Hip extension on all fours: technique and video

The buttocks, as the gluteus maximus muscle is called (musculus gluteus maximus), many of us rarely attach importance to, and do not consider these muscles important, and remember them only when the swimming season comes, and the need arises to wear swimming trunks and, moreover, attention is paid form, not function. The gluteal muscles serve several functions beyond just being an attractive seat cushion, and if these muscles are weakened, then a lot of problems arise. Well, if we sit all the time during the day (at work, at home, while eating or watching TV), then what kind of muscle strength can we talk about?

Nature made this muscle large enough not only for the sake of beauty. The gluteus maximus muscle (“MGM”) is the largest and one of the strongest muscles in the human body. The gluteus maximus muscle is the most superficial of the three gluteal muscles and forms most of the shape and appearance of the buttocks. The gluteus maximus muscle runs along the crest of the pelvic bone and attaches to the posterior aspect of the proximal femur and to the iliotibial ligament, providing a connection between the trunk and lower extremities.

The large size of this muscle is one of the most characteristic features of the human muscular system. According to most researchers, humans evolved from ape-like ancestors about two million years ago on the vast savannah of Africa. It is believed that natural selection favored the survival of animals that could escape. Over time, evolution consolidated the anatomical features that allowed humans to run long distances, and the enlargement of the gluteus maximus muscle may have played a decisive role in this process.

Standing hip extension[edit | edit code]

Hip extensions are classified as isolation exercises because they only move the hip joints. However, it involves not only the gluteus maximus muscle, but also the hamstrings and lower back muscles.

Execution[edit | edit code]

Performing the hip extension exercise:
Stand straight, bring your legs together, take one leg back and lift it as high as possible using your gluteal muscles. Hold this pose for a second, squeezing your gluteal muscles as hard as possible. Return to starting position and repeat. After completing the approach for one leg, repeat the exercise for the other without pausing. To increase your range of motion, you can move your leg forward so that your thigh is almost parallel to the floor. Then straighten your leg, moving it back.

Advantages

The easiest exercise that directly engages the gluteal muscles.
Can be done at home without sports equipment.

Flaw

Once you have experience with strength training, you may want to move on to more effective leg exercises, such as squats or deadlifts.

By rounding your lower back, you can better feel how your gluteal muscles work. But this may put your spine at risk of injury.

Recommendations[edit | edit code]

Hip extension is limited by the degree of elasticity of the iliofemoral ligament

Use your free hand to touch the part of the buttock you are working on. This will strengthen the connection between the brain and muscles, and will also allow you to better feel the working muscles, which makes the exercise more effective.

You will be able to move your leg back and lift it as much as the elasticity of the iliofemoral ligament allows. Having reached the natural limit of movement, you can only lift your leg higher if you bend. But then the leg will begin to move to the side, and not back. In this case, muscle tension moves from the gluteus maximus muscle to the gluteus medius muscle.

To really hit your gluteus maximus, don't move your leg too far to the side. A little sideways movement is acceptable, but try to limit it.

Standing option using a cable machine

Standing options[edit | edit code]

If you enjoy doing this exercise while standing, then unless you are at the lowest level of fitness, we recommend that you do not waste time doing it without additional load. You can use a resistance band, calf weights, or a cable machine (a cable attached to a cuff worn around the ankle) to increase the resistance.

Standing option using an elastic band

Free weights or machines?[edit | edit code]

All hip extension variations are approximately the same. Their main difference is the level of load that is applied to the gluteal muscles and the range of motion. Calf weights, resistance bands and machines increase the load and difficulty of the exercise, thereby increasing its effectiveness in building muscle mass.

Some glute trainers also work the area behind the knee or the Achilles tendon.

Standing option using a simulator

Symptoms of trauma.

A characteristic and primary symptom for all types of tendon injuries is the appearance of sudden severe pain. The following signs are added to it:

redness and swelling in the area of injury
increased sensitivity at the site of injury
muscle cramps
hemorrhage
characteristic crunching sound at the time of injury
limited movement of the injured limb
complete ruptures are characterized by the appearance of dips when walking

Lying options[edit | edit code]

By performing exercises while lying on the floor, you increase the load on your muscles and decrease your range of motion.

Lie on your stomach and support your body weight on your forearms. Bend your back slightly at the lower back.

You can also do the Superman variation. Starting position: Lying on your stomach, straighten your arms and legs, then lift them at the same time. This variation also works the lower back muscles and the muscles at the back of the shoulders.

Lying hip extension and Superman

How do you know if your gluteus maximus muscles are weak?

For example, here is a simple and quick test that will help determine if you have weak gluteal muscles.

Lie on your back with your knees bent at least 90 degrees. Squeeze your gluteal muscles. Slowly lift your hip off the floor and then straighten your right knee so that your thighs are parallel. Try not to change the level of your pelvis or rotate your hips. If the pelvis deviates or rotates to one side when the leg is extended, then there is definitely weakness in the gluteal muscle. But this test should not be performed by women until at least 6 weeks after giving birth.

Exercise therapy doctors can use additional manual and dynamic diagnostic methods to determine gluteal muscle weakness:

Manual diagnostic techniques include observing whether the exercises are performed correctly, whether there are any displacements in the movement, or whether other muscles are compensatory in the movement.
Dynamic methods include digital analysis of video of movement performance, which allows the exercise therapist to examine the movement in detail. Such video analysis allows the physical therapy doctor to evaluate the work of the gluteal muscles in the kinetic chain, to observe the function of the pelvis and lower extremities dynamically, throughout the entire gait cycle.

Kneeling options[edit | edit code]

By performing the exercise in a kneeling position, you increase the load and range of motion.

As you bend your leg, the exercise becomes easier. When you straighten your leg, it becomes heavier. When performing the exercise in a kneeling position, you should bend your leg at an angle of 90 degrees so that it can be brought under your body and thereby increase the range of motion. The leg straightens immediately after you move it out from under the body. At this moment the knee joint is involved.
Using an elastic band, calf weights, or cable machine, you can increase the load on your gluteal muscles.
To increase the load, get on all fours and simultaneously lift your opposite arm and leg (for example, your right leg and left arm).
Instead of standing on the floor, you can place your support knee on a bench to increase the range of motion and therefore the difficulty of the exercise.

Variation on the knee with straight leg
Knee version with bent leg and elastic band
Variation on the knee with raised opposite legs and arms
Option on a knee on a bench; the leg at the knee straightens towards the end of the movement

Functions of the gluteus maximus muscle.

The gluteus maximus muscle is very important in performing activities such as standing, walking, and running. The function of the muscle in these activities is to participate in straightening the leg, bringing the torso into a vertical position, abducting and adducting the hip in accordance with our body, rotating the hip from and to the center of the body and stabilizing the pelvis. This muscle may also play a role in stabilizing the knee during extension.

During standing up, for example, the gluteal muscle plays an important role in hip extension and pelvic stabilization. During running, this muscle provides stabilization to the torso and helps extend the hip when accelerating and slow down the leg when stopping.

Thus, weak gluteus maximus muscles reduce the ability to perform many of our daily activities effectively and safely. Muscle weakness can make it difficult to perform certain movements that require these muscles, such as standing up, sitting, walking, or running. Sometimes weakness of the gluteal muscles can be associated with back, knee and hip pain.

Mechanism of movement: muscles involved in walking

Home Articles Mechanism of movement: muscles involved in walking

Walking is an automated motor act carried out as a result of extremely complex coordinated activity of the skeletal muscles of the trunk and lower extremities. A person’s walking consists of individual steps, which represent a simple locomotor cycle, where two phases are distinguished:

Transfer.
Supports.

In the swing phase, the foot is directly transferred in the air to a more distant position. During the stance phase, the foot comes into contact with the surface on which the person is moving. At the beginning of the forward swing of the lower limb (the so-called beginning of the swing phase), the following movements occur (Fig. 1A):

Flexion of the hip joint, which is carried out using the iliopsoas muscle.
Flexion of the knee joint with the coordinated action of the biceps femoris and ischiofemoral muscles (semimembranosus, semitendinosus, and the long and short heads of the biceps femoris).
Ankle flexion involving the ankle flexor and tibialis anterior and peroneus tertiary muscles.
Extension of the toes by the extensor toe muscles (extensor digitorum longus, extensor hallucis longus, extensor digitorum brevis, extensor hallucis brevis).

During the initial contact of the foot with the surface, processes such as (Fig. 1B) are observed:

The end of the process of flexion of the hip joint by the iliopsoas muscle.
Extension of the knee joint with the quadriceps femoris muscle.
The end of flexion of the ankle joint by the extensor muscles of the toes and flexors of the ankle joint.

At the moment when the transferred leg rests completely on the surface , a persistent action of the quadriceps femoris muscle and the beginning of the work of the gluteus maximus muscle are observed (Fig. 1C).

Rice. 1. Phases of human walking

The next phase of walking involves moving your body forward . Here we observe the following actions (Fig. 2A):

Extension of the hip joint through the action of the gluteus maximus and ischiofemoral muscles.
Antagonism-synergism with the quadriceps femoris muscle.
Flexion of the ankle joint by the flexor muscles in synergy with the gluteus maximus muscle.

During the first motor push before supporting two legs, the following processes are observed (Fig. 2B):

Continued extension of the hip joint by the gluteus maximus and ischiofemoral muscles.
Continued extension of the knee joint by the quadriceps femoris muscle.
Extension of the ankle joint by the biceps femoris and toe flexors (flexor digitorum longus, flexor hallucis longus and brevis, flexor digitorum brevis.).

In the phase of the second motor impulse , acting on the supporting leg of a person in full extension, while the oscillating limb is about to step on the floor, there is an increase in the action of the quadriceps femoris, gluteus maximus, ischiofemoral muscles, biceps femoris and toe flexor muscles (Fig. .2C).

At the beginning of the transition from one load-bearing limb to another, there is a process of shortening of the transferred limb due to the contraction of the ischiofemoral and ankle flexor muscles, as well as flexion of the hip joint by the iliopsoas muscle (Fig. 2D).

In the process of moving the limb in front, the action of the iliopsoas and quadriceps muscles of the thigh increases with the relaxation of the ischiofemoral muscles. In response to this, the knee joint is extended by contracting the quadriceps muscle and the toes are raised by the action of the toe extensor muscles (Fig. 2E). This is followed by the beginning of a new cycle [1,2,3,4,5].

Rice. 2. Walking phases

The leg muscles are not the only muscle groups involved in walking.

To hold the human torso in an inclined position when moving the leg, the muscles of the back surface of the torso contract, such as:

1. Trapezius muscle.

2. Latissimus dorsi muscle.

3. The rhomboid back muscle, which consists of the rhomboid major muscle and the rhomboid minor muscle.

4. Erector spinae muscle.

5. Longissimus dorsi muscle.

In order to prevent the body from falling backward during a backward step, the muscles of the front surface of the body are tensed, to a greater extent this concerns the abdominal muscles:

Rectus abdominis muscle.
External oblique abdominal muscle.
Internal oblique abdominal muscle.
Transverse abdominis muscle.
Quadratus lumborum muscle.

These muscles also work if you need to fix the pelvis and thereby provide support for moving the leg forward.

Please note that in the process of moving the leg forward, the torso together with the pelvis rotates around the vertical axis in the direction of the supporting leg. To do this, the internal oblique abdominal muscle is tensed on the side of the supporting leg, and the external, transverse spinal and iliopsoas muscles are tensed on the opposite side.

The muscles that straighten the spine help reduce the deviation of the entire torso to one side (the erector spinae muscle) and the longissimus dorsi muscle.

In certain cases, contraction of the posterior neck muscles can be observed. In addition to the already mentioned muscles of the body, the following muscles need to be noted:

1. Posterior scalene muscle.

2. The levator scapulae muscle.

3. Serratus posterior superior muscle.

4. The splenius muscle of the head and the splenius muscle of the neck.

5. Semispinalis capitis muscle.

6. Semispinalis muscle of the neck.

The work of the muscles of the upper limb during normal walking is insignificant. When moving the arm forward, the flexor muscles in the shoulder and partly in the elbow joints contract, and when moving backwards, the extensor muscles in these joints contract.

The shoulder flexor muscles include:

Anterior part of the deltoid muscle.
Pectoralis major muscle.
Coracobrachialis muscle.
Biceps brachii muscle.

The shoulder extensor muscles include:

Posterior part of the deltoid muscle.
Latissimus dorsi muscle.
Subosseous muscle.
Small round.
Big round.
Long head of the triceps brachii muscle.

Shoulder flexor muscles:

Brachial muscle.
Brachioradialis muscle.
Biceps brachii muscle.
Extensor longus of the radiocarpal joint.
Elbow muscle.
Pronator teres.

The extensor muscles of the elbow joint are the triceps brachii muscle.

The work of the muscles regulates the pendulum-like movement of the free upper limb, which is possible as a result of one alternating contraction of the anterior and posterior parts of the deltoid muscle.

When all of the listed muscles do not have problems with stretching and contraction, then a person walks and runs correctly and easily. There are very few such people in the world . Basically, the muscles have certain defects associated with swelling of some muscle areas. Swelling of the muscle area prevents it from stretching completely.

Inside a muscle fiber that does not fully stretch, the nuclei of muscle cells shift to one place and the number of mitochondria that produce energy to fully stretch the muscle decreases. Depending on which muscles are swollen and which remain normal, certain defects appear: incorrect gait, uneven legs, flat feet, walking on toes, curvature of the spine.

For example , the muscles of the back, arms and legs do not move with tetraparesis (one of the forms of cerebral palsy).

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4.Treatment

Therapy for muscle atrophy is always as etiotropic (aimed at eliminating the causes) as possible in each specific case. Thus, when a genetic or acquired myopathy is established, replacement, neuro- and myostimulating therapy is prescribed. For endocrinopathies and autoimmune disorders, treatment of the underlying disease is of paramount importance. Treatment of atrophy of nutritional origin requires, first of all, increased balanced nutrition (in case of anorexia nervosa, one has to start with psychiatric treatment), etc.

However, in almost all cases, a huge role in rehabilitation belongs to dosed, rational and anatomically based physical activity on the affected muscle groups. The emphasis on rationalism and validity implies strictly following the instructions of an orthopedist, rehabilitation doctor or physiotherapist, since even such a universal and seemingly uniquely positive method as physical exercise, in this case, can have the opposite effect. Rehabilitation exercises should, as a rule, begin at the stage of forced immobility, since atrophy of the quadriceps femoris muscle in such a situation can and should be prevented.

2. Reasons

At the cellular level, muscle tissue is designed in such a way that its prolonged inactivity is perceived by the body as a reason for “downsizing,” i.e. to get rid of energy-consuming but unused muscle fibers. Therefore, the most common cause of atrophy of the femoral quadriceps is a long period of forced immobility after injury, major surgery, coma, etc.

However, the range of possible etiologies is by no means limited to what has been said. Such atrophy can also be caused by congenital, genetically determined anomalies and degenerative diseases of muscle tissue, autoimmune diseases, myositis (muscle inflammation), articular pathology, endocrine and/or metabolic disorders, as well as degenerative-dystrophic processes in the conductive structures of the nervous system. In addition, atrophy can begin due to nutritional reasons, i.e. against the background of long-term and deep nutritional deficiency due to starvation (including when using extreme diets “for weight loss”). Some chronic and acute intoxications can also trigger the atrophic process in the muscles. Finally, atrophy may be a consequence of the natural decline in metabolism and activity in old age.

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Areas of pain from the gluteus maximus muscle