The Most Effective Groin Muscle Exercise According to Research

By Grant Frost · Physiotherapist • Last clinically reviewed: 12 August 2026

Your Wellness Nerd

The study is particularly interesting because the researchers used motion capture, ground reaction forces, surface EMG and an EMG-assisted neuromusculoskeletal model to estimate the forces experienced by individual adductor muscles during different exercises.

1. What the Researchers Tested

Fifteen injury-free people with resistance-training experience took part in the research. They performed eight different exercises using loads of approximately their eight-repetition maximum.

The researchers were particularly interested in the forces produced by the adductor brevis, adductor longus, adductor magnus and gracilis. They also examined muscle fibre length, fibre velocity and muscle activation.

2. The Clear Standout: Copenhagen Adduction

Of the exercises tested, the long-lever Copenhagen adduction was the strongest overall performer when it came to producing high forces through several of the major hip adductor muscles.

The short-lever Copenhagen was also included in the research, making this particularly relevant from a rehabilitation perspective. The two variations allow the exercise to be progressed or regressed by changing the position of the top leg and therefore the lever acting on the adductor muscles.

It's worth remembering, however, that the study measured acute muscle forces. It did not demonstrate that the Copenhagen exercise will necessarily produce the greatest long-term muscle growth or that it is automatically the "best" exercise for every person with groin pain - but it's a great "capture all".

3. Squats and Deadlifts Were Also Surprisingly Effective

One of the more interesting findings was that you don't necessarily need to perform an exercise that looks like a traditional "inner thigh" exercise to generate substantial adductor forces.

The researchers found particularly high forces in the ischiocondylar, or hamstring-like, portion of adductor magnus during exercises involving substantial hip extension.

The peak forces for this portion of adductor magnus were greatest during the squat and conventional deadlift, followed closely by the sumo deadlift. The three exercises were all within approximately 5% of one another for this particular muscle portion.

This is a useful reminder that the adductor magnus is a large and mechanically complex muscle. It is not simply an "inner thigh muscle" that works only when the legs are squeezed together.

4. What About the Other Exercises?

5. Force Isn't the Only Thing That Matters

One aspect of this research that I find particularly interesting is that the researchers did not just look at peak muscle force. They also examined muscle fibre length and fibre velocity.

This matters because muscles can be challenged in different ways. An exercise that produces the highest peak force is not necessarily the exercise that places a muscle at its longest fibre length, and neither of these measurements alone tells us exactly how much long-term strength or muscle growth someone will achieve.

For example, the lateral slide produced the greatest adductor longus and adductor brevis fibre lengths in this study - because it requires the most hip abduction. Meanwhile, squats and deadlift variations produced particularly large fibre lengths in the hamstring portion of adductor magnus, again because they challenge the end ranges of motion more than the Copenhagen exercises.

So rather than asking, "Which single exercise is best?", I think the more useful interpretation is that different exercises can provide different mechanical challenges to different parts of the adductor group.

6. My Perspective as a Physiotherapist

As a physiotherapist, I think this research is valuable, but I would be cautious about taking the results to mean that every person with an adductor problem simply needs to perform more Copenhagen exercises. Instead, if you're hoping to work purely on adductor muscle strength - these findings are invaluable.

In my experience, adductor muscle dysfunction often needs to be considered as part of a much bigger picture.

One thing I commonly look at is what the gluteal muscles on the outside of the hip are doing. The muscles around the hip work together to control the position and movement of the pelvis and leg, so an issue involving the groin may need to be considered alongside how effectively the lateral hip muscles are contributing to that overall balance.

I also find it important to assess the hip joint itself. Something as straightforward as reduced hip joint mobility or capsular stiffness can alter the way the surrounding muscles have to work. If the joint is not moving well, simply strengthening one muscle group may not address any hidden underlying dysfunction.

The lower back can also be relevant. The nerves supplying the adductor muscles originate from the mid-to-low back, so dysfunction here can sometimes contribute to altered muscle function or symptoms around the groin and inner thigh.

For this reason, I'd use research like this to help determine how to load the muscle, while still using a clinical assessment to determine why that muscle may need loading in the first place.

7. Study Limitations

The Bottom Line

I think this is a genuinely useful study because it gives us something more specific than simply saying that an exercise "works the adductors".

The researchers showed that exercise selection can substantially change the forces experienced by individual adductor muscles.

The long-lever Copenhagen was the standout when it came to producing high forces across several of the adductor muscles, while squats and deadlifts were particularly effective at loading the hamstring-like portion of adductor magnus.

But from a physiotherapy perspective, I would not take this as a reason to give everyone with an adductor complaint the same exercise.

The research tells us how we can load these muscles. A good clinical assessment still needs to help us determine why we want to load them, which structures may be contributing to the problem, and which exercise is appropriate for that individual.

That is ultimately where research like this becomes most useful: not as a list of "good" and "bad" exercises, but as another tool for making better-informed decisions about exercise selection and progression.

Living With Hip or Groin Pain?

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