Katie Leaver Pilates

 Glute medius  and glute minimus almost completes the opposite job of the glute maximus.  They are responsible for abduction of the hip (taking you leg out to the side of you body as if you were making a star shape), where the glute maximus is part of the muscle team the adducts the hip (taking the leg back towards the body).  The glute medius and glute minimus medially rotates the hip (rotating at the hip joint so that the leg moves in towards the body) whereas the glute max laterally rotates the hip (rotating at the hip joint so that the leg moves away from the body) Think about the clam exercise.  As the leg opens out and the hip rotates laterally the glute max is working.  However on the way back to the body the glute med and min are responsible.  Why does that exercise build so much?  Well you are using the glutes to open and close the leg.  Its important to keep the hip still so you get the work in both directions.  The glute medius is imperative for pelvic stability.  What is pe

 Your glute maximus muscle is the biggest (largest and heaviest) muscle in your body.  It is the muscle you can feel if you tap your bottom. The two other glute muscles, glute medius and glute minimus are mainly sitting beneath the larger and most famous glute max.  The glute max is responsible for hip extension, this is when you leg stretches behind your body.  When you walk there is a small moment when you push off the toe of the behind leg.  This is your leg in hip extension.  Glute max is responsible for stepping up (climbing stairs), climbing, running and getting you up out of your chair or off the sofa.   Its a very important muscle to keep happy and moving freely.  Your glute max works closely with your hamstring (back of the thigh) to keep you standing up and to help you stand up again if you bend forwards towards your toes.  Unfortunately glute max can get out of shape or become inhibited (stop working as well due to something else).  The hamstring (back of thigh muscles) or h

 Glutes, you have three glute muscles on each side of your body, which make up your bottom.  The glute minimus, glute medius and the glute maximum.  They do different jobs, so they need to be exercises in different ways.  Closest to the skin is the glute maximus.  If you press into the soft tissue of your bottom, you are pressing into your glute maximus.  This huge muscles covers up most of the other two glute muscles.  The glute maximus is the most powerful hip extensor muscles.  This muscle is responsible for taking the thigh behind your body line. (Hip flexion the thigh raises towards your tummy, hip extension the thigh is behind the body line, this happens when the back foot pushes off the ground when we walk).  The glute maximus also helps the body with the movement of hip adduction (stand on one leg and raise the other leg out the the side of your body up towards your hand/arm.  Adduction is the movement of this leg back in towards the body).  Finally the glute maximus is respons