Seated Hip Adduction Machine
Adductors
Builds the whip kick phase · trains Adductors · hip adduction pattern
100% match
Swimming
Breaststroke
The most leg-dominant stroke: a powerful whip kick driven by adductors, glutes and quads, combined with an outsweep–insweep arm pull and a quick lunge forward.
Muscles worked
FrontBack
The movement, phase by phase
Outsweep & insweep
Hands sweep out, then scull in fast under the chin — chest, lats and front delts.
- Fly / hug
- Straight-arm pull (shoulder extension)
- Elbow flexion (curl)
Best exercises for this phase:
Breath & lunge
Upper body rises to breathe, then lunges forward; the lower back and abs control the undulation.
- Spinal extension
- Trunk flexion
- Elbow extension
Whip kick
Heels draw up, feet turn out, then legs extend and snap together — quads, glutes and especially adductors.
- Hip adduction
- Knee extension
- Hip extension
- Knee flexion
Best exercises for this phase:
Most specific exercises
Band Hip Adductions
Adductors
Builds the whip kick phase · trains Adductors · hip adduction pattern
100% match
Thigh Adductor
Adductors
Builds the whip kick phase · trains Adductors, Glutes, Hamstrings · hip adduction pattern
95% match
Cable Hip Adduction
Adductors
Builds the whip kick phase · trains Adductors, Abs · hip adduction pattern
92% match
Dumbbell Plié Squat
Quads, Glutes, Adductors
Builds the whip kick phase · trains Quads, Glutes, Adductors · squat pattern
84% match
Leg Extension
Quads
Builds the whip kick phase · trains Quads · knee extension pattern
83% match
Single-Leg Leg Extension
Quads
Builds the whip kick phase · trains Quads · knee extension pattern
83% match
Weighted Sissy Squat
Quads
Builds the whip kick phase · trains Quads, Glutes, Hamstrings · knee extension pattern
82% match
Narrow-Stance Hack Squat
Quads
Builds the whip kick phase · trains Quads, Glutes, Adductors · squat pattern
80% match
Barbell Side Squat
Quads, Glutes, Adductors
Builds the whip kick phase · trains Quads, Glutes, Adductors · hip adduction pattern
78% match
Narrow-Stance Leg Press
Quads
Builds the whip kick phase · trains Quads, Glutes, Hamstrings · squat pattern
78% match
Stride Jump Crossover
Quads
Trains Quads, Adductors, Hamstrings · fly / hug pattern
77% match
Drills & sessions in the sport
Work done in the water or on the run itself, next to the strength exercises above.
Two kicks, one pull
Drill / Intermediate / 6 × 25 m
Breaststroke kick on the back
Drill / Beginner / 4 × 25 m
Body dolphin
Drill / Beginner / 6 × 15 m
Band butterfly pull
Drill / Intermediate / 3 × 20 s
Front sculling
Drill / Beginner / 4 × 25 m
Kick session
Session / Beginner / ≈ 35 min, ≈ 1,000 m
Prone swimmers
Drill / Beginner / 3 × 8 slow sweeps
Push-off and streamline glide
Drill / Beginner / 8 pushes, glide as far as you can
Common technique mistakes
The technique faults behind most injuries here, and how to fix them.
- ✗ Knees spread wide in the kick.
Why it hurts: The whip kick twists the knee with the leg out to the side, the cause of "breaststroker's knee" (inner knee ligament strain).
✓ Instead: Keep the knees about hip-width, bring the heels to the glutes and turn the feet out for the kick.
- ✗ Lifting the head high to breathe and arching the back.
Why it hurts: The lower back and neck are cranked into extension on every stroke.
✓ Instead: Rise to breathe with the chest, keep the chin neutral and look down as the head returns.
Training notes
- Adductor strength protects the knees and powers the kick — do not skip it.
- Squat jumps or fast leg presses carry over to the explosive leg extension.
Mobility to pair with it
- Hip internal/external rotation
- Ankle dorsiflexion & eversion
- Knee-friendly frog stretch (gently)