The Gluteus Maximus and Hip Extension

The gluteus maximus is THE most important muscle of the body. Well, the most important besides the heart. But other than that, this one is just SO important.

This is the main muscle that if you’re sitting down for a period of time- this is the one that needs to fire to get you to stand upright. If it’s not working properly, it leads to a whole slew of problems, most of which lead to low back pain…

Let’s look first at the anatomy of the glute max:

This muscle is the main butt muscle- it originates on the upper edge of the ilium and pelvis, goes along the sacrum (that triangular bone at the base of your spine), and then inserts onto the outer portion of the bone of the hip. Its primary motion is extension of the hip.

So it is the main muscle that allows you to stand from a seated position after you’ve been sitting for a long period of time.

If you’re someone who sits at a desk or on the couch watching TV- then it is CONSTANTLY being lengthened, and then it becomes weak. And it is SO IMPORTANT to keep this muscle strong and firing when you need it to!

The reason this muscle is so important is because it oftentimes is neurologically inhibited. What does this mean? It’s kinda like if you’ve seen those electrodes a physical therapist will put on your back. Or maybe you’ve seen the picture of the big guy with ripped abs with the electrodes on his stomach. There is a machine at the other end of the pads that fires an electric current through wires to the muscles to get those muscles to contract.

(As a side note, this doesn’t really work to get ripped abs…)

This is just like your brain and nervous system work- your brain is the machine that sends a message to the nerve in your leg (like the wires) to fire your butt muscle when you go to stand up. If that muscle isn’t getting the proper signal, we call that being “neurologically inhibited.”

Well, if it’s neurologically inhibited, you’re not going to use this muscle to its efficiency, and then the small, less efficient muscles of the low back have to kick in and work extra hard. So then they get super tight, pinch on your spine, and you get a whole slew of symptoms of pain, discomfort, and maybe even symptoms like pain or numbness and tingling going down the leg all the way to the toes.

So how do you correct this and strengthen your glutes? Sign in to the box below and get our 3 Tips To Strengthen Your Glutes!