# Standing Cable Hip Adduction: how to do it

- Main muscles: adductors
- Equipment: cable
- Level: beginner
- 3D demo (side view): https://media.trainaq.com/exercises/cable_hip_adduction/7eef816285/side-m-720.mp4

## Steps

1. Strap a cuff to your inside ankle on a low pulley.
2. Stand side-on, holding the machine, leg drawn out to the side.
3. Sweep the leg in and across, just in front of your standing foot.
4. Pause, then let it return slowly.
5. Finish your set, then turn round for the other leg.

## Cues

- Stand tall, hips level.
- Knee straight, toes forward.
- Slow on the way out.

## Common mistakes

- Leaning or twisting to pull the leg across.
- Swinging the leg with momentum.
- Letting the cable yank your leg back out.

## Starting position

Set a cable pulley at its lowest point with an ankle cuff. Stand side-on to the column on the right leg, knee soft, right foot nearly under the body, toes forward. Hold the column with the left hand at about chest height; the right hand rests on the right hip. At the start the cable has drawn the left leg out to the side, about 25° from vertical, foot just off the floor, with the weight stack lifted. Trunk upright and square to the front, pelvis level, stomach braced.

## The movement

Keeping the left knee straight and the toes pointing forward, sweep the left leg in towards the midline, led by the inside of the ankle. As it crosses, the leg swings slightly forward so the left foot passes just in front of the right foot rather than into it. Stop about 10° past the midline, pause, then let the cable draw the leg back out slowly to the start. The trunk, the pelvis and the standing leg stay still throughout.

## End position

Start: left leg about 25° out from vertical, foot clear of the floor. A forward swing of about 9° at the hip moves the foot about 14 cm forward, enough for it to pass in front of the standing foot. With the left hand on the column, the standing foot sits about 0.8 m from it.

## Tempo

About 0.25 s at the start, 1 s in, 0.5 s pause, 2 s back out, a short beat before the next rep.

## Form in numbers

| Measure | Target | Good range | Sources |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Pulley height | lowest setting | floor to ankle height | [1] [2] |
| Cuff position | just above the working ankle | lower shin | [1] |
| Standing knee | 5° (soft) | 0–15° | [1] |
| Working leg at the start, out from vertical | 25° | 20–35° | [2] |
| Working leg at the end, across the midline | 10° | 5–15° | [1] [2] |
| Working foot at the end | in front of the standing foot | clears it by 2–8 cm | [1] [2] |
| Working knee | 0° (straight) | 0–10° | [1] |
| Working toes | forward | 0–10° out | [2] |
| Trunk side lean | 0° | under 5° | [1] |
| Pelvis tilt | 0° | under 5° | [1] |
| Pause at the end | 0.5 s | 0.5–1 s | [1] |

## Sources

1. [ACE, Standing Hip Adduction](https://www.acefitness.org/resources/everyone/exercise-library/104/standing-hip-adduction/)
2. [ExRx, Cable Hip Adduction](https://exrx.net/WeightExercises/HipAdductors/CBHipAdduction)
3. [Serner et al. 2014, Br J Sports Med 48(14):1108–1114, "EMG evaluation of hip adduction exercises for soccer players: implications for exercise selection in prevention and treatment of groin injuries"](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23511698/)
4. [ACE, A Pro's Guide to Muscle Mechanics: The Hip Adductors (2025)](https://www.acefitness.org/continuing-education/certified/july-2025/8898/a-pro-s-guide-to-muscle-mechanics-the-hip-adductors/)

Source: https://trainaq.com/exercises/cable-hip-adduction