Hip Abduction Machine – Do You Need One?
Page Contents
The hip abduction machine has been around for quite a while now, however it’s recently become an extremely popular piece of kit, especially amongst women looking to strengthen and grow rounded glutes. You can even buy them for home gyms now!
Here at Gymgirl.fit, we’ve used them many times and regularly include them as part of a well-rounded lower body workout. However, you might be unsure about what they are, hip abduction machine benefits and whether you should be using them too.
Well, to help you find out more about hip abduction machines, we’ve tried to answer as many questions about them as possible, to demystify what they do, how they work and the benefits you can expect from using them.
Keep reading to find out more.
What is a hip abduction machine for?
The hip abduction machine has two pads which sit on the outside of your knees. When you push your knees out against resistance, it works your hip abductors, as well as tightening your outer butt and lower back. Hip abduction exercises can benefit your hip and knee strength.
The hip abduction machine is something you’re likely to find in most gyms and is now something you can buy for a home gym too! You can even buy them on amazon.com, like this product from Body Solid.
By pushing your knees out against the resistance of the machine, whilst maintaining a stable seated position, you will feel the burn at the side of both hips and in your glutes. The hip abductor goes down the side of each hip, and is essential to your everyday movement in the lower body.
It’s also essential to strength and stability in movements like the squat and lunge.
The hip abduction exercise machine has become something of a staple in any good butt workout, as it helps to work out the muscles around your hip and the outer sides of your butt, helping to create a rounder shape.
Because of this, the hip abduction machine has grown in popularity and has been used by men and women to develop the outer hips to support heavier squats and an overall stronger lower body.
[Related Article: Best Hip Thrust Pads Reviewed]
Does hip abduction make hips and glutes bigger?
The hip abductor machine has been designed to strengthen the hip abductors and the glutes. This means it can contribute to making your glutes bigger as part of regular and varied butt and lower body workouts.
It can be especially beneficial if you’re noticing there seems to be a weakness at the sides of your hips, often referred to as ‘hip dips’. By regularly using the hope abductor machine you can put the magnifying glass on these often missed muscles and help to ‘fill out’ those hip muscles. You can use the hip abduction machine along with other hip dip exercises to focus on this area.
As this is such a specific area to focus on, it’s rare to find a movement or machine that’s puts the intensity on the hip dip area so effectively.
Having said that, it’s important to remember that not one exercise alone can give you that coveted ‘bubble butt’. Any smart booty workout will have a combination of movements that challenge your body in a variety of ways. Consider adding these other movements to your butt workout too:
However, if you’re asking whether the hip abduction machine makes hips bigger, the answer is no. Fair enough, it’ll help fill out those hip dips, but it won’t dramatically change the width of your hips at all, that’s completely down to your skeletal make up. No exercise can change that.
Should I use a hip abductor machine?
Whether you’re thinking about adding this piece of kit to your home gym, or you’re wondering whether you should try it out at the gym, it’s important you know about the abductor machine benefits.
To help you decide on what to do next, we’ve lined up some key hip abduction machine benefits.
Hip Abduction Machine Benefits
Weak hips
If you think you’re experiencing weakness in the outer hip, then using a hip abductor machine can be a great way to specifically target these areas. However, we recommend using alongside multi-joint exercises like squats, as they’ll contribute towards building overall strength too.
May help with hip dips
Hip dips are the area on the outside of your hips, where it’s common for many women to experience a ‘dip’ where the physique goes inward instead of a smooth line.
While this is extremely common and nothing to worry about in any way, many women aim to use exercise to ‘fill out’ this area and eliminate the hip dips.
The hip abductor machine specifically targets these areas on the outer hip and may be a good addition to a hip dip workout if you have access to the equipment!
Hip Abduction for glute growth
By working on the area on the outer hip and butt, you can use the hip abduction machine for glutes. It will help to make these outer muscles stronger and bigger, developing a more rounded shape that many women are aiming for.
Regularly combine this with some other exercises targeting this area and it’s likely you’ll see some great results. To be honest, it’s one of our favourite hip abduction machine benefits.
Hip Abduction Machine cons
Of course, we have to think about the hip abduction machine benefits, alongside the cons too.
Obviously, we can see that they can help to develop strength and shape around the hips and glutes. However, there are some other elements you should take into consideration before you consider buying or using a hip abduction machine.
They do one thing
Unlike a barbell or a set of dumbbells, a static machine like the hip abduction machine is pretty limited. While we do like to mix it up with sitting and squat position abduction (holding on to something securely of course!), once you’ve finished that set, that’s all you can do with the hip abduction machine.
So, if you’re considering buying one for your home gym for example, think about how much cash and space you can realistically commit to just one exercise.
If you’re using a hip abductor machine in the gym, this isn’t really a concern – so go for it!
They can be pricey
Similar to the point above if you’re starting your own home gym, the hip abductor isn’t the cheapest or easiest to find piece of kit. So again, really think about how much you’re going to use this and whether it’s worth it.
So, if you’re thinking about building overall strength in your lower body, or want to develop bigger, more rounded glutes, then we’d say definitely consider adding the hip abductor machine to your lower body workouts alongside other movements.
This way, you’ll get the variety you need to make some noticeable changes to your physique.
It’s also great to hear that you can now buy hip abductor machines to use in home gyms. There are some great quality options out there that, while they’re not the cheapest, they’re reducing in price all the time as popularity grows, and will give your booty and leg workouts a definite edge.
Alternatively, if you’re just starting out or don’t have the funds or space for this type of equipment, then a good resistance band for glutes is also a great alternative that is considerably easier on the purse.
How to use a hip abduction machine
Sit down on the seat and adjust the pads so your feet are resting on the stirrups and your knees are bent at 90 degrees directly in front of you. Chose a suitable weight and push both knees outwards, whilst maintaining this seated position. Return knees to the centre.
Luckily, as a static machine designed to target very specific muscles, it’s very easy to use and should come with clear instructions on how best to use it safely.
You may have also seen quite a few ladies standing up, leaning forward and holding on to the machine to perform their hip abductor exercises. This changes the muscle focus slightly, allowing for more of the intensity to sit on the glutes – kind of like you’re doing monster walks, but more intense!
Of course, to do this, you need to be very sure the hip abductor exercise machine is safely fixed to the floor and heavy enough to do so.
Hip abductor exercise machine alternatives
Of course, you don’t have to opt for a full machine if you don’t want to. It’s a big space and cash commitment if you’re thinking about buying, and they’re usually pretty busy when in the gym.
Instead, a small looped resistance band can be a great alternative. They are lightweight and can offer a good amount of resistance that can help to focus on the hip dip area too. They’re also very inexpensive compared to a full machine.
Having said that, they do have their limitations in terms of resistance, but are still good pieces of kit. Either way, it’s always great to have a range of options at your fingertips!
