The glute (or buttox) muscles are composed of three muscles: the gluteus maximus, medius, and minimus.
The gluteus maximus is the largest muscle in your body.
These muscles are primarily responsible for stability, balance, posture, hip and leg movement, and power.
When we think of the gluteus maximus powerhouse, there are two main components to focus on:
Strength + Power
As Newton’s second law of motion states…
Force = mass x acceleration.
Force is power.
Mass is our muscle mass.
And acceleration is the speed at which we complete something.
Build your strength first with squats, lunges, deadlifts, glute bridges, and side steps with bands.
Add weight as you progress. Always challenge yourself.
But keep a rep or two in the tank – no need to max out… unless bodybuilding is your thing and that’s cool too!
Add the acceleration by doing faster-paced exercises (typically with less or no weight) such as step ups, jump squats, box jumps, and kettlebell swings.
Then start to put them together when it makes sense (add weight to step ups and kettlebell swing, not necessary for box and squat jumps – just pick up the pace).
The kettlebell swing is the ultimate power move because you can swing a pretty heavy kettlebell fairly quickly with the strength and power of your hips and buttox.
Do you know how to do a kettlebell swing? If not, you need to learn it. I can help.