The Adductor Magnus is Not Just for Squeezing—This Muscle Is Your Secret Weapon for Power
New research reveals the adductor magnus is actually a powerhouse for hip extension, not just adduction, and what this means for your training.
Ever wonder why your inner thigh muscle, the adductor magnus, feels so involved in heavy squats, deadlifts, and leg presses (and even incredibly sore afterwards)? This study reminds us that it’s not just a hip adductor and may be more important for hip extension—the motion at the centre of powerful lifting and propulsion.
Key Points
Aim
To clarify whether the adductor magnus is primarily a hip extensor or adductor in living, young adults, using advanced imaging and real-world torque measurements.
Methods
Participants: 15 healthy young adults (10 males, 5 females), physically active or sedentary, with no history of adductor magnus injury.
Imaging: Used diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and tractography to map the 3D structure of the adductor magnus, dividing it into three portions based on fascicle insertion.
Torque Measurement: Measured maximal isometric hip extension and adduction torque using a dynamometer.
Analysis: Calculated muscle volume, physiological cross-sectional area (PCSA), moment arm, and potential torque for each muscle portion and for different hip actions.
Key Points
Muscle Architecture: The posterior and anterior-distal portions make up over 80% of the muscle’s volume and PCSA.
Torque Potential: These dominant portions have a longer moment arm for hip extension than for adduction.
Torque Capacity: The adductor magnus’s potential torque for hip extension is over twice that for hip adduction.
Correlation: The muscle’s estimated hip extension torque potential matched well with actual measured hip extension strength, but not with hip adduction strength.
Results
Torque Generation: The whole muscle’s potential torque was significantly greater for hip extension than for hip adduction.
Individual Variability: There was notable individual variation, but the trend favouring hip extension held for most participants.
Practical Implication: The adductor magnus is a major contributor to hip extension strength, not just adduction.
Practical Takeaways:
For Lifters: Don’t neglect the adductor magnus in your training; it’s a powerhouse for hip extension, crucial for squats, deadlifts, and sprinting.
Training Implications: Exercises challenging hip extension (like Romanian deadlifts, hip thrusts, and even squats) likely target the adductor magnus more than previously thought.
Rehabilitation & Injury Prevention: Understanding this muscle’s true role can help design better rehab and injury prevention programs for athletes and active individuals.
Key Takeaways:
The adductor magnus is not just an inner thigh muscle for squeezing your knees together—it’s a major hip extensor, built for powering movements like standing up, sprinting, and lifting heavy. Its structure and function in young, active people favour hip extension, making it a key player in lower body strength and performance.
Reference
Takahashi, K., Tozawa, H., Kawama, R., & Wakahara, T. (2025). Redefining muscular action: Human “adductor” magnus is designed to act primarily for hip “extension” rather than adduction in living young individuals. Journal of Applied Physiology. https://doi.org/JAPPL-00600-2024
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