Main functions of the gluteus medius muscle
Have you heard about such a disease as arthrosis of the hip joint? And you won’t hear it if you pump the gluteus medius muscle. It is her weakness that becomes one of the provoking factors of this disease. For the same reason, we feel aching pain in the pelvic area after a long walk.
Musculus gluteus medius (the Latin name of our heroine) refers to stabilizers, that is, it is responsible for supporting the body. That is why strengthening it is necessary to improve posture, as well as form a beautiful and confident gait. And this muscle visually tightens the butt, so the question of pumping it up is by no means idle. For athletes, exercises for the gluteus medius muscle help improve personal performance in running and jumping.
The main function of this muscle in movement is to abduct the hip to the side, as well as rotate it inward and outward. Here lies the answer to the question of how to pump up the gluteus medius muscle - with the help of a variety of exercises with leg extensions and leg lifts.
Rules for studying at home
Agree that training at home is much more enjoyable. You can turn on your favorite music, wear comfortable clothes, and besides, there is no one else around. But there are some rules that will make your training more effective:
- Regularity. By exercising occasionally, you will never make your butt more beautiful and slimmer. It is best to exercise every other day, but daily training will not do any harm, because the stress at home is not so strong. Muscles recover quickly, so another hour of exercise will not be superfluous.
- Do the exercises at the same time. You should train at the same time. Ideally, classes should be held in the morning or evening.
- Alternating exercises. The selected strength training complex should be combined with cardio training. This approach will allow you to achieve greater efficiency from the process.
- Gradual increase in load. You cannot immediately load your body to the maximum in one day. Otherwise, there is a high probability of not building muscles, but of depleting them. We increase the load gradually.
- Accurate execution of technique. Each exercise must be performed according to all rules. This is especially true for movements with sports equipment, when it is important to observe safety precautions.
- We carefully monitor our breathing. Here it is important to remember one simple rule - we tense our muscles as we exhale, and relax as we inhale. We breathe slowly, measuredly. There is no need to rush during training (does not apply to Tabata).
- Training intensity. To quickly achieve results, you need to train intensively, without sparing yourself. After exercise, the gluteal muscles should “burn.”
How to pump up the gluteus medius muscle: general recommendations
The gluteus medius muscle is a problematic area of the body in many ways. Therefore, many athletes do not pay due attention to it, putting their main efforts on strengthening the upper part of the buttocks. Or they swing it obviously incorrectly, because they cannot focus on it.
To make sure your workouts are as effective as possible, follow these simple guidelines:
- alternate strength and high-repetition training;
- exercise with average weight, otherwise the main part of the load will be on the gluteus maximus muscle;
- Perform all exercises as technically as possible, avoiding unnecessary movements;
- Before you start pumping up the gluteus medius muscle, “tire” it with a base (barbell squats, deadlifts, Romanian deadlifts, etc.)
- buttock training should be carried out no more than once a week. And it’s better in combination with leg training.
The best exercises for the buttocks at home
What exercises for losing weight and pumping up the buttocks are best included in the complex? Methods are constantly being improved, various training programs are being created that will help you get into shape in the shortest possible time. No matter what new is introduced into the process, effective exercises remain unchanged. Let's get to know the best of them.
Exercises for the gluteus medius muscle at home
Horizontal scissors
The technique for performing this exercise is very simple. We lie on our back, raise our legs at an angle of about 40 degrees, move them apart, and then move them back crosswise. The greater the amplitude of reduction and extension, the better the gluteus medius muscle is worked. Plus, it's a great ab workout. We perform 25 repetitions in 3 sets.
Pistol
For this exercise, you will need a high-backed chair or chest of drawers. Slowly squat on one leg, holding the support with your hand and keeping your back straight. At the bottom point, hold for half a second. The deeper the squats, the stronger the buttocks. But for beginners it is better to do this exercise at half the amplitude. We perform 5 repetitions on each leg in 3–5 approaches, gradually increasing the load.
Swing your legs to the side (“fire hydrant”)
It is performed standing on all fours, supported by hands and knees. The angle between the stomach and hips is straight. Raise the bent leg to the side until it is parallel to the floor. We perform 20–25 repetitions for 3–4 approaches.
Stepping (climbing)
To perform this exercise, you will need a platform 40–60 cm high. This can be a bench or a high step. We take a step onto a hill, straighten our leg and place the second one next to it. Too easy? Then take a heavy dumbbell in each hand. If you don’t have suitable sports equipment at home, 2 five-liter bottles of sand will do. We perform 5 approaches for 1 minute.
Curtsy squat
Starting position: standing, feet shoulder-width apart. With your left foot, take a step back and to the side, moving it behind your right leg (distance approximately 25–30 cm). Lower the knee of your left leg to the floor, squatting. Straighten the leg, put it in its original position and repeat the same thing in a mirror for the right leg. Attention: do not allow your knees to extend over your toes. Standard number of repetitions: 15–20 in 3–4 sets.
Many gluteus medius exercises place significant stress on the knee joints. Therefore, it is better to take care of strengthening this part of the body in advance. How to pump up the gluteus medius muscle at home more effectively? Use fitness bands, attaching them to the middle of your thighs.
Static exercise “Chair”
- We take a vertical position. We stand at a distance of 50 centimeters from the wall.
- We begin to slowly sit down, as if on a chair, resting our back against the wall.
- When squatting, your bent legs should form an angle of 90 degrees.
- The arms at this moment are relaxed, simply straightened.
- We hold this position for about 60 seconds.
Exercises for the gluteus medius muscle in the gym
In the gym, you can perform all the same gluteus medius exercises as at home, using weights: barbell, dumbbells, ankle weights. But there are also those that can only be performed in the gym.
Breeding legs in the simulator
This is the most popular exercise for the gluteus medius muscle, since it also affects the gluteus maximus. And the necessary exercise equipment is available in almost every gym. The technique is extremely simple: we sit down, place our legs on special stands and do side-to-side extensions. It is extremely difficult to make any mistakes here. But there is one important nuance: lean forward to better feel the muscles working. We do 20 repetitions in 3-4 sets.
Leg abduction in a crossover (swing your leg sideways in a crossover)
We stand sideways to the crossover. A special cuff is installed on the lower block of the simulator, which must be fastened on the ankle of the far leg. We cling to the rack of the machine with our hands to maintain balance and move our leg to the side, lifting it as high as possible. We perform 15–20 repetitions in 3–4 sets.
Bench press
This exercise for the gluteus medius muscle works no less effectively than for the quadriceps. It is also quite easy to do. But this is in terms of technology. But the load on the lower body will be serious. We sit down (or rather, lie down) on the machine, rest our feet on the lower part of the platform and perform flexion-extension.
For beginners, it is better to start with light weights. For men – 10–20 kg, for women 5–10 kg. And this does not take into account the weight of the platform itself. We systematically increase the load with each new workout, while gradually reducing the number of repetitions. For example, with 20 kg we do 45 flexions and extensions, and with 100 kg – 15. And all this in 3 approaches.
Deadlift with pressure
- We take a vertical position. We spread our legs. If desired, you can turn the socks towards each other.
- Take dumbbells or any other weight and place them in your hands on the front of your thighs.
- Bend forward, keeping your knees straight. Pull your butt back slightly. If you can't keep your legs straight when doing deadlifts, you can bend them slightly at the knees.
- We bend down to the middle of the shin, then return back. The back bends without complex, unnatural curvatures. Any distortion is excluded.
How to pump up the function of the gluteus medius muscle of the buttock: proper nutrition for productive training
Physical activity provides a stimulus for muscle growth, but it is impossible without the supply of a sufficient amount of “building material”. And we’re not just talking about the amino acids that make up muscle proteins, but also about vitamins and minerals. All of the above and even more contain the natural biocomplex Leveton XXL .
In addition, muscle growth is impossible without the participation of sex hormones. And mainly testosterone, the level of which drops with overload. Leveton XXL , which contains natural analogues of human hormones, will also help fill this deficiency Our body uses them at its own discretion, so the use of this remedy normalizes hormonal levels, but does not go beyond the physiological norm. This will allow the body to reach its maximum without side effects.
And to absorb a sufficient amount of protein from food and sports supplements, the uninterrupted functioning of the liver is necessary. The plant bitterness of elecampane will help improve its functioning and stimulate the secretion of bile. It also contains inulin, which helps improve intestinal perilstatics and normalize its microflora. This natural hepatoprotector is available in a convenient tablet form - in the form of the drug Mezi - Vit + .
Plie squats
- We take a vertical position.
- The body should be as smooth as possible. We don’t curl up or slouch at all. The gaze is directed strictly forward.
- We spread our legs, be sure to turn our toes away from each other.
- We place our hands along the body. To increase the load, you can take any weight in the form of dumbbells or simple bottles of water - hold it with both hands.
- We do squats. We bend down until our legs form a right angle at the knees.
Walking on your buttocks
- We sit down on the surface. The back is straight, legs are straight. We move the shoulder girdle slightly back. This way the load will be evenly distributed across all major muscle groups.
- We begin to move our buttocks, minimally lifting them off the floor, forward and backward, imitating walking.
- We make movements quickly, intensely, but without overloading our breathing.
