Don’t just squeeze the glutes!

The problem of weak gluteal muscles can be stubbornly persistent. It can also be highly frustrating, when it contributes to discomfort and problems of imbalance in the body.

The gluteal muscle group located on the back of the pelvis has evolved to be powerful and strong, however, the everyday activities of modern life do not utilise these muscles to anything like capacity. Additionally, long hours spent working in seated, when the gluteal muscles are in a stretched position, positively weakens them.

The gluteal muscles need to be actively trained. This can occur spontaneously during running, jumping and squatting. It is important to remember, however, that the gluteal muscles, of which there are three on each side, perform a variety of movements. They are responsible for the abduction, extension, external rotation and, to some degree, the internal rotation of the thighbone at the hip joint. A variety of movements in different movement planes need to be undertaken to train them efficiently, therefore.

The complex functions of the gluteal muscles mean that effective training needs to be precisely directed.  Highly generalised instructions like “squeeze the glutes” do not distinguish one muscle from another and for this reason the gluteal muscles are frequently unresponsive to training. For results to occur, the gluteal muscles need to be strengthened in accordance with the patterns they course from outside the top of the thighbone to their different origins within the pelvis on the ilium.

Puzzling though it often seems, weak gluteal muscles often become tight. Working with good pelvic alignment and keeping the thighbone well abducted in the typical crossed leg gluteal stretch are crucial for effective opening and a return to full range of movement at the hip joint.

Strengthening the gluteal muscles not only balances the body’s movement patterns, but, because of the role the gluteal muscles play in hip and leg dexterity, it can also transform lower body co-ordination.