Cable Hip Adduction

beginner · isolation

Setup

Stand beside a low pulley and clip an ankle cuff to the ankle of the leg nearest the stack. Step away from the stack into a wide stance, balance on the far leg and let the cuffed leg be pulled out to the side as your starting point.

Execution

Rest one hand lightly on the machine frame for balance and brace your core.
Exhale and sweep the cuffed leg across in front of the standing leg, driving from the inner thigh.
Keep the knee nearly straight and the torso upright throughout, without leaning with the cable.
Pause for one beat once the leg has swept as far as it will go, squeezing the inner thigh.
Inhale and let the cable pull the leg back to the start under control.
Finish the reps, unclip the cuff, switch legs and repeat with the same count.

Breathing

Exhale as the leg sweeps across, inhale as it returns. Do not hold your breath to hold your balance on one leg.

Quick cues

Drive from the inner thigh, knee nearly straight.
Torso upright, do not lean.
Plant the standing leg like a root.
Sweep across, then return slowly.
Hips stay square, don't twist with the leg.

Common faults

Fault: Leaning the whole body with the pull of the cable
Fix: Rest a hand on the frame and drop the load until the torso can stay upright.
Fault: The working knee bending partway through the rep
Fix: Think of the leg as a straight board and drop one weight increment.
Fault: Letting the cable yank the leg back after every rep
Fix: Count two seconds on the way back and keep tension through the whole set.
Fault: Standing too close to the stack so the leg runs out of room to sweep
Fix: Step half a pace further out so the leg has room to finish the sweep.

Equipment

cable

Muscle groups

legs, glutes