America has had a long obsession with gluteus muscles. From the “Buns of Steel” workout in the late 1980s to Connor Storrie in “Heated Rivalry,” our culture has spent decades fixated on firm and prominent backsides.
However, experts are increasingly finding that having a powerful posterior isn’t just about looking good in jeans. The glutes are the largest muscles in our body and are closely tied to stability, balance and aging well. They act like shock absorbers when we walk or climb stairs, and building a strong butt can help prevent and manage back pain at any age and reduce the risk of falling for older adults.
“Glutes are so important” for independent living, said Theresa Marko, a physical therapist in New York and adjunct professor of physical therapy at Touro University. “Do you want to get off the subway? Do you want to get off the toilet?”
Long periods of sitting are bad for your whole body, but they can weaken your glutes in particular, leading to what’s called dead butt syndrome. Despite this, many people neglect these muscles in their workout, said Sandor Dorgo, a professor of kinesiology at the University of Texas at San Antonio, adding that it’s especially important for older people to focus on their lower bodies.
Here is an argument for paying more attention to your butt.
If your glutes are weak, other muscles overcompensate.
Your glutes are made up of three muscles: the gluteus maximus, medius and minimus. These muscles work together to help you sit, stand, walk, run, jump and lift heavy objects. They also help stabilize the pelvis, which can prevent knee and low back pain, as well as hamstring strains and ankle sprains.
The glutes don’t act alone; they are part of the posterior chain, which runs from the backside of the body, all the way from the heel up to the neck, said Dr. Dorgo.
“Glute strength is important, but glute strength is only important together with the entire lower body,” he said.
If your glutes are weak, your body can overuse your hamstrings and back muscles, which can lead to strains and joint pain or cause you to arch your back while walking or running. Perhaps less obviously, weak glutes can affect how confidently you move, one of the reasons they can lead to more falls, said Costanza Cortes, an assistant professor at the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology.
While fear of falling is a complex issue that involves our vision, balance and power, Dr. Dorgo said you need to have good lower body strength to stay upright.
How to tell if your glutes are weak
The size of your glutes is not necessarily an indicator of their strength. The way you move, and how you feel while doing it, is often a better guide, experts said. For instance, if your hips sway side-to-side or you waddle as you walk, that can be a sign of a weak gluteus medius, Dr. Marko said. Slouching, or pain in the hips, knees or lower back can also indicate weak glute muscles.
Weak glutes can make it difficult to get out of a chair without using your arms, squat to the floor or walk up or down stairs, Dr. Cortes said. People with weak glutes will often lean slightly forward while climbing stairs, and they may also rely on the handrail.
Tight hamstrings or calves can also be warning signs as they take over the job of your glutes when you’re walking, running or squatting. Weak glutes can even cause pain as far away as your feet or heels. Discomfort in your hamstring when doing a bridge exercise is a dead giveaway, Dr. Marko said.
How to build strong, functional glutes
The key to building powerful glutes for strength and stability is finding exercises that require them to work alongside the hamstrings, quads, lower back in a natural way, Dr. Dorgo said.
“What they need to do is mimic movement patterns that we would see in everyday life,” he said.
Glute bridges, hip thrusts, squats and deadlifts are particularly useful, experts said. If you already strength train regularly and want to isolate your glutes, clamshells, glute kickbacks, donkey kicks or the hip abduction machine are also good options.
To strengthen your gluteus medius, try monster walks, either with a band or without. Step-ups — which can be performed on a box, bench or stair — are another excellent way to target your glutes, hamstrings and quads. Walking backward, especially up a hill, also works the glutes more than walking on a level surface.
“Glute work is so important,” Dr. Marko said, adding that it doesn’t even have to be hard. “When you’re standing at the stove, try some side leg kicks and some back leg kicks — or just stand on one leg.”
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