Glutes is a catch-all term for a series of muscles in the butt, the gluteals. Strong glutes are essential for running your fastest and remaining injury-free.
There are three gluteal muscles: gluteus maximus, gluteus medius, and gluteus minimus. Gluteus maximus is, as its name implies, the largest of the three. It’s the large, rounded muscle that originates from the inner pelvis and sacrum. Your gluteus maximus is what someone is talking about when they tell you that you have a nice butt. The two smaller glute muscles are located on the side of your butt, near and slightly above your hip joint.
Glutes play a key role in good running. The two smaller ones, gluteus medius and gluteus minimus, are abductors, meaning that they move the leg away from the body. Gluteus maximus is responsible for hip extension, or raising your leg behind your thigh and knee behind you after pushing off with your foot. Good hip extension channels the energy of that leg swing into forward motion. Without good hip extension your stride will never be powerful as it can be, or you’ll never be as fast as you can be.
The other key role of glutes for runners is providing stability for the pelvis and knees. Strong glutes help maintain a neutral base and reduce wasted side-to-side motion. This stability helps you to direct your energy forward, resulting in faster running at the same effort level. Also, when the glutes aren’t working properly, some of the impact forces are transmitted elsewhere down the legs. Weak and/or tight butt muscles have been linked to common injuries such as runner’s knee, iliotibial band syndrome, and Achilles tendinitis.
One challenge for modern runners is that too much sitting can lead to weak and tight butt and hip muscles. Over time, your glutes can lose their ability to fire properly, and your hip flexors, located along the front of your body, can become shortened. Both of these problems can lead to core instability and limited hip extension when you run.
Most runners will benefit greatly from two or three butt-strengthening workouts per week. Speak to your osteopath regarding gluteus medius strengthening exercises if unsure.
