The Hip abductor muscle group are located on the lateral thigh. The primary hip abductor muscles include the
gluteus medius, gluteus minimus, and tensor fasciae latae. The secondary hip abductors include the
piriformis, sartorius, and superior fibers of the gluteus maximus.
Glutes: Hip Adductors
The hip adductors are a group of five muscles located in the medial compartment of the thigh. These muscles
are the adductor longus, adductor brevis, adductor magnus, gracilis, and pectineus. Due to their position,
the hip adductors shape the surface anatomy of the medial thigh.
Glutes: Hip-Thrust
Thrust: Drive your hips up towards the ceiling until your body forms a straight line from your knees to
your
shoulders. Squeeze your glutes at the top of the movement, hold for a second or two, then lower your
hips
back down to the starting position.
Back: Back Extension
Extend the hip and back together to bring yourself up to an extended position above horizontal in which
the
entire back, including the upper back, is extended completely and the glutes are forcefully contracted.
Lift
your head up at the top to reinforce upper back extension.
Quads: Hack Squat or Barbell Squats
The hack squat involves standing on the plate, leaning back onto the pads at an angle, with the weight
placed on top of you by positioning yourself under the shoulder pads. The weight is then pushed in the
concentric phase of the squat. Simply put, when you stand back up, that's when the weight is pushed away
from you
Hamstrings: Seated Leg Curls
Seated leg curls are an exercise that primarily targets the hamstrings and glutes. This isolation
exercise
can be performed on a leg curl machine, where you sit with your back flat against the chair and your
heels
resting on the roller pad.
Quads: Leg Extension
Leg extensions are done on a leg extension machine. You sit on the machine with a weighted pad on top of
your lower legs. Then you use your quads to repeatedly extend your knees and lift your lower legs. While
the
leg extension is a great quad workout, it might not be the most practical move.
Calves: Standing Calf Raises
The calf raise, also known as the standing calf raise, is a bodyweight exercise that targets the muscle
groups in your lower legs. Perform calf raises by standing tall with your feet hip-width apart. Lift
your
body by pushing into the fronts of your feet, activating your calf muscles as you stand on your tiptoes.
Abs: Captains Chair Leg Raises
The captain's chair leg raise is a bodyweight exercise that targets the abs. It is performed on an
apparatus
that allows the forearms to rest on pads and the upright torso to hang freely. Leg raise variations are
often performed for moderate to high reps, such as 8-12 reps or more, as part of ab-focused training.
