The gluteus maximus is the main extensor muscle of the hip. It is the largest and outermost of the three gluteal muscles 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 other gluteal muscles are the medius and minimus, 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 includin ...

s have much flatter hips and cannot sustain standing erectly. The muscle is made up of muscle fascicles 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 The pelvis (plural pelves or pelvises) is the lower part of the trunk, between the abdomen and the thighs (sometimes also called pelvic region), together with its embedded skeleton (sometimes also called bony pelvis, or pelvic skeleton). The ...

, 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 tailbone; from the

aponeurosis An aponeurosis (; plural: ''aponeuroses'') is a type or a variant of the deep fascia, in the form of a sheet of pearly-white fibrous tissue that attaches sheet-like muscles needing a wide area of attachment. Their primary function is to join muscl ...

of the

erector spinae The erector spinae ( ) or spinal erectors is a set of muscles that straighten and rotate the back. The spinal erectors work together with the glutes ( gluteus maximus, gluteus medius and gluteus minimus) to maintain stable posture standing or ...

( lumbodorsal fascia), the

sacrotuberous ligament The sacrotuberous ligament (great or posterior sacrosciatic ligament) is situated at the lower and back part of the pelvis. It is flat, and triangular in form; narrower in the middle than at the ends. Structure It runs from the sacrum (the lowe ...

, and the fascia covering the gluteus medius ( gluteal aponeurosis). 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, and inserts into the iliotibial band of the

fascia lata The fascia lata is the deep fascia of the thigh. It encloses the thigh muscles and forms the outer limit of the fascial compartments of thigh, which are internally separated by the medial intermuscular septum and the lateral intermuscular sep ...

; *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 ...

of the linea aspera, between the vastus lateralis and adductor magnus. If present, the third trochanter 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 greater trochanter; *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 vastus lateralis. 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

, 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 ...

(long head), semitendinosus, semimembranosus, and adductor magnus. The gluteus maximus is a tensor of the

, and by its connection with the iliotibial band 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 conn ...

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

(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 cu ...

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 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 Moment or Moments may refer to: * Present time Music * The Moments, American R&B vocal group Albums * ''Moment'' (Dark Tranquillity album), 2020 * ''Moment'' (Speed album), 1998 * ''Moments'' (Darude album) * ''Moments'' (Christine Guldbrand ...

arm was required.

Additional images

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