The gluteus maximus is the main extensor muscle of the hip. It is the largest and outermost of the three

gluteal muscles The gluteal muscles, often called glutes are a group of three muscles which make up the gluteal region commonly known as the buttocks: the gluteus maximus, gluteus medius and gluteus minimus. The three muscles originate from the ilium and sa ...

and makes up a large part of the shape and appearance of each side of the hips. It is the single largest muscle in the human body. Its thick fleshy mass, in a quadrilateral shape, forms the prominence of the

buttocks The buttocks (singular: buttock) are two rounded portions of the exterior anatomy of most mammals, located on the posterior of the pelvic region. In humans, the buttocks are located between the lower back and the perineum. They are composed ...

. The other gluteal muscles are the

medius ''Medius'' is a genus of moths of the family Erebidae The Erebidae are a family of moths in the superfamily Noctuoidea. The family is among the largest families of moths by species count and contains a wide variety of well-known macromoth ...

and

minimus The Minimus books are a series of school textbooks, written by Barbara Bell, illustrated by Dr. Helen Forte, and published by the Cambridge University Press, designed to help children of primary school age to learn Latin. The books espouse some of ...

, and sometimes informally these are collectively referred to as the glutes. Its large size is one of the most characteristic features of the muscular system in humans,Norman Eizenberg et al., ''General Anatomy: Principles and Applications'' (2008), p. 17. connected as it is with the power of maintaining the trunk in the erect posture. Other

primate Primates are a diverse order of mammals. They are divided into the strepsirrhines, which include the lemurs, galagos, and lorisids, and the haplorhines, which include the tarsiers and the simians ( monkeys and apes, the latter including ...

s have much flatter hips and cannot sustain standing erectly. The muscle is made up of

muscle fascicle A muscle fascicle is a bundle of skeletal muscle fibers surrounded by perimysium, a type of connective tissue. Structure Muscle cells are grouped into muscle fascicles by enveloping perimysium connective tissue. Fascicles are bundled togethe ...

s lying parallel with one another, and are collected together into larger bundles separated by fibrous septa.

Structure

The gluteus maximus is the outermost muscle of the buttocks. It arises from connections to nearby structures in this area. It arises from the posterior gluteal line of the inner upper ilium, a bone of the pelvis, as well as above it to the iliac crest and slightly below it; from the lower part of the sacrum and the side of the

coccyx The coccyx ( : coccyges or coccyxes), commonly referred to as the tailbone, is the final segment of the vertebral column in all apes, and analogous structures in certain other mammals such as horses. In tailless primates (e.g. humans and othe ...

, the tailbone; from the aponeurosis of the erector spinae (

lumbodorsal fascia The thoracolumbar fascia (lumbodorsal fascia or thoracodorsal fascia) is a deep investing membrane throughout most of the posterior thorax and abdomen although it is a thin fibrous lamina in the thoracic region. Above, it is continuous with a simil ...

), the sacrotuberous ligament, and the fascia covering the

gluteus medius The gluteus medius, one of the three gluteal muscles, is a broad, thick, radiating muscle. It is situated on the outer surface of the pelvis. Its posterior third is covered by the gluteus maximus, its anterior two-thirds by the gluteal aponeu ...

(

gluteal aponeurosis The gluteal aponeurosis is a fibrous membrane, from the fascia lata, that lies between the iliac crest and the superior border of the gluteus maximus The gluteus maximus is the main extensor muscle of the hip. It is the largest and outermost o ...

). The fibers are directed obliquely inferiorly and laterally; The gluteus maximus ends in two main areas: *those forming the upper and larger portion of the muscle, together with the superficial fibers of the lower portion, end in a thick tendinous lamina, which passes across the

greater trochanter The greater trochanter of the femur is a large, irregular, quadrilateral eminence and a part of the skeletal system. It is directed lateral and medially and slightly posterior. In the adult it is about 2–4 cm lower than the femoral head.Stan ...

, and inserts into the

iliotibial band The iliotibial tract or iliotibial band (ITB; also known as Maissiat's band or the IT band) is a longitudinal fibrous reinforcement of the fascia lata. The action of the muscles associated with the ITB (tensor fasciae latae and some fibers of glu ...

of the fascia lata; *the deeper fibers of the lower portion are inserted into the

gluteal tuberosity The gluteal tuberosity is the lateral one of the three upward prolongations of the linea aspera of the femur, extending to the base of the greater trochanter. It serves as the principal insertion site for the gluteus maximus muscle. Structure T ...

of the

linea aspera The linea aspera ( la, rough line) is a ridge of roughened surface on the posterior surface of the shaft of the femur. It is the site of attachments of muscles and the intermuscular septum. Its margins diverge above and below. The linea aspera ...

, between the

vastus lateralis The vastus lateralis (), also called the vastus externus, is the largest and most powerful part of the quadriceps femoris, a muscle in the thigh. Together with other muscles of the quadriceps group, it serves to extend the knee joint, moving the ...

and

adductor magnus Adductor may refer to: * One of the anatomical terms of motion Motion, the process of movement, is described using specific anatomical terms. Motion includes movement of organs, joints, limbs, and specific sections of the body. The terminolo ...

. If present, the

third trochanter In human anatomy, the third trochanter is a bony projection occasionally present on the proximal femur near the superior border of the gluteal tuberosity. When present, it is oblong, rounded, or conical in shape and sometimes continuous with the g ...

also serves as an attachment.

Bursae

Three bursae are usually found in relation with the deep surface of this muscle: *One of these, of large size, separates it from the

; *a second (often missing) is situated on the tuberosity of the ischium; *a third is found between the tendon of the muscle and that of the

. File:Gray235.png, Image showing the outer surface of the ilium, showing the inferior gluteal line.

Function

The gluteus maximus straightens the leg at the hip; when the leg is flexed at the hip, the gluteus maximus extends it to bring the leg into a straight line with the body. Taking its fixed point from below, it acts upon the pelvis, supporting it and the trunk upon the head of the femur; this is particularly obvious in standing on one leg. Its most powerful action is to cause the body to regain the erect position after stooping, by drawing the pelvis backward, being assisted in this action by the

biceps femoris The biceps femoris () is a muscle of the thigh located to the posterior, or back. As its name implies, it has two parts, one of which (the long head) forms part of the hamstrings muscle group. Structure It has two heads of origin: *the ''long h ...

(long head),

semitendinosus The semitendinosus () is a long superficial muscle in the back of the thigh. It is so named because it has a very long tendon of insertion. It lies posteromedially in the thigh, superficial to the semimembranosus. Structure The semitendinosus, r ...

semimembranosus The semimembranosus muscle () is the most medial of the three hamstring muscles in the thigh. It is so named because it has a flat tendon of origin. It lies posteromedially in the thigh, deep to the semitendinosus muscle. It extends the hip j ...

, and

. The gluteus maximus is a tensor of the fascia lata, and by its connection with the

steadies the femur on the articular surfaces of the

tibia The tibia (; ), also known as the shinbone or shankbone, is the larger, stronger, and anterior (frontal) of the two bones in the leg below the knee in vertebrates (the other being the fibula, behind and to the outside of the tibia); it connects ...

during standing, when the extensor muscles are relaxed. The lower part of the muscle also acts as an adductor and

external rotator Motion, the process of movement, is described using specific anatomical terms. Motion includes movement of organs, joints, limbs, and specific sections of the body. The terminology used describes this motion according to its direction relative ...

of the limb. The upper fibers act as abductors of the hip joints.

Society and culture

Training

The gluteus maximus is involved in several sports, from running to weight-lifting. A number of exercises focus on the gluteus maximus and other muscles of the upper leg: *Hip thrusts *Glute bridge *Quadruped hip extensions * Kettlebell swings *

Squats Squat, squatter or squatting may refer to: Body position * Squatting position, a sitting position where one's knees are folded with heels touching one's buttocks or back of the thighs * Squat (exercise), a lower-body exercise in strength and co ...

and variations like split squats, pistol squats and wide-stance lunges *

Deadlift The deadlift is a weight training exercise in which a loaded barbell or bar is lifted off the ground to the level of the hips, torso perpendicular to the floor, before being placed back on the ground. It is one of the three powerlifting exercises ...

(and variations) *Reverse hyperextension *Four-way hip extensions *Glute-ham raise

In art

In cultural terms, the glutes are often considered a symbol of health and strength, and aesthetically appealing. They frequently feature in artwork which seeks to emphasise and celebrate physicality, and the ability to move dynamically and powerfully. They are usually shown to be efficiently proportioned and prominent. Evidence of such depictions of the gluteal muscles extends from at least

Ancient Greece Ancient Greece ( el, Ἑλλάς, Hellás) was a northeastern Mediterranean civilization, existing from the Greek Dark Ages of the 12th–9th centuries BC to the end of classical antiquity ( AD 600), that comprised a loose collection of cult ...

to the modern day. File:Javelin thrower Ancient Greece.jpg, An Ancient Greek javelin thrower represented on a vase, c.520 B.C. File:Statue B Riace Bronzes side view.jpg, An Ancient Greek warrior in bronze.

Riace Bronzes The ''Riace bronzes'' (Italian: ''Bronzi di Riace'', ), also called the Riace Warriors, are two full-size Greek bronzes of naked bearded warriors, cast about 460–450 BC that were found in the sea in 1972 near Riace, Calabria, in southern ...

, c.450 B.C. File:Sprinter relay modern.jpg, A sprinter passing the baton to his team mate, 2018 File:2018 European Athletics Championships Day 1 (6).jpg, A sprinter warming up on the race track, 2018

Clinical significance

Functional assessment can be useful in assessing injuries to the gluteus maximus and surrounding muscles. The 30-second chair-to-stand test measures a participant's ability to stand up from a seated position as many times as possible in a thirty-second period of time. Testing the number of times a person can stand up in a thirty-second period helps assess strength, flexibility, pain, and endurance, which can help determine how far along a person is in rehabilitation, or how much work is still to be done. The

piriformis The piriformis muscle () is a flat, pyramidally-shaped muscle in the gluteal region of the lower limbs. It is one of the six muscles in the lateral rotator group. The piriformis muscle has its origin upon the front surface of the sacrum, and in ...

test measures flexibility of the gluteus maximus. This requires a trained professional and is based on the angle of external and internal rotation in relation to normal range of motion without injury or impingement.

Other animals

The gluteus maximus is larger in size and thicker in humans than in other primates. Its large size is one of the most characteristic features of the muscular system in humans, connected as it is with the power of maintaining the trunk in the erect posture. Other primates have much flatter hips and cannot sustain standing erectly. In other primates, gluteus maximus consists of ischiofemoralis, a small muscle that corresponds to the human gluteus maximus and originates from the ilium and the sacroiliac ligament, and gluteus maximus proprius, a large muscle that extends from the ischial tuberosity to a relatively more distant insertion on the femur. In adapting to bipedal gait, reorganization of the attachment of the muscle as well as the moment arm was required.

Additional images

Sobo 1909 318.png, Gluteus maximus is the most superficial muscle of the

hips In vertebrate anatomy, hip (or "coxa"Latin ''coxa'' was used by Celsus in the sense "hip", but by Pliny the Elder in the sense "hip bone" (Diab, p 77) in medical terminology) refers to either an anatomical region or a joint. The hip region ...

, here visible at top centre with skin removed from the entire right leg File:Gluteus maximus 3D.gif, The gluteus maximus as it appears on a skeleton without other muscles File:Gluteus all.gif, All gluteal muscles, maximus in yellow File:Gray344.png, Structures surrounding right

hip-joint In vertebrate anatomy, hip (or "coxa"Latin ''coxa'' was used by Celsus in the sense "hip", but by Pliny the Elder in the sense "hip bone" (Diab, p 77) in medical terminology) refers to either an anatomical region or a joint. The hip region is ...

(gluteus maximus visible at bottom) File:Sobo 1909 575-576.png, Innervation and blood-supply of the gluteus maximus. File:Sobo 1909 301.png, Gluteus maximus cut showing underlying structures. File:Sobo 1909 302.png, Gluteus maximus cut showing underlying structures. File:Sobo 1909 295.png, Structures visible under the gluteus maximus. File:Sobo 1909 577-578.png, Innervation as seen from under the gluteus maximus.

References

External links

* * * {{Authority control Hip adductors Hip extensors Hip lateral rotators Muscles of the gluteus Hip muscles Muscles of the lower limb