4 Groin Strain Exercises: Plus Groin Strain Prevention Tips

A groin strain is one of those injuries that feels like your inner thigh is personally offended by your lifestyle.
The good news: most groin strains respond really well to smart, staged rehabmeaning the right exercises at the right time,
not “I Googled a stretch and now I’m a human pretzel.”

This guide walks you through 4 groin strain exercises (with easy progressions), plus prevention tips to help you stay
off the injured list. It’s educationalnot a diagnosis. If you’re unsure what’s going on, get checked. Your groin is not the
place to guess.

Groin strain 101 (aka: what you actually strained)

“Groin strain” usually means a strain of the hip adductorsthe inner-thigh muscles that pull your leg toward midline,
stabilize your pelvis, and help you cut, sprint, pivot, and kick. In sports medicine, adductor strains are a common cause of groin pain,
especially in activities with rapid direction changes or kicking.

Common signs you might be dealing with a groin strain

• Pain or tenderness on the inner thigh or where the inner thigh meets the pelvis
• Pain that ramps up with side-to-side movement, sprinting, cutting, or squeezing the knees together
• Stiffness or a “tight” feeling in the groin, especially after activity
• Reduced range of motion or weakness when lifting the leg inward

When to stop Googling and get medical care

Groin pain can come from several issues (including hip joint problems or hernias), so it’s worth getting evaluated if any of the
following show up:

• Severe pain, or you can’t safely walk or move your hip/leg
• Swelling that keeps worsening, numbness/tingling, or skin color changes
• Symptoms that don’t improve after a couple weeks of sensible home care
• A new bulge/pressure in the groin area, or groin/scrotal pain with straining (possible hernia)
• Fever, nausea/vomiting, or severe, worsening groin pain (urgent evaluation)

How to use this exercise plan safely

Most groin strains improve with a combination of relative rest, gradual movement, and strengthening.
Early on, many clinicians recommend a basic “calm it down” approachresting from painful activity and using cold/compression
to reduce pain and swellingthen progressing back to motion and strengthening as symptoms settle.

The “good discomfort” rule

• OK: Mild discomfort, tightness, or effort that settles quickly after the set
• Not OK: Sharp pain, pain that increases during the set, limping afterward, or soreness that escalates the next day

A helpful target is keeping pain at or below a 2–3 out of 10 during rehab work, and feeling the area calm down within 24 hours.
If every session makes things worse, you’re either doing too much too soonor it’s not a simple strain.

4 groin strain exercises (from gentle to “I’m getting my athletic powers back”)

These moves are arranged in a typical progression. You don’t have to “earn” the next exercise by suffering through the first.
You earn it by doing the current level without sharp pain and with good control.

Exercise 1: Bent-knee adductor isometric squeeze (the starter move)

Why it helps: Isometrics (contracting without moving) can wake the adductors up gently and start rebuilding strength
without irritating a fresh strain.

How to do it:

• Lie on your back with knees bent, feet flat.
• Place a small ball, pillow, or rolled towel between your knees.
• Gently squeeze inward as if you’re trying to politely crush the object (no rage-crushing).
• Hold 5–10 seconds, then relax.

Dosage: 2–3 sets of 8–12 reps, once daily (or every other day if you’re sore).

Make it easier: Squeeze at 30–50% effort. Shorter holds.

Progress it: Increase hold to 15–20 seconds, or increase squeeze effort gradually while keeping pain low.

Exercise 2: Supported adductor “rock-back” stretch (gentle length, not a tug-of-war)

Why it helps: Once you can tolerate light activity, gentle stretching can restore range of motion.
The key word is gentle. Early aggressive stretching can prolong symptoms.

How to do it:

• Start on hands and knees.
• Slide one leg out to the side, knee straight or slightly bent, foot flat or toes forward.
• Keeping your back neutral, slowly rock your hips back toward your heels.
• Stop when you feel a mild inner-thigh stretch (not a sharp pull).
• Return to start and repeat.

Dosage: 8–12 slow reps, 1–2 sets.

Make it easier: Reduce range; keep the knee bent; place hands on a chair or couch for support.

Progress it: Add a 10–20 second hold at the mild stretch point, 3–5 holds total.

Exercise 3: Side-lying hip adduction (inner-thigh strength with control)

Why it helps: This targets the adductors directly and builds strength needed for walking, stairs, and sport.
It’s a classic “simple but not easy” move when done slowly.

How to do it:

• Lie on your side with the injured leg on the bottom.
• Bend the top leg and place that foot on the floor in front of the bottom leg for stability.
• Keep the bottom leg straight and lift it upward a few inches.
• Lower slowly. No swinging, no momentum.

Dosage: 2–3 sets of 8–15 reps, 3–4 days/week.

Make it easier: Smaller lift; bend the bottom knee slightly; reduce reps.

Progress it: Add an ankle weight or a light resistance band once pain stays low.

Exercise 4: Copenhagen adduction (short-lever version)

Why it helps: The Copenhagen adduction family is a higher-load adductor strengthening exercise used in both rehab and prevention.
Research on adductor strengthening programs (including Copenhagen-style work) has shown meaningful reductions in groin problems in athletes
when performed consistently with good adherence.

Short-lever setup (beginner-friendly):

• Lie on your side next to a sturdy bench or couch.
• Place your top knee on the bench (not the ankle yet).
• Prop on your forearm like a side plank.
• Lift your hips so your body forms a straight line from head to knees.
• Your bottom leg can hover or lightly tap the floor for balance.

Dosage: 2–3 sets of 10–20 second holds per side, 2–3 days/week.

Make it easier: Keep the bottom foot on the floor; shorten hold time.

Progress it: Move support from knee to shin/ankle (long-lever), increase hold time, or add slow up/down reps.

A simple weekly progression example (because guessing is exhausting)

Everyone heals at a different pace, but this framework helps you progress without getting spicy (injury spicy is bad spicy):

• Week 1–2 (or early phase): Exercise 1 daily + Exercise 2 gentle + short walks if pain allows.
• Week 2–4 (as pain settles): Add Exercise 3, 3–4 days/week. Keep Exercise 1 for warm-up or on off days.
• Later phase: Add Exercise 4 (short-lever), then gradually reintroduce jogging, shuffles, and cutting drills if pain stays low.

If you’re an athlete, a clinician or physical therapist can help you build a sport-specific plan. That’s not a sales pitchjust the reality
that “return to soccer” looks different than “return to carrying a backpack up three flights of stairs.”

Groin strain prevention tips (so you don’t keep meeting this injury)

1) Warm up like you mean it

A proper warm-up raises tissue temperature and prepares your hips for lateral movement. Think dynamic, not nap-time stretching:
leg swings, side shuffles, high knees, and controlled lunges. Many sports medicine resources emphasize warming up and stretching before play
as a key prevention step.

2) Strengthen the adductors (yes, on purpose)

The inner thigh muscles don’t just stretchthey work. Adductor weakness is a known risk factor in many athletic populations,
and structured adductor strengthening programs have reduced groin problem rates in research settings. Keep at least one adductor-focused strength move
in your weekly routine (like side-lying adduction or Copenhagen progressions).

3) Build the “support team”: core, glutes, and hip stabilizers

Your adductors partner with your trunk and pelvis stabilizers. If your core and glutes are asleep at the wheel, the groin often gets stuck doing extra work.
A balanced program with side planks, bridges, dead bugs, and hip abduction work can help reduce overload.

4) Increase training load gradually (your tissues need a calendar, not a surprise party)

Many strains happen when you suddenly do more than your body is prepared formore sprints, more cutting drills, longer practices, or a “new year, new me”
workout plan that goes from zero to feral. Increase intensity and volume in steps, not leaps.

5) Respect recovery: sleep, soreness, and the “tightness warning light”

If your groin feels persistently tight, sore, or cranky during warm-ups, treat it as a warningnot a dare. Adjust that day’s session:
reduce sprint volume, lower cutting intensity, and prioritize strength/control work instead.

6) Don’t return to sport just because you’re bored

Re-injury risk climbs when you sprint, cut, or kick hard before the tissue is ready. A practical return-to-activity checklist includes:

• Walking and stairs are pain-free and normal (no limping)
• Full, comfortable hip range of motion
• Adductor strength feels close to the other side (and doesn’t flare the next day)
• You can jog, accelerate, decelerate, and change direction without sharp pain

When in doubt, get guidance from a healthcare providerespecially if you’ve had repeated groin issues or lingering symptoms.

FAQ: quick answers people actually ask

How long does a groin strain take to heal?

It depends on severity. Mild to moderate strains often take weeks to fully heal, while severe strains can take months.
If you’re still in significant pain after a few weeks of at-home care, it’s time for a medical evaluation.

Should I rest completely?

Usually, no. Relative rest is helpfulavoid painful activitybut gentle, pain-limited movement and progressive strengthening are often part of recovery.
Total inactivity can leave the area stiffer and weaker.

Is stretching always good for a groin strain?

Stretching can help once tolerated, but aggressive stretching early can irritate the injury. Aim for mild tension, not “I felt a pop and saw my life flash.”

Real-world experiences: what groin strain rehab often feels like

Groin strains have a special talent: they can feel dramatic during small movements and suspiciously quiet during others.
A lot of people expect pain to behave like a polite on/off switchhurt today, healed tomorrowbut groin strains tend to act more like a moody dimmer knob.
Understanding the “normal” patterns people often report can make rehab less stressful (and less likely to turn into panic-Googling at midnight).

Early on, walking can be weirdly revealing. Many people notice they can stand still without much pain, but the moment they take a longer stride,
climb stairs, or pivot to grab something, the inner thigh complains. That’s because the adductors help control the leg during gait and stabilize the pelvis.
Shorter steps and avoiding sudden direction changes often feel better at first. It’s also common for the groin to feel tighter after sitting for a while
not because it “re-tore,” but because irritated tissue doesn’t love being idle.

Isometrics often feel like a cheat code. The bent-knee squeeze (Exercise 1) is popular because it lets you “turn the muscle on”
without large movements. People frequently describe it as a reassuring sensationlike the area is working againso long as the squeeze stays moderate.
The mistake is going full superhero on day one. A gentler effort that you can repeat consistently tends to feel better than one max squeeze that makes you limp.

There’s usually a “confidence gap.” Even when pain improves, many people hesitate with lateral movementside steps, getting in and out of a car,
or widening their stance. That fear makes sense: the original injury often happened during a quick shift or awkward step.
Rehab helps close that gap by rebuilding trust in the muscle. Controlled movements (like the rock-back stretch and side-lying adduction) can feel boring,
but boredom is often a sign you’re training safely.

Progress is rarely perfectly linear. It’s common to have a day where everything feels greatfollowed by mild soreness the next morning.
That doesn’t automatically mean you did damage. Muscles can be sore when they’re reloading after a break. A useful pattern many clinicians recommend is:
if soreness is mild and settles within a day, you’re probably in a good zone. If it ramps up for 48 hours, changes your walk, or feels sharp,
you likely overdid the intensity or volume. In real life, the fix is usually simple: reduce reps, shorten holds, or take an extra rest daythen resume.

Return to sport is where people get impatient. This is the part where someone says, “I feel fine,” and then tries a full-speed cut,
a maximal kick, or a hard sprintbecause apparently the groin needs to pass an emotional loyalty test. A better approach is staged exposure:
easy jogging, then gentle accelerations, then controlled changes of direction, and only then full intensity. People who take the staged approach often report
fewer flare-ups and more confidence, because each step proves the tissue can handle the next level.

Prevention feels “extra” until it doesn’t. Many athletes and active people only start training adductors intentionally after a strain.
Then they realize: a small weekly dose of adductor strength (plus warm-ups and sensible load progressions) is much easier than rehabbing another injury.
The Copenhagen progression, in particular, tends to feel challenging at firstshaky, humbling, and very honest about side-to-side differences.
That honesty is helpful. It shows you where your program needs attention, before your groin sends a strongly worded complaint mid-game.

If you’re currently dealing with a groin strain, the biggest “experience-based” lesson is simple: consistency beats intensity.
You don’t need to win rehab in one workout. You need to show up, do the right dose, and let the tissue adaptone calm, boring, effective session at a time.

Conclusion

Groin strains are frustratingbut they’re also very trainable when you follow a smart progression. Start with pain-friendly activation (isometrics),
restore comfortable range of motion, rebuild strength with controlled adduction work, and progress to higher-load options like Copenhagen variations as you
return to sport. Then keep the prevention basicswarm-ups, gradual load increases, and adductor strengthso your groin stays a teammate, not a saboteur.