There are many bad things in your body which can happen if you have a weak Gluteus Medius muscle. Being a primary abductor of the hip (see the animation below) it plays an important part in a stance phase of a gait cycle and in running. This is the muscle which is responsible for pelvic list (check the first video).

When some muscle is becoming weak then its function is grabbed by synergistic muscles. In our case it is a TFL – which overworks and shortens. And then it pulls IT (iliotibial) band, and voila! – you have a “runner knee” (IT band friction syndrome). Low back pain is also can be a result of a weak gluteus medius.

They say that 50% of the population has a weak Gluteus Medius muscle. More or less this figure is correct. So, chances are that you have to work on your gluteus medius.

Gluteus Medius Exercises

I wanted to surf YouTube and find some good exercises for Gluteus Medius which folks had shot before and I could publish them here. Alas! I didn’t find any decent instructions. Really. They were either biomechanically incorrect or incomplete.

Gluteus Medius Exercise #1

Technically the exercise #0 you can see in the animation above – but I find it boring.

So, the first exercise. Standing on a 2- to 4-inch block lower and elevate the pelvis on the side of the unsupported leg.

Variations of this exercise (also with mobility resistance bands) are well demonstrated in this video.

Gluteus Medius Exercise #2. Strengthening And Stabilizing.

Elastic resistance is placed around the opposite leg. Resisting abduction on the right requires stabilization of the left frontal plane muscles. The motion should be only in the hips. Side bending of the trunk is unacceptable. Pelvis should be level and must not drop!

Gluteus Medius Exercise #3

A side-lying abduction of the top leg. Can be done slower than on the video. Can be done isometrically. The lower leg is flexed only for balance. In progression, the resistance mini loop bands can be added.

Gluteus Medius Warm-Up

Other good staff are lateral band walk,

(but don’t lean forward as you can see on some pictures, hip flexion must be 0 degrees, otherwise, Gluteus Medius doesn’t work as abductor!)

..and single-limb deadlift, sideways hop.

Wait, where is my lovely clamshell exercise?

Surprise! It is not so good for Gluteus Medius rehabilitation.

In short, your Tensor Fascia Latae (TFL) – which we don’t want to use now – is working even more in this exercise. We want just the opposite – to eliminate TFL. Go to the beginning of this article if you can’t answer why.

Also, your anterior hip flexor (psoas) is working even harder in clamshell exercise. Do you really need it?

Here is an excellent study to prove that.

Hip Muscle Activity During 3 Side-Lying Hip-Strengthening Exercises in Distance Runners

Don’t take me wrong. Clamshell exercise can be good but certainly for other goals.

Conclusion

Why this muscle is quite tricky when it comes to exercising? The hip flexion angle can dramatically change its action.

Also, posterior and anterior fibers are engaged in quite opposite movement. Posterior is doing external rotation, while anterior – internal.

You may find plenty of different exercises over the internet. So many variations can be found. But if you need to work specifically on gluteus medius because you have a problem with specifically this muscle involved, then don’t reinvent the wheel. Do minimum efforts and gain maximum results.

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