The human body consists of several abductors or muscles that move the arms and legs away from the body, or your fingers from the central line of your arm. The most important of these muscles are the shoulder abductors and hip abductors. The shoulder abductors are the major muscles of the shoulder joint such as the middle deltoid and supraspinatus muscles. The hip abductors are the muscles in the hip area that move the thigh out to the side away from the center line of the body. They provide support for the legs to help athletes in their various sporting activities where their agility and speed are needed. Because of this role, abductors become a delicate part of the muscular system that requires attentive care through proper abduction exercises.
You can perform certain exercises for your shoulder abductors such as shoulder press, front raises and lateral raises. The shoulder press strengthens the major abductors of your shoulder. The front raises work the anterior or front deltoid muscles which flex or bend your arms forward while the lateral raises exercise your shoulders through lateral movements of your arms. The major exercises for your hip abductors include the (a) seated hip abduction which, using a Lever Abduction Machine, is effective in targeting the hip muscles separately for the other group muscles, (b) side bridge abduction that utilizes the core muscles of the back, chest and stomach as stabilizers, and (c) standing up abduction which is performed on the Lever Leg Machine to make all the hip abductor muscles act as supporting muscles.
Various types of fitness equipment are also used for other abduction exercises. The cable abduction uses a Cable Machine and ankle cuff and is performed in a standing position. The standing leg lift exercise uses a pair of ankle weights strapped around the lower legs, while the lateral lunges use mainly the floor to work the muscles of the hip and buttocks. The “W” exercise is done while one is lying on the floor on the left of the left leg, drawing in the process an imaginary letter “W” in the air. The thigh abduction uses the Thigh Abductor Machine to work the outside of the thighs and legs. A hip abductor exercise for senior citizens uses resistance with a flat band tied securely to provide an amount of resistance for the outer thighs or the hip muscles. In some cases, this exercise uses a small inflated or weighted ball to help strengthen the hips.
Overtraining is likely to occur in your exercises. This is due to a sudden move during a running activity that triggers a strain or pressure in the hip muscles that can lead to an injury known as a pull. This injury occurs when muscle fibers are torn during overtraining. Corrective or rehabilitation exercises are necessary once the injury has stabilized. These exercises include the standing leg cross to stretch the abductors, the standing abduction which strengthens the hip muscles with the weight of the body, and the step outs that work the abductors as supported by a rubber-resistance loop. Another rehabilitative exercise for the muscle injury is performed from a face-up position to target the abductor muscles.
