Stretching the Gluteus Maximus

Enough cannot be said about the importance of stretching, warming up and preparing your muscles for athletic activity. Stretching comes before warming up and always in that order. This ensures the entire body is ready to meet the challenge your sport of choice or workout regimen will require. Since the gluteus maximus is the powerhouse and center of your entire body, paying special attention to it during your preparation for a game or workout is a wise move. This is the best way we can hope to avoid injury during athletic pursuits.

Most of us begin our stretches with only our ham strings, back and torso and forget to isolate a good stretch for our gluteus maximus. After your ham string stretch, be sure to take a seat and cross the ankle over the opposing knee. Relax in this position for a minimum of 1 minute prior to switching sides. If you can go longer than 1 minute, you will achieve longer lasting benefits for this large, crucial muscle.

After completing 3 repetitions on each side, move this gluteus maximus specific stretch to the floor. Laying on your back bring your ankle over the opposing knee for a minimum of 1 minute; repeat 3 repetitions for each side of the body. If you prefer variety, lie on your left side instead, raise the right knee to a right angle and gently allow your torso only to rest back on the floor. This will provide a serious lengthening to the gluteus maximus muscle itself. Hold for a minimum of 1 minute for 3 repetitions on each side.

If you are already limber, you will not feel any burn. It should not be your goal in a stretch to feel a burn, instead you should aim to one day, if not already, feel no strain at all. Never bounce during a stretch; this will only tear muscle and defeat the purpose of providing a release to the fibers of the muscle tissue. If you do not stretch enough, you will feel a burn that cannot be avoided.

Eventually your efforts will reward you with a satisfying sense of limberness and no pain during your future warm ups. Expect that goal to take at least one month of faithful yoga classes 3 times per week or daily stretching routines at home lasting 15 minutes.

Following your 15 minute stretch, you can begin a gentle warm up. Warming up for physical activity, sports or even shoveling the snow or working around the yard is a wise move. Even if you are leaving for work which requires sitting at a desk all day, take the time to fit in a 15 minute stretch every morning to avoid back or leg damage over the course of your employment at a desk job. A gentle warm up for the gluteus maximus is as simple as a light jog or elliptical climb of no more than 5 minutes.

Running in place, a 5 minute swim or kicks at the side of the pool are all superb warm ups that will specifically heat up your gluteus maximus. Even a simple but brisk walk around the court, up through the bleachers or down the stairwell at the office is sufficient as long as you keep moving for a minimum of 5 minutes.

Purposeful, deliberate movement is the key to stretching and treating the muscles to a healthy lengthening.