Side lying isometric hip adduction works the muscles on the inside of your thigh (adductors) without moving the hip. You lie on your side with both legs straight and a small soft ball between your knees, then press the top knee down into the ball and hold. The legs hardly move, so it is a gentle way to start inner thigh work. You will often find it early in groin and hip programs.

How to do the side lying isometric hip adduction

Lie on your side on a firm bed or mat with a pillow under your head. Keep both legs long, with the knees straight or softly bent, one on top of the other and in line with your body.
Place a small soft ball or a folded towel between your knees, just above the joints. Your top hand can rest on the side of your hip, as in the video.
Stack your hips, with the top hip directly above the bottom one, and let your toes point forward.
Press your top knee down into the ball, as if you were trying to bring your knees together. Your legs barely move. Keep breathing while you hold the press.
Ease off slowly, rest for a moment and repeat. Your physio may ask you to do the same set lying on your other side.

What you should feel

Effort along the inner thigh of the top leg, and often the bottom one too, reaching up toward the groin. It should feel like hard work in the muscle, with no pinching over the pubic bone.

Common mistakes

Letting the top hip roll forward or back instead of staying stacked.
Pressing at full strength from the first hold. Begin with a gentle press and build up.
Stopping your breathing while you hold. Breathe out slowly as you press.

How often

Holds of 5 to 10 seconds, repeated 5 to 10 times, once or twice a day, are a common starting point. Your physio will adjust this.

Stop and check with your physio if

A sharp pain in your groin or on the pubic bone, where the two halves of the pelvis meet at the front.
Groin pain that builds with each hold, or is worse the following day.

From the clinic

The voice guide describes pressing the top leg down onto the bottom leg, and the video adds a small ball between the knees. Use the ball, or a folded towel, as the video shows. It gives you something to press into and keeps your knees a little apart. Once the holds feel easy, side lying hip adduction adds movement, and the adductor ball squeeze trains the same muscles lying on your back.

If you have high blood pressure, breathe steadily through every hold and never hold your breath. Pregnant, or have pain over the pubic bone? Check with your physio before you start, as pressing the thighs together loads the joint at the front of the pelvis.

If you have had a hip replacement, get the go-ahead from your surgeon or physio before you try side lying isometric hip adduction. Some operations limit this kind of work for the first months, so the timing depends on your surgery. Keep the ball between your knees the whole time, so your top leg does not drop across the middle of your body. Your physio will tell you which side you can lie on, as the operated hip may be too sore to lie on early in recovery.

Written and checked by the PocketPhysio editorial team. Last updated 2026-09-26.

This page is general education, not a diagnosis or a personal treatment plan. If you have pain, an injury or a health condition, see a physiotherapist or doctor before starting new exercises.

Side lying isometric hip adduction