Sore Hip Abductors

[SherTiger1]

Searched all over sherdog and google for this but not much luck.

I'm feeling quite a bit of DOMS in my hip abductors (medius and minimus glutes?) today and not really sure why as I didn't train my lower body yesterday.

Only thing I can think of is that while benching yesterday, I had my feet a bit further back than normal which may have put some strain on the hips... Would this likely be the cause and is it normal for the abductors to be worked during bench?

It's not happened before but like I said my feet aren't usually planted that far back, but I hadn't benched for a few weeks and must have been trying extra hard to get an arched and stable base.

I can also get quite sore in the abductors after mma classes, particularly from grappling and practising guard.

I normally squat about once a week (high bar) and do some light RDL's afterwards for some posterior chain and hamstring stretch, but no direct hip work.

Are the hip abductor machines worth using or can they cause other problems? I don't have access to proper bands though.

 

[miaou]

It should be easy to distinguish between DOMS and "injury pain".

Stay away from the seated hip abduction machine.

If you need an exercise to specifically target/activate the gluteus medius try seated band abductions, x-band walks and miniband side-steps.

 

[SherTiger1]

It should be easy to distinguish between DOMS and "injury pain".

Stay away from the seated hip abduction machine.

If you need an exercise to specifically target/activate the gluteus medius try seated band abductions, x-band walks and miniband side-steps.

Is there any particular reason why the abduction machine is bad? Or is it just generally like everything else, where freeweights are superior to machines?

I don't have access to bands other than a small theraband which doesn't loop all the way round and not sure if the resistance is enough?

Are there any other good medial glute exercises without a band? Are standing/lying lateral leg raises any good?

 

[Tosa]

Unilateral leg exercises use both the Abductors and Adductors to stabilize the movement. So get your lunges in.

 

[miaou]

Is there any particular reason why the abduction machine is bad? Or is it just generally like everything else, where freeweights are superior to machines?

I don't have access to bands other than a small theraband which doesn't loop all the way round and not sure if the resistance is enough?

Are there any other good medial glute exercises without a band? Are standing/lying lateral leg raises any good?

• It forces an unnatural open-chain move pattern (unless there is some activity in your training or every-day life where you abduct your straight legs at an approx. 90

 

[SherTiger1]

• It forces an unnatural open-chain move pattern (unless there is some activity in your training or every-day life where you abduct your straight legs at an approx. 90

 

[SherTiger1]

Oh and one more thing - is it a sign of a weak muscle or (relative to the rest of the body) or muscle imbalance if an area gets DOMS particularly easily?

 

[miaou]

The key point is the unnatural move pattern, I guess I might as well have omitted the "open-chain" part and avoided the confusion . Normally, you don't incorporate lower body open-chain movements with additional resistance in sport or every-day activities. If you do that for training purposes you definitely don't want a fixed move pattern. Again, when discussing about the seated hip abduction machine, besides lacking the stabilization factor (which is important by itself), the muscles simply don't work the way they normally would in movements you actually use (different lengths, different degrees of activation, different intermuscular coordination patterns).

EDIT: Let's say some machines you can use a lot, some others you can use for specific purposes and yet others you would better avoid using altogether. Seated hip abduction machine is in the latter category imo. /EDIT



Cable hip abductions are performed exactly as you described. I would suggest doing them for high reps (~10-15). A little over 45

 

[Tosa]

Oh and one more thing - is it a sign of a weak muscle or (relative to the rest of the body) or muscle imbalance if an area gets DOMS particularly easily?

6 of one, half a dozen of another. A muscle imbalance is just another way of saying that a muscle is weak relative to another, rather than just plain weak.

Also, abduction and adduction movements can put strain on the tendons and ligaments of the knee (the knee joint doesn't move in the same plane, so the load is on the tendons and ligaments, rather than muscles). This doesn't mean don't do abduction and adduction movements, but that you should be catious with adding weight, and that your often better off adding volume.

Which is one reason why I think it's good to include some unilateral work. They allow you to work the abductors/adductors under a heavier load with less strain on the tendons and ligaments (assuming you using correct technique).

 

[SherTiger1]

EDIT: Let's say some machines you can use a lot, some others you can use for specific purposes and yet others you would better avoid using altogether. Seated hip abduction machine is in the latter category imo. /EDIT

Cable hip abductions are performed exactly as you described. I would suggest doing them for high reps (~10-15). A little over 45

 

[SherTiger1]

Which is one reason why I think it's good to include some unilateral work. They allow you to work the abductors/adductors under a heavier load with less strain on the tendons and ligaments (assuming you using correct technique).

Cheers I'll give lunges a go next time too.

I haven't done them in quite a while, but last time I introduced them to my workout I hurt my knee from doing them, and I think it happened twice so I just dropped them.

I was using DB's or plates with handles, and a weight that allowed at least 10 reps. Also, I was stepping backwards as advised from somewhere I read that it puts less stress on the knees than stepping forwards... but didnt work out too well for me lol.

How would you recommend doing them? I've people doing them with barbells on their back but not stepping and just repping continuously with feet planted?

 

[miaou]

Thanks, well I'll stay away from the abductor machine then...

I did some hip abductions today after squatting, but since my abductors were still a tiny bit sore and they're probably quite weak I just did it with no weight at all and they were more difficult than I thought so I was just working within your suggested rep range but with no weight.

My ROM is pretty poor though if I try to stay 100% strict (ie try not to move any other part of my body, although when I reach the end of my ROM (probably just under 45 degrees on average) I can kind go a little bit higher without leaning or moving my upper body but it feels as if my pelvis is elevating and obliques may be coming into play. And obviously if I lean slightly in the other direction or forward then ROM increases quite a bit.

But I'm presuming that's what you mean by compensation and it's better to stick to a small ROM? I also find if working one leg immediately after the other, I can still feel the standing leg working as a stabiliser, and inducing a slight "high-rep type of burn".

I'll keep at it for a while and see if ROM improves.

Sounds good, you are right in that raising the pelvis is a compensation pattern. As long as you feel your gluteus medius work and as long as you go to your full ROM (whether that is small or not doesn't make a difference) you are getting the benefits from the exercise.

It is a good idea to do a set or two as a part of the warmup before your squats/DLs/good mornings/lunges/etc. That way you will get better activation of the glute med during those exercises.

 

[Tosa]

How would you recommend doing them? I've people doing them with barbells on their back but not stepping and just repping continuously with feet planted?

Those are split squats. Also good. Either would work. Or if you don't like lunges, other unilateral exercises work as well. Like step-ups or single leg squats. I like to use a box for single leg squats, it makes it easier to balance, you just want to be sure that your sitting down onto it softly, and that you're not rocking forward to stand up.

Personally I prefer to step forward when doing lunges, that way I can see were I'm going to put my foot. But if you've had issues with lunges in the past, perhaps another unilateral exercise would be a better choice.

 

[SherTiger1]

Those are split squats. Also good. Either would work. Or if you don't like lunges, other unilateral exercises work as well. Like step-ups or single leg squats. I like to use a box for single leg squats, it makes it easier to balance, you just want to be sure that your sitting down onto it softly, and that you're not rocking forward to stand up.

I tried to do a few single leg squats today too actually, the proper way with the other leg forward but I can't balance and had to hold onto something which admittedly took away some of the weight. The last time I did full sets was quite a while ago but with the other leg behind me and therefore lots of forward lean, however this hurt my knee (see below).

But if you've had issues with lunges in the past, perhaps another unilateral exercise would be a better choice.

Actually I should have added that I don't think lunges were specifically to blame but about a year ago now I was having some on/off issues with one of my knees.

Was not a big injury or anything, but occassionally during certain exercises I felt a sharp pain in front of my left knee. The first time it happened was during a set of deads (v.moderate weight I could easily do 10 reps with). The pain would stop after the movement and maybe last for a day or two but only if I put weight on it, and then be fine after.

For a couple months or so this happened another time during DL, once or twice during lunges, once during a single leg squat on that leg (as above) but funnily enough not once during squats.

Then it went away for a long while and happened once a few months ago when I was jogging down a stairwell and I was going to get it checked out but it went and not happened since so left it.

Anyway, regarding single leg squats or pistols, is it a technique issue that I can't keep my balance? If my other leg points forward I either tip backwards or try to compensate with lots of forward lean in which case I dont have the flexibility to keep my leg from touching the floor in front of me.