Hip abduction exercise and leaner thighs go hand in hand.

In basic terms hip abduction means to take the leg away from the midline of the body, kick your leg straight out to the side, or to work the outer thigh. So, when you are doing hip abduction exercise it involves some form of moving the leg away from the body, usually with added resistance for strength.

The hip is a ball and socket joint, which means that you can move the leg in four directions abduction (away from body), adduction (toward midline of body), flexion (bringing the leg up towards the torso), and extension (drawing the leg straight back behind the body).

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Why is hip abduction exercise good for the hip joint and thighs?

Doing hip abduction exercise helps to strengthen and stretch the muscles that surround and protect the hip joint. As an added bonus, with the stretching and strengthening actions it pulls the muscles into longer and leaner lines.

These muscles include: gluteus medius and minimus, the piriformis (in the buttocks), the ilipsoas (in the groin), the tensor fasciae latae (upper lateral thigh), and the sartorius (runs from outside of lateral thigh into the medial side just below the kneecap).

Strengthening and stretching these muscles will help to stabilize the hip as well as to keep it flexible and working efficiently so we can move with ease. Most specifically, walk with ease and without pain.

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What types of hip abduction exercise should I be doing?

There are many different ways to do hip abduction exercise. You can exercise in a side lying position, lying on your back, or standing. You can work most all of these hip abduction exercises using the resistance of water in a pool.

Some of my favorites are Pilates based exercises done on a mat or utilizing Pilates equipment if you have it available.

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Side kicks:

All exercises done lying on your side with your shoulders and hips stacked on top of each other and legs angled slightly forward at the waist.

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