During pregnancy the role of the adductors changes in response to a shifting centre of mass, pelvic adaptation and the need for greater stability. As the pelvis adapts and the abdomen grows, the femurs often sit in slightly more abduction and external rotation. This places the adductors in a longer resting position for extended periods of time. Alongside this, movement naturally favors more wider stances or bilateral type movement patterns, reducing their contribution to pelvic and hip stability.

The adductors also have an important anatomical relationship with the pelvic floor through shared fascial connections. Together, they help manage pelvic position, pressure and stability, particularly during asymmetrical or high load movement. Because of this relationship, force generated or absorbed by the adductors directly influences how the pelvic floor responds and vice versa. When adductor strength and timing are reduced, the pelvic floor is often asked to compensate by increasing tone or bracing to maintain stability.

As both systems adapt to longer positions and reduced dynamic demand during pregnancy, this relationship can become less efficient. The pelvic floor may struggle to respond quickly to changes in load, while the adductors lose their role in sharing force across the pelvis. Restoring adductor capacity therefore isn’t just about inner thigh strength; it plays a key role in improving pelvic floor responsiveness, reducing unnecessary tension and supporting coordinated movement across the hips and trunk.

This often shows up as hips that feel restricted or unstable in lateral movement, and adductors that present as “tight” despite lacking true strength or control. Tension becomes a compensatory strategy, particularly when the system is asked to manage single leg tasks, running or changes of direction. During pregnancy, this same pattern can also contribute to pelvic girdle or symphysis related pain when the pelvis lacks shared muscular support.

Restoring function here isn’t about isolating one muscle or forcing flexibility. It’s about rebuilding coordination between the adductors, pelvic floor, glutes and deep hip rotators — allowing them to share load again, respond to pressure changes and support movement across all planes.

This is why stretching alone rarely resolves the issue. Effective adductor work needs to be progressive and multidimensional.

Which brings us to these 6 layer adductor progressions.

1. Lengthen — Creating Access to Range

Adductor Rockbacks

Lengthening is the first step, but not in the way most people think of stretching.

After pregnancy, adductors often have plenty of available range, but limited control and poor positional awareness within that range. Traditional passive stretching can increase sensation without improving how the pelvis and hips organise themselves during movement.

Adductor rockbacks approach lengthening differently. By placing the hips in flexion and allowing the pelvis to move relative to the femur, the adductors are lengthened while the system remains supported. The goal here isn’t to chase more flexibility. It’s to reintroduce the adductors to length in a way that the nervous system trusts, setting the foundation for strength and control to follow.

2. Isolate — Rebuilding Signal and Side-to-Side Awareness

Adductor Lifts

Adductor lifts strip the movement back to its essentials. By removing momentum and external load, the adductors are given a chance to contract deliberately, often revealing side to side differences that aren’t obvious in compound movements.

The goal here isn’t to stay isolated long term. It’s to re-establish a clear, confident contraction so that when the adductors are later asked to stabilise the pelvis or contribute to lateral loading, they’re no longer the weak link in the chain.

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3. Isometric — Building End-Range Stability

Copenhagen Plank

Once the adductors can contract intentionally, the next step is teaching them to hold.

Isometric work asks the adductors to maintain pelvic position without movement, which is where their relationship with the pelvic floor becomes especially relevant. Both systems rely on sustained, well timed tension to manage pressure and load, particularly during single leg tasks and transitional movements.

The Copenhagen plank challenges the adductors while requiring the pelvis, trunk and hips to remain organised. Rather than chasing fatigue, the goal is steadiness — allowing the adductors to contribute to stability without gripping or compensating.

4. Eccentric — Owning Length Under Load

Copenhagen Dips

Eccentric work teaches the adductors to manage lengthening under load, which is critical for deceleration, gait and changes of direction. Without this capacity, the system often defaults to stiffness, limiting movement rather than absorbing force.

Copenhagen dips introduce controlled descent, asking the adductors to slow the body down while maintaining pelvic alignment.

5. Strength — Integrating Into Full-Body Movement

Deadstop Lateral Squat

Once length and control are established, the adductors need to work as part of a coordinated system.

The deadstop lateral squat places the adductors in a primary role during load transfer while removing momentum. Starting from a pause forces the body to organise from the ground up, encouraging the adductors, glutes and trunk to share the work rather than offloading it to one area. This layer bridges isolated capacity and real-world strength, reinforcing lateral control in a way that translates directly to daily movement and training.

6. Power — Making Strength Transferable

Lateral Bounds

Power is where adductor strength becomes functional.

Lateral bounds require the adductors to absorb force quickly and re-direct it efficiently, coordinating with the pelvic floor, hips, and trunk to manage load dynamically. This is the layer that supports running, sport and confident movement in unpredictable environments.

Importantly, power only belongs here once the earlier layers are in place. Without sufficient length, control, and strength, high-velocity work tends to reinforce tension rather than resilience.

When built progressively, however, lateral power restores athleticism and trust in the system as a whole.

Final Thoughts

Adductor function is rarely a single issue problem. What often shows up as tightness is a system that has adapted to protect itself — first in response to the physical and neurological demands of pregnancy, and later during the return to higher demand movement.

When the adductors aren’t given opportunities to lengthen with support, contribute to pelvic stability, control load through range and eventually produce force dynamically, tension becomes the default strategy.

Rebuilding adductor capacity isn’t about chasing flexibility or isolating one muscle group. It’s about restoring coordination between the adductors, pelvic floor, glutes and deep hip rotators so movement can be supported efficiently and confidently across all planes.

This layered approach is how adductor work is programmed inside the Lift with Emily app — integrated into full body strength training and progressed intentionally based on where you’re at, whether that’s during pregnancy, postpartum, or while rebuilding long term athletic capacity.

If you’re looking for structured guidance that prioritises sustainable strength over quick fixes, you can explore all programmes inside the app and start with a 7-day free trial.