There are many muscles that are important for running, including quads, hamstrings, and calves. However, an often overlooked muscle is the glute. The glute, or butt muscle, is actually made up of three different muscles: the gluteus maximus muscle, gluteus medius muscle and gluteus minimus muscle. If any of these muscles malfunction, running will become very difficult and painful.
A human body would not be able to run without the glute muscle. The glute plays a critical role in enabling the running motion by helping the hip extend, which drives the body forward, helping lift the thigh off the ground, and also stabilizing the hips and core when a runner’s foot impacts the ground.
With a weak glute muscle, runners are at risk for so many injuries, including piriformis, hip, and back problems. Perhaps the most frustrating part of having a weak glute muscle is that, do the role this muscle plays in stablizing the body, it can cause pain in parts of the body located far from the butt. For example, if you have a sore back you may believe that you need to loosen your back muscles; however, the real problem might be the lack of glute muscle mass. This “referred pain” lead to extremely frustrating injuries that are hard to diagnose.
People who work long hours in an office are at special risk of glute muscle issues. This is because the glutes can atrophy through long periods of sitting. Therefore, it is important to perform strengthening exercises such as the following whenever possible:
- Squat: Stand with feet shoulder width apart. Bend your knees and stick your butt out. Try to feel the flex your quads and glutes until your quads are parallel to the ground. Hold for five seconds and repeat.
- Step Ups: Find a stool and step up on the stool with one foot. Lift the body up through the heel. Repeat with the other leg.
- Bridge: Lie on your back with knees bent. Tighten the abdominal muscles and lift your butt off the floor. Make sure that the hips, knees, and chest are in line. Repeat.
Performing these exercises will help ensure that you maintain strong glute muscles that will help prevent injuries.
