Home / Fitness exercises / Legs / Thighs / Adductors / Cable adduction
Adduction on the cable pulley
Using the cable machine for adduction allows you to target the inner thighs, provided that your gym is equipped with a cable tower featuring ankle straps. This exercise offers an intriguing alternative to the conventional adduction machine workout. By incorporating a Theraband, this exercise becomes suitable for at-home training. Through slight variations in cable adduction, you can also specifically target your glutes during abductions or kickbacks. Due to its relatively straightforward execution, this isolation exercise is suitable for both beginners and advanced individuals, making it a valuable addition to personalized workout routines.
Muscles Engaged in Adductor Training with the Band When training the adductors with the band or cable machine, you are focusing on a specific isolation exercise that exclusively targets the adductor muscles (Musculus adductor).
Execution of the Adductor Exercise on the Cable Machine In the following section, you will find comprehensive information on the correct body position and optimal execution to effectively strengthen the inner thighs using the cable machine.
Body position
To start the adductor exercise on the cable machine, attach the ankle strap to the lower block of the cable tower, securing it around the ankle of the leg you wish to train. Then, grasp the cable tower with the arm on the same side, while the leg with the ankle strap hovers almost fully extended a few inches above the ground. The other leg remains firmly planted on the ground, maintaining an upright upper body with the gaze forward. Ensure that the leg you are training is close to the cable, while the other leg is approximately a step away, allowing you to touch the cable with the extended arm. Maintain a slight arch in your lower back to protect your spine.
Movement execution
To initiate the exercise, move the foot with the loop away from the cable, keeping the leg almost fully extended. Perform a lateral movement, bringing the leg to the other side of your body. The distance between your legs is incidental, but most fitness enthusiasts opt for a short distance, bringing the trained leg close to the other foot. Be mindful to execute the movement only as far as you can maintain your body in the same position. Then, inhale and slowly return the leg to the starting position, ensuring continuous tension on the leg.
Stressed muscles and common mistakes
Various mistakes can occur when practicing adductor exercises on the cable machine. In this article, you'll receive recommendations on how to effectively avoid the most common errors.
✅ Avoiding with Thighs and Hips: It is frequently observed that athletes, during adductor training on the cable machine, opt for weights that are too heavy. As a result, they deviate from the exercise movement by making compensatory motions with their thighs and hips. However, it is advisable to move only the leg with the foot strap.
✅ Fully Extended Leg: The leg should not be fully extended. Maintain a slight bend to protect the knee joints.
✅ Decreasing Muscle Tension: Move the leg only as far back towards the cable tower as necessary to maintain constant tension on the cable and, consequently, on the adductor muscle.
Alternatives and similar exercises to cable adductors
Training the adductors on a cable machine is just one of many options. In this subsequent section, we present similar exercises that allow you to specifically strengthen your adductor muscles or train the abductors as counterparts.
Comments
Add comment