Prehabilitative Strength: The Adductors!

ATSC Family,

Whenever you’re in the thick of your seasons, when the standard rhythm of games and training finally get established, it can be a great time for players not already engaging in a supplemental strengthening program to add this aspect of your development into your training weeks. Time and time again, both in the research and in actual real-world work with youth, collegiate, and professional teams, it has been unequivocally shown that a proper strengthening program can help reduce the risk of injuries over the course of a competitive season.

When it comes to reducing injury risk in athletes, one of the primary areas to focus supplemental strengthening work on is the leg adductors, aka, the ‘groin muscles’ – the muscles on the inside of the upper leg, running from the hips all the way down to the knees.

Image of the Adductor Muscles (image courtesy of Neurokinetic Therapy)

As one of the most commonly injured areas (one recent study found that during a soccer season, for example, around half of all players will experience pain in these muscles at some point; another found that, during any given week, around 20% players on a team will be having pain in this area), it’s critical for successful athletes to do what they can to help reduce their risk of injury and stay as healthy as they can over the course of the season. After all, the best physical ability for any athlete isn’t speed, or agility, or coordination, or any other skill… the best ability for athletes is AVAILability: being healthy enough to be on the field is at the root of success on the field!

Here are three exercises you can add to your training regime to increase the strength and resiliency of their adductor muscles, improving not just your injury resistance, but also your ability to decelerate and change direction faster and more fluidly.

The Copenhagen Isometric Bridge is a foundational exercise used around the world in professional sports to help keep players healthy during the long competitive seasons; in our work with collegiate and professional athletes, even on weeks where we cannot get in a traditional strength training session, we’ll still find time somewhere in the week to include a Copenhagen Bridge progression – it can make that big a difference to long-term health. When doing these, you should feel them working the inside of the thigh, right on your adductor muscles. Try doing these for 1-2 times per week for 1-3 sets, holding for 20-30sec each leg.

The Single Leg Side Pillar, Inside Leg Up is able to be performed anywhere: at home, in the gym, or even on the field after practice. As you do these, really focus on keeping a tight core and lifting your hips high each repetition. When doing these, you should feel them working the inside of the thigh, right on your adductor muscles. Try doing these for 1-2 times per week for 1-3 sets, for 5-15 repetitions each leg.

The Lateral Bound – Stick/Hold allows your adductor muscles to be worked in a dynamic, explosive fashion, much like you’ll ask them to work while playing. These can be done before or after practice, 1-2 times per week, for 1-3 sets, for 3-8 repetitions each leg.

And there you have it! Three activities you can integrate into your training week that, if done properly, can make a significant difference in the strength and injury resistance of your adductor muscles. As you try these three movements, we encourage you to have at least one day’s rest between them and your next game; so, if your game is on a Saturday, do them no later than Thursday, in order for your body to be its freshest and most ready to compete on game day!

If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to us through our Contact page here and, for more general and sport-specific training information, visit our Instagram at: atsc_solutions. We also have a vault of proven, effective programs that we implemented at the Division I and professional sports levels for purchase on our Products page here. And if you’re looking to take your game to your highest levels, click here and let’s work together either in-person if you’re in the Cape Fear area or here if you’re interested in our individually-specific online training!