Do I need the adductor machine in my workout?
The idea of doing countless reps on the abductor and adductor machines, believing that they’ll “burn” the fat on your inner thighs and hips (saddlebags), is completely misguided! “Ahhh, but I feel the burn…”
The signs of muscle hypertrophy go far beyond a feeling of “squeezing” or burning. What’s more, the range of motion—which is extremely important for causing muscle damage, recruiting more muscle fibers, and increasing time under tension—is quite small in these two exercises.
How the movement works
The main movement of the gluteal muscles is hip extension, so expecting to build muscle in this area by performing these movements is practically like waiting for a miracle.
You might be thinking, “But are the adductor and abductor machines really that useless?” It depends… If you’re healthy, have no joint problems, and train hard using so-called closed-chain exercises such as deep squats, stiff-legged deadlifts, lunges, leg presses, deadlifts, and others, then the machines are unnecessary.
Reducing hip fat
Want to reduce fat around your hips and inner thighs? Simple… Diet and intense exercise! Rethink your workout and see whether the machines are really necessary.
Is the adductor machine the best exercise for your hips?
Stick to the classics… barbell squats, lunges, leg presses, stiff-legged deadlifts… There’s no mystery to it!
Remember: it’s important to understand that all multi-joint movements, such as squats, single-leg lunges, and leg presses, work both the back and front of the thigh (quadriceps), as well as the glutes!
Put simply: whenever you do a compound exercise to train your “legs,” you’re training your butt… and vice versa.
There are variations you can do to emphasize one area or another, but it’s not possible to completely isolate the muscles mentioned when performing these multi-joint exercises!
And training your LOWER BODY on consecutive days will NOT provide any benefit!
