Cutting Edge Fitness - Trainer Tutorial

Adductor Machine (Add)

Introduction for new clients: The Adductor machine works the muscles of the inner thigh and groin. This large group of muscles pulls the thigh toward the middle of the body. Strength here protects and balances the pelvis, hips and thighs.

Targets: Adductor Magnus, Adductor Brevis, Adductor Longus, Pectineus, Gracilis

Setup

1. Install the weight pin.
2. Squeeze the brake handle on the movement-arm adjustment lever, and push down on the lever to move the movement arms to the center.
3. Seat the client (there is no seat adjustment).
4. Tell the client to sit back and extend their legs forward with the vertical movement-arm pads between their legs. The pads should make contact with the leg just above the knee, not at the knee or lower. If necessary, add a second back pad to slide the client forward in the seat.
5. Insert the head cushion behind the client's head to make the head neutral on the spine.
6. Between each leg and the leg pad, install an additional, white-cloth covered pad.
7. Tell the client to:
   • Lean back against the backrest
   • Keep their legs extended (do not bend the knees)
   • Rest their hands on the hand grips (but do not pull)
   • note - Ken Hutchins says to "Inter-digitate the fingers of both hands and place them on your belly." I love that phrase! Should we include it here instead of instructing the client to hold the handles?
8. Squeeze the brake handle and pull up to open the client's legs as wide as possible.
9. Without releasing pressure against the client's legs, release the brake-lever handle to lock the movement arms to the weight stack, in the open position.
   

Machine Use and Cues

1. For newer clients, review the movement pattern: Squeeze your legs together slowly until the weight stack just barely touches, and then resist the weight as you slowly return to the open position. The second rep should feel easier since you will have recruited all of your abductors by that time. Beginning with the third rep, squeeze your legs together hard for a couple of seconds at full contraction. Pretend that you are trying to touch the upper, inner edges of the patellas as you perform the positive adduction (this controls the tendency to roll the knees outward).
2. Count down and begin.
3. Cues:
   • keep your neck relaxed.
   • Keep your head neutral.
   • Keep your feet relaxed.
   • Keep your hands and arms relaxed.
   • Keep your knees pointed up.
   • Try to touch the inside edges of your knee caps together (during positive adduction phase).
4. When the client can no longer move the weight smoothly, tell them to hold against that weight for an additional 10 seconds. The best position for this is totally flexed (legs squeezed together).
5. On the workout log, note the total time, any weight adjustments for the next use of the machine, and any other significant points or observations.

Program Considerations

The Adductor machine can be used almost anywhere in a workout. It may be easier to focus on the adductors after pre-exhausting another large muscle group in the legs, so try this following any hamstring, quad or glute exercise.

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