7 Important Reasons Why You Need Strong Glutes

Check out all the reasons why you need strong glutes. They have been selected by Critical Bench.

Reasons Why You Need Strong Glutes

“Having a strong rear-end not only helps improve posture, but it can significantly enhance injury prevention as well. The first thing we must remember is glutes are muscles. They are one of the strongest muscles in the body and are absolutely required in movements involving the hips and thighs like standing up, sitting down, and walking. Without the glutes, these activities would be extremely difficult if not impossible.”

“Many people take their glutes for granted. Having weak and/or inhibited glutes can cause more problems than people realize. Weak glutes can lead to a myriad of health issues; most commonly found being muscle imbalances.”

Source: Your House Fitness

Here are a few surprising health problems than can be linked directly to weak glutes

1. Reasons Why You Need Strong Glutes – Poor Posture

“Over time, weak glutes can cause the hips to tilt slightly forward (a.k.a. anterior pelvic tilt). If not corrected, this anterior pelvic tilt can lead to upper and lower body injuries.”

2. Reasons Why You Need Strong Glutes – Low Back Pain

“Many people mistakenly believe that lower back pain is caused by a problem with their lower back. They are linked but weak glutes leads to lower back issues. Your lower back depends on your hip flexors, glutes and hamstrings to remain balanced and strong. For example: If your glutes are not strong enough to fully engage when you bend forward, your spine must round forward excessively to lower your arms to the ground.”

3. Reasons Why You Need Strong Glutes – Knee Pain

“Weak glutes can cause increased pressure on the cartilage around your knee. This is due to a higher amount of internal rotation on the femur.”

4. Reasons Why You Need Strong Glutes – Hamstring Strains

If the hamstrings become dominant during hip extension, it increases the risk of hamstring strains.

5. Reasons Why You Need Strong Glutes – Other Lower Body Injuries

A study in the Journal of Orthopedic & Sports Physical Therapy found that the muscle imbalances caused by gluteal muscle weakness have been associated with several lower extremity injuries including patella femoral pain syndrome, iliotibial band friction syndrome, anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) sprains, and chronic ankle instability.

Source: Photos courtesy of CrossFit Inc

6. Reasons Why You Need Strong Glutes – Upper Body Issues

“In addition to issues in the lower body, weak glutes can affect the upper body as well. When the hips are tilted forward or imbalanced, your postural muscles must work harder to keep the body aligned and upright. This unwanted mechanical stress can increase the risk of tension headaches as well as irritability in the muscles surrounding the upper back, shoulders and neck.”

7. Diminished Sports Performance

“Strong glutes are essential for sports performance. Explosive movements seen in exercises such as basketball, volleyball, soccer, football, and running all require strong gluteal muscles. Few people would associate weak glute muscles with the ailments listed above.”

“As a result, a person may seek treatment for the injury itself, not realizing the actual source of the injury is weak glutes. As a result, if the glutes aren’t strengthened, they run the risk of re-injuring themselves once again. Because the quadriceps muscle group can often overpower the glutes, you want to make sure the glutes are getting the workout they deserve especially if you are an athlete.”

Video – Reasons Why You Need Strong Glutes

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Muscles of the glutes and posterior chain

The large muscles on the backside of your body are known as your posterior chain, consisting of three main groups: glutes, hamstrings and calves.

Gluteus maximus is a large muscle located in your buttocks area that supports your lower back when lifting heavy objects like barbells or dumbbells off the ground during squats or deadlifts. Gluteus medius and minimus are smaller muscles that promote hip stability by preventing injury during walking, running or hiking terrain changes (like stairs).

Hamstrings consist of three muscles—biceps femoris long head (or semitendinosus), semitendinosus and adductor magnus—that run along each thigh from just above where they attach to your pelvis down to just below where they attach to bones at either knee joint.”

Glutes

The gluteus maximus, medius and minimus are the three muscles in the buttocks. The gluteus maximus is the largest muscle in the body, but its main function is to extend your hips when you stand up from sitting. Gluteus medius and minimus are smaller muscles that help you stabilize your pelvis while walking or running by creating a “counterbalance” effect with each step.

A Strong Glute Maximus keeps you Healthy

The gluteus maximus is the largest muscle in the human body. It’s a hip extensor and plays an important role in posture and movement by keeping your hips locked into place while you squat, deadlift, and perform other lower-body compound lifts.

Your glutes also help keep your pelvis stable during these exercises, which can take some pressure off of your low back muscles.

The gluteus medius and minimus are smaller muscles that promote hip stability

The gluteus medius and minimus are smaller muscles that promote hip stability. They are important for preventing injury during walking, running and hiking.

Strengthening these muscles requires activation of the gluteal muscles with knee extension in a position that extends the hip at less than 90 degrees (i.e., bent forward). To strengthen your glutes, perform exercises such as squats or lunges with dumbbells or resistance bands around your legs to increase resistance as you get stronger over time.

Stretching these muscles can be done by performing exercises such as hip abductions or side lying clamshells.

Hamstrings

The hamstrings consist of 3 muscles that run along the back of each thigh from the hip down to just below the knee joint. The hamstrings help extend your hips and knees, enabling you to sit up and bend over. They also allow you to stand on one leg while bending over to touch your toes.

The gluteus maximus is located in the lower part of your buttocks (buttocks), where it forms part of a group of muscles known as your posterior chain.

The hamstrings consist of 3 muscles that run along the back of each thigh from the hip down to just below the knee joint.

The hamstrings consist of 3 muscles that run along the back of each thigh from the hip down to just below the knee joint.

They play an important role in mobility and stability, as well as in everyday movements such as walking up stairs or bending over to tie your shoes. The hamstrings are responsible for extending (straightening) the hips and knees.

Calves

The calf muscles are simply the gastrocnemius and soleus. The gastrocnemius crosses both the knee and ankle joints, so it can provide flexion at both joints.

The soleus is more posterior than the gastrocnemius, crossing only over the ankle joint and therefore able to provide plantar flexion only. Both muscles help with dorsiflexion, which is when you point your toes.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the posterior chain is a group of muscles that provide stability and mobility in your hips, knees and ankles. If you want to keep your body strong and healthy, it’s important to keep these muscles strong by performing regular exercises such as lunges, squats or deadlifts.

Keep your glutes healthy and strong.