One of the most ignored muscle groups, when it comes to training the lower body is the glutes or as they are generally called, the buttocks. Nobody trains them as much as they need to be trained.  Training the glutes is important for both functional and aesthetic reasons. Well developed glutes not only add a lot of *** appeal to an individual's physique but also makes a person way more functional. A strong set of glutes is connected with a man's thrusting power and his performance in bed as well. Stability or balance, sprinting capability, vertical and horizontal jumping, all of these are directly related to your glute strength. Also, rarely do you find people with a strong, well developed butt with lower back issues.

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So What Exercise Do You Think Is The Best To Work The Glutes? 

This totally depends on your goal. Let me give this to you straight- squats do help in developing this region, but this is not the best exercise when it comes to working for stability or functional purpose. However this is a great exercise for hypertrophy (muscle building) purposes. In order to understand this difference you need to first understand the movement of the human body and then the muscles that are involved while performing that particular motion.

Muscles Of The Gluteal Group Gluteus maximus, Gluteus minimus and Gluteus Medius

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Muscles of the gluteal group involved in the squat

Gluteus Maximus

Joint action at the hip, while performing a squat- Hip flexion and Hip extension

Therefore, while performing a squat, gluteus minimus and gluteus medius are not involved. They are embedded deep and are used for stabilization. Therefore, squats are not the best exercise for glutal development.

So which exercise would be considered to be the best for the development of the glutes as well as stability?

Step Up, Lunges And Single Leg Deadlift 1) Set-Up And Single Leg Deadlift

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Muscles of the gluteal group involved in the step up & single leg deadlift are the Gluteus Maximus, Gluteus minimus and Gluteus Medius. The Joint action at the hip, while performing the step up & single leg deadlift is hip flexion and hip extension. Gluteus minimus and Gluteus Medius are deep muscles and hence work on stability. Muscles of the gluteal group involved while doing lunges is the gluteus maximus, Gluteus minimus and Gluteus Medius

2) Lunges

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The joint action at the hip, while performing the lunges is that of hip flexion and hip extension.Gluteus minimus and Gluteus Medius are deep muscles and hence work on stability. To conclude, choosing the best exercise has to be based on what exactly your goal is. 

What have we learnt from here?

Squats are great for muscle building, but won't help in gluteal stability development. There is potential to carry more weight as compared to step ups, lunges or single leg deadlifts. Step up, lunges and single leg deadlifts are good for working on stability as well as muscle building , but the load that is used will be much lesser as compared to a squat.

Helius is one of Mumbai's most promising fitness professionals and part time kettle bell lecturer. His knowledge on nutrition and trainer soft skills management is well recognized. To know more about him CLICK HERE, and mail your queries about fitness to heliusd@hotmail.com.