This summary is from a March 2011 Triathlete magazine article by Nikki Kimball. I don’t have a direct link to the article since I tore the page out of the actual magazine.
Most of us work out ‘core’ muscles regularly, at least I know I do. However, how many of us work out Glutes? Maybe indirectly I am working them, however I’ve never really focused on just the glutes. The article refers to the glutes as the ‘forgotten core’. So what do the glutes do:
When we run, the glutes hold our pelvis level and steady, extend our hip, and propel us forward. So when our glutes are faulty, our entire kinetic chain gets disrupted. Studies link glute weakness to Achilles tendinitis, shinsplints, runner’s knee, and iliotibial-syndrome.
When we run, our hamstrings, quads and calves carry most of the load, thus they get stronger than our glutes. In addition, most exercises don’t isolate the glutes. When an exercise requires multiple muscles, the strongest muscles will do most of the work. Another interesting point is that tight hip flex muscles can inhibit the glute fibers from firing.
With all this said, the article does give you some exercises that will isolate the glutes. Below is a scanned picture of those exercises. Enjoy.
