You use this muscle group everyday. They stabilize the hip joint, help with balance, are essential for erect posture and get activated for most leg exercises not to mention all athletic activities. What muscle group are we talking about? The glute muscles.
Muscle Groups
- Gluteus maximus
- Gluteus medius
- Gluteus minimus
Muscle Function
The glute muscles, collectively, help to stabilize the upper body and pelvis, aid in locomotion, and extend the hip. The strongest of the three muscles, the gluteus maximus, is the largest muscle at the hip representing 16 percent of the total cross-sectional area, according to Physiopedia.
Beneficial Glute Exercises
Exercise Highlight: Hip Thrust
All of the exercises mentioned above are beneficial in their own right for developing strong glutes. In this article, though, we will highlight the barbell hip thrust performed off a flat bench. If you don’t have any exercise equipment, start with bodyweight, using both legs and progress to a single-leg.
Barbell Hip Thrust
Final Thoughts
To Increase the difficulty of the exercise, simply slow down the movement. This in turn will keep the glutes under load or tension for a longer duration. To do this, perform an explosive thrust in one second (upward phase). Pause at the top of the movement for 1-2 seconds before slowly lowering the hips and weight taking 2-3 seconds. There are also glute hip thrust machines if you are fortunate enough to have one at your gym.
Stay Strong Together
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