Glutes- The muscles that hold the key

The gluteal muscles are a very important group of muscles.

90’s nostalgia buffs will be happy to know that Chubbs was spot on when he was improving Happy

Gilmore’s golf swing.

“It’s all in the hips!”

Improving the function of our cheekier muscles can help with:

 Back pain

 Hamstring tightness/strains

 Symptoms of pregnancy pain

 Runner’s/ ITB syndrome

 Hip and knee pain

 Falls risks in the elderly

We have three gluteal muscles which give us the curved shape of our buttocks. Gluteus maximus is

the largest and most recognized, however there are two other important muscles lying deep to it;

the gluteus medius and gluteus minimus. These muscles have similar but slightly different functions.

The gluteal muscles are responsible for hip movement. They allow you to stand up from a sitting

position, keep your hips stable while you walk and even work with other muscles in your back to

keep the spine stable.

The gluteal muscles are quite large, and relatively short muscles. They can produce great amounts of

force, especially when compared to other muscles in the body.

If our glutes aren’t firing properly then lower back and hamstring muscles often compensate,

becoming tight and strained. It can also lead to imbalances in the positioning of the pelvis and hips.

Don’t be distressed if you think this sounds like you. Lazy glutes are a very common issue.

Our gluteal muscles lengthen when we sit. They don’t switch on as well in a lengthened position.

Thanks to our office jobs, extended periods driving and sitting on the couch we all sit a lot more than

our ancestors who spent most of their time hunting and gathering.

The good news is there are things you can do to work against the effects of our modern lifestyle.

Here are a few exercises you can do to get that butt working to its full potential!

Bridges

This exercise is the number one go to, especially when starting out. Bridges take no equipment, and

can be altered to be as easy or as hard as you like.

Lie on your back, with your feet hips width apart. Have your knees bent and feet flat on the floor.

The most important part of this exercise is that you squeeze or clench those gluteal muscles, before

commencing any movement. As you squeeze your buttocks, push your body weight through your

heels into the floor. Bring your hips up, until your thighs lines up with your back. Do not extend or

arch your back.

Three sets of eight reps every second day is a great starting point for this exercise.

If you would like to make it more challenging you can try it with a resistance band around the knees,

or bridging on just one leg whilst lifting the other.

Side lying hip abduction

This exercise aims at improving the pelvis stabilising function of the hips.

Lie on your side. Again, squeeze you glutes. Raise your leg, keeping your feet parallel to the floor.

Three sets of eight reps is another good starting point. If you find this exercise too easy, it can also

be advanced by placing a resistance band around the knees. If you want even more of a challenge try

this whilst keeping your body off the floor.

Squat from a chair

This exercise is brilliant because it can be adapted for all levels of strength. It can do a lot for the

older population in helping prevent falls, but can also be altered so that it’s just as challenging for

younger, fitter individuals.

Ideally, you want to find something at or slightly below knee height such as a chair. If you aren’t as

confident begin with something slightly higher like the shoulder of your couch or a low table.

Begin in a standing position. Push your backside out behind you by hinging the hips (this will stop

you from pushing your knees in front of your toes, a common cause of knee pain when squatting).

Lower yourself until your bottom touches your chosen option. Try not to sit, just touch the surface.

Squeezing the glutes, push through your heels. Again, three sets of eight reps to begin.

You can challenge yourself by holding at the bottom of the squat, without sitting on an object. You

may also like to try to build your strength by attempting one legged squats.

With these exercises (and any other exercise that focuses on improving glute activation or strength)

we want to make sure the glutes are firing and it’s not our lower back or hamstrings doing all the

work. This means we need to squeeze the glutes for every rep until it becomes a habit we no longer

need to think about.

These exercises are also great to include in warm up for activities which involve running.

Sometimes we just need to put a little time and effort into waking these sleeping giants up from

their slumber.