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Good, now that I have your attention I want to impress upon you the importance of working these muscles. Not only will your butt look better than ever, but you'll be reducing your risk of falling as you age, strengthening your hip bones (one of the first places struck by osteoporosis), and keeping lower back pain and pelvic misalignment problems at bay.
I mentioned that the gluteus medius and gluteus minimus help us balance while on one leg. I know what you're thinking: "How often am I on one leg anyway? Who cares?". Well, do you walk or climb stairs? How about get in or out of a car? If you do, then you experience a period of balancing on one leg! This is why strengthening these muscles keep us from falling as we age. Many older people were simply walking around when their leg gave out beneath them and they fell, probably breaking their hip or wrist as they attempted to catch themselves on the way down. You can avoid this fate and look ass-tastic while you're doing it by adding a variation of this very simple exercise into your routine:
Hip Abduction:
While standing, hold onto a wall, chair, railing, etc for support and raise your outside leg straight out to the side. Do this about 10 times and switch sides. Complete 3 sets. Repeat every other day!
You can also do this from a laying down position. Add resistance bands or ankle weights (if you don't have knee problems) to make it harder.
This is my favorite variation because it involves the core as well. You can make this exercise easier by leaning against a wall, then a chair, then a table, etc, progressively getting closer to the ground as you become stronger.
I've said my piece! Now go work your butts off (or up!).
In wellness,
Cassandra Wyzik
B.S. - ACSM Certified Personal Trainer
Fit To You Brevard
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