Glute force: why big, strong bum muscles matter for your overall health

The glutes are the large, powerful muscles in your bum that help support the pelvis, stabilise the hip joint and allow the hip to move.

Countless social media posts extol the virtues of building strong glutes through exercises such as squats. However, most of what you hear from such “gymfluencers” is about how the bum muscles look.

Forget about how they look; what about what they do? Why is having big, strong glutes important for your body to function well?

In fact, having strong bum muscles is crucial to good musculoskeletal health.

Bum muscles hold your body up and protect the hip joint

The gluteal muscles are a group of three separate muscles, each with unique anatomical structure and function.

The deepest and smallest muscle is called the gluteus minimus, which is very close to the hip joint itself.

Overlaying gluteus minimus is the gluteus medius. This one is relatively large and spans the whole outer surface of the pelvis.

The gluteus maximus is the largest of the three gluteal muscles and overlays both gluteus medius and minimus. This muscle is what gives the the bum its distinctive bum-like shape, but it plays a very important role in the way your body functions. Its biggest job is in keeping us upright and pushing our bodies forward.

The gluteus medius and minimus muscles work together to promote hip abduction (the movement of the leg away from the body) and prevent hip adduction (the movement of the leg toward the body). They stabilize the hip and help us balance. 

In combination, the gluteus maximus, medius and minimus gives rise to many hip movements, and provide shock absorption when you’re walking or running.

These muscles work together with your brain to generate a lot of power to hold your body up as gravity tries to pull it down. They also protect the hip joint from impact and from shearing forces that might cause long term damage.

Some research has identified some people with hip pain also have impairments in the gluteal muscles.

These impairments could reduce the bum muscles’ ability to protect the joint against long term damage and potentially affect a person’s ability to bear weight (for example, when standing on one leg or climbing stairs).

“Strong gluteals are important for proper pelvic alignment, propulsion during walking and running, and even standing on one leg. Gluteals also help support the lower back during lifting, and help prevent knee injuries.” 

Rashi Goel, MPT

Three reasons strong glutes are important

1. Reduce back pain

Your gluteals are responsible for hip extension and assist their reverse action. When your feet are fixed on the ground, their job is to move your chest upward from the ground, like in a deadlift. Strong gluteals are essential to lower back health since they assist with pelvic, hip and trunk motions. They also help more evenly distribute load throughout your lower back and lower extremities and assist in good posture. 

2. Reduce knee pain

Your gluteal muscles create pelvic stability; which is especially important when your lower extremities function in a closed chain. For example, if you twist your ankle, you can also have imbalances at the knee and further up the leg. The same thing can happen if instability begins at the hip, leading to excessive force on the knee and ankle. That can mean knee pain or discomfort. 

Instability at the hip can cause your femur to turn too far inwards (excessive medial rotation), causing your kneecap to slip out of place as your leg bends and straightens. It’s called lateral patellar tracking, and is a common source of the pain for many people.

3. Increase power and exercise performance

Your gluteals assist in forward propulsion during running by creating explosive hip extension. They are essential to acceleration, jumping and even heavy lifting. If your gluteal muscles get weak, you may find yourself less powerful and less efficient. 

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Medical Review: This article is written by Dr Nishtha Mittal (Senior Health Content Editor at Zanskar Health) and has been medically reviewed by Dr Rashi Goel (Senior Physiotherapist at Zanskar Health). This article and its contents are provided for educational and informational purposes only and do not constitute medical advice or professional services specific to you or your medical condition.