8 Movements To Help Build and Maintain Strong Glutes
If there’s any ache that plagues most gym-goers at some point in their life, lower back pain takes the crown.
Bottles of Advil, ice packs galore, IMS treatments, orthopedic pillows—all of which seem to provide temporary relief but don’t do much in terms of eliminating the pain long-term.
If you take your lifting seriously, trying to increase your numbers while managing low back pain can seem like an impossible task. Almost as if you’re running at full force on broken glass—giving your all with the utmost caution and hesitation.
If you’re struggling with on-and-off aches that keep stalling your progress, take a look at your glutes.
The glutes are the rotator cuff of the hip. Their job is to stabilize the hip joint while allowing the optimal hip range to rotate in the manner it needs to. Your glutes come in a pack of 3: Gluteus Maximus, Gluteus Medius, and Gluteus Minimus. All three play a crucial role in providing a stable structure to produce power from the hips.
Humans are the ONLY mammals that walk on two legs and yet, our glutes are the most-underdeveloped muscles in our bodies. It’s no wonder most of our spines aren’t happy with us… Lack of support from your glutes results in added stress and pressure on your back muscles to help keep you “upright”. These muscles around your spine were designed to provide stability but they need support for other muscle groups such as your core and your glutes. Leaving it entirely up to your erectors gets them to become overactive and angry. A not-so-fun scenario to have to untangle…
Below, we’ll be covering what exactly your glutes are designed to do and how to best strengthen them to provide you with the stability you need to perform in and outside of the gym.
**If you’re dealing with severe back pain, please consult a qualified health practitioner to receive a proper evaluation and diagnosis. The recommendations below are great for individuals that train regularly but are looking to enhance their performance in the gym. These recommendations are not a cure for back pain nor are they a treatment for a back injury. Following a customized rehabilitation protocol constructed by a practitioner that’s assessed you in person is always the first course of action you should take.
Get to know your glutes
The Gluteus Maximus exhibits four main motions of the hip: extension, external rotation, abduction, and adduction of the thigh. All of which you’ll perform while training movements such as a squat, a deadlift, a lunge, sprinting, a hip thrust, and a step up (you get the idea).
The Gluteus Medius is the prime mover of hip abduction, it assists in flexion/extension of the hip and medial/lateral rotation of the hip. This muscle is extremely important in maintaining frontal plane stability of the pelvis (mitigating a “twisting” action), especially during any gait-related movements such as walking, running, or unilateral leg exercises.
The Gluteus Minimus works hand in hand with the gluteus medius in supporting hip abduction. It stabilizes the hip and pelvis on one side and prevents the pelvis from dropping and swinging to the opposite side in gait-related movement patterns.
Now, after understanding the roles of each of your three glutes a little better, you might start to notice how any discrepancy in your glute strength could manifest itself into aches and pains in other areas of your body.
Glute Strength To Train To Your Potential
When it comes to managing little aches and pains, making sure you’re prepping your body accordingly is the name of the game. Whether you’ve got a lower body or upper body day, ensuring your glutes are ready to go is key to providing your body with the stability it needs.
Here are 8 Movements To Help Build and Maintain Strong Glutes.
Single Leg Deadlifts
It strengthens all three glutes, adductors, and hamstrings. It focuses on hip flexion, extension, and internal rotation. It will also challenge your foot and ankle stability.
Seated Good Morning with Dumbbells:
It mobilizes your adductors, all three glutes, and lengthens spinal erectors. It focuses on hip internal and external rotation, hip flexion and abduction.
Side Plank Clamshell:
It strengthens all three glutes, your external and internal obliques. It focuses on hip internal and external rotation, hip abduction and extension.
Weighted Hip Shift:
It mobilizes your adductors and all three glutes. It focused on hip internal and external rotation, hip abduction, and flexion.
Copenhagen Side Plank:
It strengthens your adductors and your external and internal obliques. It focuses on hip internal rotation and hip adduction.
Lateral Step Down:
It strengthens all three glutes, your adductors, and your quad muscles. It focuses on hip internal and external rotation, hip adduction, and flexion.
Single Leg Glute Bridge:
It strengthens all three glutes, your hamstrings, and adductors. It focuses on hip extension and adduction.
Prone Kickback with 90 Degree:
It strengthens all three glutes and your hamstrings and adductors. It focuses on hip extension and adduction.
In summary…
While most of these exercises are relatively similar in terms of which plane you’re moving in and which muscle groups they’re targeting, you can get a great benefit from adding two or three of these into your warm-ups or accessory work in your gym sessions.
Aside from society’s obsession with the aesthetics of nice glutes, training them for functional strength can protect your body from future injury and can also help you grow into your fullest strength potential. Don’t ignore training this vital muscle group. Start implementing some of these exercises today and watch your performance skyrocket.
In our next post: Stay tuned for a deep dive into how the glutes contribute to helping your strength in your barbell compound movements.