Beginners Guide to Glute Muscles
Bums come in all shapes and sizes, on the outside they are as varied as the people they belong to, but on the inside that are all pretty much the same.
Before you read this post, I suggest you check out this one first on how your skeletal anatomy shapes the appearance of your glutes, that way you can understand and appreciate why certain booties look the way they do, including (maybe) yours.
The glutes or gluteal muscles are not one muscle but 3 distinct muscles that we group together to call the glutes.
They are:
The Gluteus Maximus - the largest muscle in the human body by volume.
The Gluteus Medius - sits partially underneath the gluteus maximus.
The Gluteus Minimus - covered by the gluteus medius.
The Gluteus Maximus
The glute Max is the largest muscle on the human body and is the muscle that gives your butt it’s shape. When we talk about building booties this is the main muscle people are looking to train.
From a training perspective the glute max can be subdivide into an upper and lower subdivisions.
Exercises such as squats and deadlifts predominantly hit the lower subdivision where as to build the upper subdivision and glute medius it’s best to do abduction exercises.
To hit both upper and lower simultaneously it’s best to perform hip thrusts and glute bridges.
Already you can see that exercise selection is important depending on where you want or need to build muscle depending on your glute shape and muscular size.
The principal functions of the glute max are
Leg extension (think cable kickbacks)
Leg external rotation (think pointing your toes out)
Leg abduction (away from the body)
Leg adduction (toward the body)
The function of a muscle can be determined by looking at the attachment points, which are called the origins and insertions.
The origins and insertions are where the muscle and tendons attach to your bones.
When the muscle contracts, it pulls the origin and the insertion points closer together.
The glute Max Originates from the gluteal (back) surface of the ilium, sacrum and coccyx. It slopes across the buttock at a 45 degree angle, then inserts into the iliotibial tract and the gluteal tuberosity of the femur.
The Gluteus Medius
The gluteus medius is fan-shaped muscle that lies above and partially beneath to the gluteus maximus. This is the muscle that helps builds the coveted booty shelf as it provides some shape to the upper bum region.
The glute med is difficult to isolate as it shares the work with the smaller gluteus minimus as well as the upper subdivision on the glute max. Typically we try to target the glute med through exercises such as the Abduction Machine, fire-hydrants and clam shells.
The principal functions of the glute med are:
Abducts (lifts the led out to the side) and medially rotates the leg (pointing your toes out)
It also helps to secure the pelvis in place during running and walking and preventing pelvic drop to one side.
The Glute Med originates from the back surface of the ilium and inserts into the lateral surface of the greater trochanter.
The Gluteus Minimus
The gluteus minimus is the deepest and smallest of the three main gluteal muscles and is similar in shape and function to the gluteus medius, even sharing the same origin and insertions.
As with the Glute Med the principal functions of the glute min are:
Abducts (lifts the led out to the side) and medially rotates the leg (pointing your toes out)
It also helps to secure the pelvis in place during running and walking and preventing pelvic drop to one side.
The Glute Min originates from the back surface of the ilium and inserts into the lateral surface of the greater trochanter.
So now you should have a good idea of exactly what the glutes are, what they do, how they work and which exercises will target the specific areas you want to train.
There is no downside to training your glutes more.
From preventing back pain and injuries,
Increasing strength, power and sporting performance
To packing out a pair of tight jeans so tight that it snaps men’s necks when you walk past
Working your booty is always a win win.
To learn exactly how I teach and train my clients to get amazing results download your copy of The Strong Girl Guide HERE
Hi, I’m Aaron Schiavone, owner of Mind Muscle Personal Training. Over the past 5+ years I have helped women increase their self confidence, improve their relationship with food, improve their health, become stronger, fitter and happier.