By Physiotherapist, Vanessa Boon
TOP 3 GLUTEUS MEDIUS EXERCISES
CLAMSHELLS
This exercise, if done properly, targets your glute med and focuses on the activation of the muscle.
How to:
- Lay on your side with your legs stacked and your hips and knees bent 45 degrees.
- Rest your head on your arm and your other palm on the floor in front of your chest while lightly pressing your heels together.
- Keeping the light pressure in heels, lift the top knee while keeping your core engaged.
- Repeat this movement for 15-20 repetitions really focusing on the activation in your glutes.
CRAB WALKS
This exercise targets your glute med in weight bearing, lower limbs as well as your core! This is one of my favourite exercises.
How to:
- Place your loop band around your mid foot to start.
- Stand with feet shoulder width apart, hips, knees and ankle in one line (keeping this line throughout the movement).
- Hinge at your hips and sit your bum back until you feel a mid – strong contraction.
- Step one foot out to the side and step the other in the same direction while keeping tension in the band.
- Keep alternating steps side to side, repeat this 15-20 repetitions per side.
FIRE HYDRANTS
This exercise focuses on the concentric and eccentric control of your glute med, core and shoulders. This is one exercise that pretty much targets your entire body and works both glute meds at the same time.
How to:
- Start in a 4 point kneeling position with hands under shoulders and knees under hips, core engaged. Your knees should be at a 90 degree angle.
- While keeping your hips stable, squeeze your glutes and raise one knee out to the side aiming to get it parallel to the ground.
- Making sure you are not leaning away from the lifted leg, keep your core engaged.
- Repeat and aim to do 15-20 repetitions on each side.
Your glute med is one of 3 gluteal muscles. It is one of the main hip stabiliser muscles especially during single leg stance (e.g walking, running). This is a very important muscle to keep strong whether you play sports or not. Here is a video demonstration for how to do these 3 exercises.