A Physical Therapist Shares 4 Groin Stretches to Keep You Moving
If your hips feel tight, you're probably not thinking about focusing your stretching on your inner thighs. But your groin muscles play more of a role in the structure and stability of your hips than you would expect.
The groin muscles, also known as the adductors, help in everything from squatting to sprinting. Philip Tam, PT, DPT from Bespoke Treatments shares four helpful stretches to wake up the adductors and keep you limber. That can help you feel and move better for not just your workouts—you'll be in better shape to take on just about any type of activity.
What Are the Groin Muscles?
The groin muscles, a.k.a. the adductors, are a group of five individual muscles that make up the inner portion of the thigh. Together, they are responsible for 'adducting' the leg, or pulling the leg back into the midline of the body. This is commonly confused with the abductor muscles, which make up the outside of the leg and pull the leg away from the body.
What Does the Groin/Adductor Muscles Do?
Since the adductors pull the leg into the body, they are vital for stabilising the hip and knee joints. When squatting, these muscles help to prevent the knees from fanning out too far outside the hips as you power your weight up. When it comes to sprinting and stopping, adductors ensure your landing leg doesn't slide out from underneath you. Thank them next time you stop quick and don't land in the splits.
Who Can Benefit From These Stretches?
Squatters
Athletes
Desk Workers
If you're big into squatting, tightness in your adductors can limit your depth. The muscles must have a good stretch to them to be able to open the legs out and sink deeper into the hips. If you're a runner, a tennis player, a soccer player, or a hockey player, these stretches are key to proper stop-and-go movement (acceleration and deceleration). Even if you just sit all day, these four stretches will feel great to get up and do every half hour or so to loosen up the hips.
Give these a test run next time you're feeling tight. Aim for 10 reps each.
The 4 Best Groin Stretches
Frog Pose
This is a great stretch to start out your squat workouts. It will open up the hips to prep your body for good range of motion during your reps.
With this stretch (and all stretches), make sure you're pushing only to a point where you still feel comfortable. You should feel the muscles stretching, but if they start to pinch, you've gone too far.
How to Do It:
Start on all fours.
Open up the knees wider than your hips to wherever is comfortable for you.
Sink the hips down and back towards your heels.
Hold the stretch for five seconds. Repeat 10 times.
Adductor Slide
Complete this stretch with a slider if you have one. If you're at home and have hard floors, a towel works just fine, too. If you have carpeted floor and no slider, try using a paper plate. Anything that you're able to slide on your floor with will work with this.
Do this before playing a field sport or working on your sprints to wake up those groin muscles to ensure stability when planting.
How to Do It:
Start on all fours, with the towel under one knee.
Slowly slide the knee with the towel out as far as is comfortable.
No need to hold this stretch. Just go to where a stretch is felt and slide back in.
Aim for 10 reps each side.
90/90 Lean Back
This stretch is great for opening up the hips when it feels like you've been sitting for hours on end. Tam suggests doing this every half hour to break up the sitting. Office workers: This one is for you.
How to Do It:
Set up in the 90/90 position. This means both legs should be positioned at a 90 degree angle in both the hips and the knees.
Plant both hands behind you, and slowly lean back until you feel the stretch on the front inside groin.
Hold for three seconds before releasing. Aim for 10 reps each side.
Runner's Stretch with Rotation
This is another great warm up stretch for runners, as the name implies, but also for all the squat enthusiasts out there. It mimics the squat position, stretching out the adductors and warming up the thighs. Start with this on your next leg day.
How to Do It:
Start in a runner's lunge, kneeling on one knee.
Keep the pelvis tucked down, and lean slightly forward.
Start with both arms facing forward.
Rotate through the spine to wherever is comfortable, bringing one arm behind you.
Hold for a second, and release. Aim for 10 reps each side.
Try these out next time you practice your deep squats or any running or sprinting. Remember, only stretch to where is comfortable. No need to push to pain to get the benefits of these movements.
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