Built for effort, not for strolling
On level ground the muscle is active only briefly, from heel strike to foot flat, and losing it does not change an ordinary walk. Stairs, hills and getting up from a seat are where it is indispensable.
Source 1
Muscle guide · Hips and glutes
Gluteus maximus
Also called glutes, glute max, butt muscle
The gluteus maximus is the large muscle that gives the buttock its shape, the outermost of the three glutes. Its fibres run diagonally from the back of the pelvis and the base of the spine down to the thigh bone and the IT band.
It does its biggest work when you need force: standing up from a chair, climbing stairs or a hill, straightening up from a bend, and sprinting. On flat ground at a walk it does surprisingly little.
Where the gluteus maximus is and what it does
- Starts at (origin)
- The back of the pelvis and the side of the sacrum (the base of the spine), plus tough connective tissue of the low back.Posterior ilium behind the posterior gluteal line, dorsal sacrum and coccyx, sacrotuberous ligament, thoracolumbar fascia
- Attaches to (insertion)
- The IT band down the outside of the thigh (its surface fibres) and a rough patch on the back of the upper thigh bone (its deep fibres).Iliotibial tract; gluteal tuberosity of the femur
- What it does
- Straightens the hip with force: rising from a chair, climbing stairs, the drive of a sprint.Hip extension
- Turns the thigh and knee outward.Hip external (lateral) rotation
- Holds the pelvis and trunk steady when you stand on one leg.Pelvic and trunk stabilisation in single-leg stance
- Steadies the thigh bone through its pull on the IT band.Femoral stabilisation via the iliotibial tract
- Nerve supply
- Inferior gluteal nerve (L5, S1, S2), which supplies no other muscle.
How it works in everyday movement
Exercises for the gluteus maximus
In a review of 16 EMG studies, step-ups produced the highest activity; deadlifts, hip thrusts, lunges and split squats were all very high.
3D demoStep-upBeginner · A step
3D demoBarbell hip thrustIntermediate · A barbell + A bench or box
3D demoBarbell deadliftAdvanced · A barbell
3D demoRear-foot-elevated split squat (Bulgarian split squat)Intermediate · A bench or box
3D demoReverse lungeIntermediate · No equipment
3D demoDumbbell step-upIntermediate · A dumbbell + A step
3D demoGlute bridgeBeginner · No equipment
3D demoSingle-leg glute bridgeIntermediate · No equipmentStretches for the gluteus maximus
Bringing the knee toward the chest reverses its main action, hip extension.
Problems linked to the gluteus maximus
Weakness after a nerve injury
Damage to the inferior gluteal nerve makes rising from a seat and climbing stairs hard. A posterior hip dislocation is the most common cause; a misplaced buttock injection is another, which is why injections go in the upper outer quarter of the buttock.
Source 1
Pain on the outside of the hip
A fluid-filled bursa separates the muscle from the bony point on the outside of the hip, and it is one of the structures involved in greater trochanteric pain syndrome. In that condition the tendons of the gluteus medius and minimus are more often the source than the bursa.
A snapping hip
A snap on the outside of the hip can come from a thickened back edge of the IT band, or the front tendon fibres of the gluteus maximus, catching on the bony point of the hip. It is often painless.
Source 4
Myths worth dropping
Each grade rates the evidence for the correction.
There is one best glute exerciseEmerging evidence
The hip thrust is often crowned, but the review that compared loaded exercises found several above 60% of maximal activity: step-ups (the highest), deadlifts, hip thrusts, lunges and split squats. Pick the ones you can load and progress.
Source 5
Routines that train it
Glute workout at home
A 25-minute glute workout with bodyweight and a mini band: bridges, clamshells, band walks, kickbacks and lunges.
25 minBeginner9 movesA wall, A band
Leg day workout (gym)
A gym leg day: back squats, leg press, leg curls, Bulgarian split squats, leg extensions and calf raises.
55 minIntermediate9 movesA wall, A barbell
Lower body gym workout
A gym lower body workout for legs and glutes: trap bar deadlifts, hip thrusts, reverse lunges, leg curls, hip abduction, calf raises and core.
50 minIntermediate13 movesOther / check instructions, A barbellQuestions people ask
What does the gluteus maximus do?
It straightens the hip with force, as when you stand up from a chair, climb stairs or sprint, turns the thigh outward, and steadies the pelvis when you stand on one leg.
What is the best exercise for the gluteus maximus?
In a review of 16 EMG studies, step-ups produced the highest activity, with deadlifts, hip thrusts, lunges and split squats close behind. All of them work it hard when loaded.
Where is the gluteus maximus?
It is the large, outermost muscle of the buttock, running from the back of the pelvis and the base of the spine to the IT band and the back of the upper thigh bone.
Which nerve supplies the gluteus maximus?
The inferior gluteal nerve, from the L5, S1 and S2 nerve roots. It supplies no other muscle.
Muscles it works with
Sources
- StatPearls · Anatomy, Bony Pelvis and Lower Limb: Gluteus Maximus Muscle (2023)
- StatPearls · Inferior Gluteal Nerve (2023)
- StatPearls · Greater Trochanteric Pain Syndrome (2024)
- StatPearls · Iliotibial Band (Tract) (2023)
- Neto 2020 · Gluteus maximus activation in strength and hypertrophy exercises (systematic review, J Sports Sci Med)
Anatomy and movement education, not a diagnosis or treatment plan. If you have pain that follows an injury, is severe or getting worse, or comes with numbness, weakness or swelling, get it assessed. Health disclaimer.