Should Men Use Hip Adductor & Abductor “Girl” Machines?

Do men and the hip adductor & abductor machines belong in the same sentence?

Who says that men shouldn’t use the hip adductor and abductor machines?

Why are the hip adductor and abductor equipment often referred to as “chick” machines?

Well, that’s because almost every user of this equipment is a woman.

Men prefer deadlifts and squats.

And just because women often camp out at this equipment, doesn’t mean that it’s a show of manli-less for men to use this type of apparatus.

After all, don’t men, too, have adductor and abductor muscles?

The hip abductor and adductor machines are extremely popular with women because collectively, women believe that using this equipment will shave fat off their outer and inner thighs.

The diagrams say “Muscles Worked,” and then show, usually in red color, the portions of the upper legs that the adductor and abductor exercise target.

This leads women to conclude that hip adductor and abductor movements against resistance will trim their inner and outer thighs.

Another reason they fall for this myth is that when you use these machines for a good set, you will indeed “feel it” in your inner thighs (hip adduction) and outer thighs (hip abduction).

So Here’s the Good News …

The hip adduction and abduction machines will not make big thighs slimmer or burn fat off the thighs.

So why, then, would men, who almost never have a fat problem in their thighs, want to use this equipment?

From time to time, I see men using the hip adductor or abductor machines.

These men certainly don’t have fat thighs or jiggly thighs.

However, why not hit all the muscle groups in the upper legs? Why just hit the quads and hamstrings?

There are six muscles responsible for hip adduction.

This means six muscles that don’t get worked much when doing squats, leg presses, hamstring curls and leg extensions.

If during squats and leg presses, your feet are pointed outward and especially with a wide stance, there will be more hip adductor recruitment.

Same with a Sumo deadlift. But it’s essentially non-existent with hamstring curls and leg extensions.

I’ve seen male bodybuilders using the hip adduction machine  —  obviously to build mass in their inner thighs.

But not every man wants to bulk up his upper legs.

Another reason for men to use the hip adductor and abductor equipment is simply to strengthen the inner and outer thigh muscles.

These machines isolate the inner and outer thigh muscles.

Another consideration is that hip abduction isolates the gluteus minimus and medius: two butt muscles.

If a man wants to build mass in his buttocks, it would be smart to include hip abduction in his routine  —  as the last exercise, after the bigger movements that target the butt’s biggest muscle: the gluteus maximus.

Men who ski will find that hip abduction work will enhance their skiing.

And men who inline skate will find that hip abduction will enhance inline skating.

This also serves to keep the outer thigh muscles (which are actually the gluteus minimus and medius here, which are located in the buttocks area rather than the “outer thighs”) conditioned for inline skating in the event a man must cease skating for awhile (such as for bad weather).

Inline skating heavily recruits these smaller butt muscles, and working them on a gym machine will keep you ever-ready to inline skate.

So go ahead, men, get on the hip adduction or abduction machines and don’t worry that other men might think you’re not macho; you just might meet some hot women at these machines.

Slimmer women populate this equipment quite a bit because, though the exercises don’t melt off fat, they DO firm and tone the muscles, which creates tighter legs and buttocks.

Lorra Garrick has been covering medical, fitness and cybersecurity topics for many years, having written thousands of articles for print magazines and websites, including as a ghostwriter. She’s also a former ACE-certified personal trainer for Bally Total Fitness.