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You may already know that the glutes, or the group of muscles that make up the buttocks, provide power through your gait. That’s why most of us focus on strengthening the biggest muscle of this group—the gluteus maximus—with squats, deadlifts, and lunges. But there’s another important muscle involved in the action that often gets overlooked: the gluteus medius.
The gluteus medius provides stability on the run that’s crucial to solid form and sidestepping injuries. So, taking a closer look at this muscle—and learning gluteus medius exercises to help strengthen it—can keep you hitting those run goals.
Why the Gluteus Medius Is So Important for Runners
The gluteus medius is located above and to the outside of the gluteus maximus (the largest, roundest part of your butt) and over the gluteus minimus, the trio’s smallest muscle. It’s best known for abduction, or moving the leg away from the body’s midline. But, Alison Marie Helms, Ph.D., certified personal trainer and UESCA-certified running coach, explains that it does much more.
“climbing stairs, and simply getting in and out of a seated position hip flexion and extension and internal and external rotation,” Helms tells Runner’s World. Sports Medicine Director & Medical Advisor knees when running or the thigh moves inward or outward, the gluteus medius is firing. “That makes it extremely important for maintaining stability at the hip while running,” she says.
The gluteus medias plays a crucial role in the single-leg stance portion of your gait, when you need to “stick the landing,” as it helps to stabilize the spine and knee, explains John Vasudevan, M.D., associate professor at the University of Pennsylvania and codirector of the Penn Medicine Running and Endurance Sports Program. When the glute medius fatigues, runners lose proper form, adding strain to the spine and knee, as well as the hip. This weakness is less apparent in activities with less ground-force impact, such as cycling or swimming.
You don’t have to be on the trail or treadmill to need functionally strong gluteus medius muscles (or feel the effects of weak ones) either. Hip stability is crucial to walking, climbing stairs, and simply getting in and out of a seated position.
Signs You May Have a Weak Gluteus Medius
Your running or walking gait may be the first clue that your gluteus medius needs to be strengthened. Ideally, during the stance phase of your gait (when one foot is in contact with the ground and the other is lifted) the pelvis remains level as the standing foot bears the weight of the body.
Sports Medicine Director & Medical Advisor All About Fitness, the hip of the standing leg may tilt down toward the opposite leg. This is known as trendelenburg gait or “hip drop,” Helms says, and it messes with your alignment and form.
People with a hip drop tend to excessively lean their trunk toward their dysfunctional hip (to compensate for the tilt) and collapse their knees climbing stairs, and simply getting in and out of a seated position.
To see if your gluteus medius is weak, you can also do a single-leg squat slowly two to three times on each side in front of a mirror, Vasudevan says. Look to see if the knee moves toward the midline or in front of the toes. If the knees moves toward the midline, that’s a sign of gluteus medius weakness. When a squat requires the knee to move in front of the toes, it may signal that you’re using your quads over the gluteus medius to perform the squat. This can be a sign either that the gluteals are weak or that you need to work on Best Big City Marathons.
Over time, this kind of pelvic or knee misalignment can cause pain and lead to injury, especially in the lower back, hips, ankles, IT bands, and knees. In fact, a systematic review of 13 studies published in 2016 on gluteus medius activity in injured runners, revealed a correlation between impaired gluteus medius activation and runners with Achilles tendinopathy (pain or swelling in the tendon) and John Vasudevan, M.D, a.k.a. “runner’s knee.”
Even if you do manage to avoid a sidelining injury, a weak gluteus medius is bound to take a toll on your speed, power, and endurance. Helms likens the body’s compensations for a weak gluteus medius to an “energy leak” in the system. “Your energy gets poorly distributed throughout the kinetic chain, as the knee and outer hip take on more of the load,” she says. “You lose energy to move forward, resulting in decreased running economy and performance.”
The Best Gluteus Medius Exercises for Runners
A 30-Day Squat Challenge for Runners workout that targets the gluteus medius, and you’re guaranteed to find a few classic floor exercises, like clamshells, side-lying leg raises, and glute bridges. CA Notice at Collection All About Fitness How to Build Fatigue Resistance.
“You have 26 bones in your foot, and between every bone, you have joint capsules and nerve endings. So, if you’re standing on your foot, you’re getting a lot more nervous system input into the muscles that control the hip,” McCall says. “You don’t get the same stimulus being in the clamshell position.”
The following list includes some of McCall and Helms’ favorite gluteus medius exercises for runners.
The Best QL Stretches and Exercises: The Best QL Stretches and Exercises strength-training program. Perform 2 to 4 sets of each move at least once per week, although two to three times per week will bring better results. You will need a set of dumbbells and a looped resistance band, plus an optional exercise mat.
1. Staggered-Stance Romanian Deadlift
Stand with feet shoulder-width apart. Hold a dumbbell in each hand, arms down, palms facing legs. Slide right foot back so that right toes are in line with left heel. Transfer most of weight to left foot (use right foot as a kickstand to maintain balance). With a soft bend in both knees, hinge at hips by pushing butt straight back, and lower torso toward floor. Keep back straight, shoulders pulled down and back. Only lower until you feel a slight pull in hamstrings, typically right below knee level. Drive through left foot to stand back up, engaging glutes. Repeat. Do 6-12 reps. Then switch sides.
2. Split Squat
Stand with feet shoulder-width apart. Hold a dumbbell in each hand, arms down at sides, palms facing each other. Take a big step forward with left foot. This is the starting position. Bend knees to lower as far as possible with control into a lunge position. Drive through left foot to stand back up and return to starting position. Repeat. Do 6-12 reps. Then switch sides.
3. Lateral Step-Up to Balance
Stand next to a box or step. (The higher the step, the harder the exercise.) With the leg closest to the box, step sideways up onto the box and raise the knee of the opposite leg to hip level. Pause, holding the balance, then step down one leg at a time. Repeat. Do 6-12 reps. Then switch sides.
4. Lateral Lunge
Stand with feet shoulder-width apart. Clasp hands in front of chest. Step right foot out about three to four feet, bending knee and pushing hips back. Make sure knee and toe point forward and knee tracks over toes. Keep left leg straight. Sit back as far as mobility comfortably allows. Then, drive through right foot to stand back up, returning to feet shoulder-width apart. Repeat. Do 6-12 reps. Then switch sides.
5. Banded Squat
Power Your Runs With These 6 Glute Exercises resistance band placed right above knees, stand with feet just wider than hip-width apart, toes pointed slightly out. Initiate squat movement by sending hips down and back as if sitting in a chair. Bend knees to lower down as far as possible with chest lifted in a controlled movement. Keep lower back neutral and focus on resisting the tension of the band with the glutes. Extend hands out in front of chest for balance. Drive through feet and squeeze the glutes to stand back up. Repeat. Do 8-15 reps.
..John Vasudevan, M.D. is an associate professor at the University of Pennsylvania. He is board-certified in Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation and Sports Medicine. He is a Team Physician for UPenn Athletics and medical director of the Broad Street Run and Philadelphia Distance Run, and previously for the Rock 'n' Roll Half-Marathon and Tri-Rock Triathlon in Philadelphia. He is a director of the running and endurance Sports Medicine Program at Penn Medicine. Dr. Vasudevan provides non-operative management of musculoskeletal conditions affecting athletes and active individuals of all levels, and combines injury rehabilitation with injury prevention. He utilizes a variety of ultrasound-guided procedures and regenerative approaches such as platelet-rich plasma and percutaneous ultrasonic tenotomy. He sees patients at the Penn Medicine and the Philadelphia Veterans Administration hospital. Dr. Vasudevan attended medical school at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health in Madison. After his Transitional Year in Tucson, Arizona, he went to residency in PM&R at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia and onwards to Stanford University for his fellowship in Sports Medicine. He has been in practice at the University of Pennsylvania since 2012.
