I have an externally rotated femur on my left side after an old injury. Looking through the Neandertal No More and Get Your Butt in Gear articles, they propose mini-band side steps.
Looking at the muscles this would train (tensor facscia lata and gluteus medius), they seem to be identical to those exercised by the infamous abductor machine. Simple question: If you don’t have the bands, would the shiny empty machine next to the squat rack be a suitable replacement, or am I missing some dynamic stabilising stuff?
The abductor machine is pretty much worthless. If you don’t have bands to do the side steps, do lying side raises, fire hydrants, cable abductions, etc. Sitting with your hips flexed, like on the machines, puts you in a less than optimal position to focus on the TFL and GM.
I also had an externally rotated femur on my left side. Bulgarian Split squats and Sumo squats with correct form totally helped me, along with being mindful of keep my hip correct as often as possible while walking and sitting the rest of the day.