When we think of the body’s powerhouse, usually the first thing that comes to mind is our core (abs). However, the truth is that we possess a far more powerful group of muscles in our body, known as the glutes. The glutes colloquially referred to as ‘our butt’ or ‘buttocks’ are in charge of our posture, athletic performance and overall strength. They are the largest and strongest muscle group in the body.
The glutes (gluteal muscles) are a combination of three different muscles: the gluteus maximus, gluteus medius, and the gluteus minimus. These mucles work together, attached by either tendons or ligaments to the surrounding bone area. These mucles are in charge of the movement all the way from the hip to the thigh and allow us to rise from a sitting position, stay in an erect position and climb stairs.
In short we can say that glutes power our motion. In fact, these muscles control most of our lower-body movements and are connected to our core, quads and hamstring.
Exercising these muscles is especially important as majority of our time is spent leading a sedentary lifestyle, where most of our time is spent in front of a screen and there is no movement involved.
Benefits of Having Strong Glutes
- It Gives a Better Posture: By working on our glute muscles we will have more support and our pelvis will automatically begin to stabalise. In turn, our spine will get a lot more support.
- Improved Athletic Performance: By strengthening our glutes, we also improve upon our speed, acceleration and even explosive power. In short, we become stronger and faster than someone having weak glutes.
- Reduced Chance of Injury: We are less likely to get injured by having strong glutes. Some of these injuries could include those to our knees, lower back and hamstring. Strong glutes also prevent serious injuries such as sprains and tears in our back muscles.
Some of the most important freestyle exercises that can even be done at home that work on the glutes are:
1) Squats
2) Lunges
3) Quadruped hip extensions
4) Single leg bridge
5) Walking sideways with a resistance band around our ankles
