Workout for the Side of the Leg

At the insides and outsides of your legs are your hip adducting and abducting muscles, which are respectively responsible for pulling your leg in towards the centerline of your body and lifting your leg out to your side. They also help maintain hip and knee stability. Strengthening these muscles can help reduce the risk of knee and hip problems, especially in runners.

  1. Workout Structure

    • Do the workout two days per week and on nonconsecutive days. Ideally, schedule it with your other leg workouts. Take 10 minutes for a dynamic warm-up before each workout to increase blood flow, body temperature and neuromuscular activity. Walk or jog for a couple of minutes and then perform leg swings, body weight squats and lunges. Perform two sets, 10 to 15 reps per set, for each exercise.

    Outer Leg Exercises

    • To work your hip abductors on the outside of your legs, begin your workout with side-lying hip abduction and standing hip abduction. Side-lying hip abduction uses your own body weight as resistance and only requires the use of an exercise mat. Lie on your side with your legs atop each other. While keeping your knee straight, lift your top leg as far as you can before your hips begin to twist, and then return your leg back down. When you’re finished with the set, flip over and work the other leg.

      Though you may do the standing hip abduction exercise just by using your body weight, most will need to incorporate additional resistance in the form of an exercise band or a cable pulley. With one end attached to the cable unit or to a low point on a stable object, attach the free end of the band to one ankle. Stand perpendicular to the stable unit with your strapped ankle furthest away from it. Keep your leg straight and lift it out to the side, and then lower it back to complete the rep. Switch legs when you’re finished with the set.

    Inner Leg Exercises

    • For your hip adductors on the inside of your legs, include the side-lying hip adduction and standing hip adduction exercises into your workout. Side-lying hip adduction is similar to the abduction lying exercise, except that you lift your lower leg up toward the ceiling. Slide your top leg slightly back so that your bottom leg is free to move. Lower it back down and then repeat. For standing hip adduction, position yourself perpendicular to the stable unit with your strapped ankle closest to the unit. Keep your knee straight as you pull your leg across your body until your hips twist and then return it back to where you started. Switch legs when you’re finished with the set.

    Advanced Exercises

    • For a more challenging way to work your hip adductors and abductors, incorporate side lunges into your workouts. Though the lunges primarily develop your glutes and quadriceps, the muscles on the inside and outside of your legs contribute to the movement and work to stabilize your hips and knees. Take a large step to the side with your right leg, then bend your right knee and push your hips back to lower your glutes toward the floor. When your thigh is nearly parallel to the floor, extend your knees and hips, stand up and bring your right foot back to complete the rep. Step to the side with your left foot for the next rep and continue to alternate legs.