
- Coratella G, Tornatore G, Caccavale F, et al. The activation of gluteal, thigh, and lower back muscles in different squat variations performed by competitive bodybuilders: implications for resistance training. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2021. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33477561/ (accessed October 24, 2026).
- Kubo K, Ikebukuro T, Yata H. Effects of squat training with different depths on lower limb muscle volumes. European Journal of Applied Physiology, 2019. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31230110/ (accessed October 22, 2026).
- Plotkin DL, Rodas MA, Vigotsky AD, et al. Hip thrust and back squat training elicit similar gluteus muscle hypertrophy and transfer similarly to the deadlift. Frontiers in Physiology, 2023. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10593473/ (accessed October 22, 2026).
- Takahashi K, Tozawa H, Kawama R, Wakahara T. Redefining muscular action: human "adductor" magnus is designed to act primarily for hip "extension" rather than adduction in living young individuals. Journal of Applied Physiology, 2025. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40139264/ (accessed October 26, 2026).
- Ishøi L, Sørensen CN, Kaae NM, et al. Large eccentric strength increase using the Copenhagen Adduction exercise in football: a randomized controlled trial. Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports, 2016. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26589483/ (accessed October 29, 2026).
- Currier BS, D'Souza AC, Singh MAF, et al. American College of Sports Medicine position stand. Resistance training prescription for muscle function, hypertrophy, and physical performance in healthy adults: an overview of reviews. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 2026. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12965823/ (accessed October 11, 2026).