Glutes

The muscles in your butt

Your glutes are the muscles in your butt. The biggest one, the gluteus maximus, moves your leg backward at the hip.

Squats and bridges both make your glutes work.

They keep your hips and knees lined up

Smaller glute muscles on the side of your hip move your leg out to the side. Strong side-of-hip muscles help keep your knees from caving inward when you land or cut.

Myth or fact?

• Your glutes only matter when you sit down. Myth. Your glutes move your leg backward and out to the side, and strong glutes help keep your knees steady when you land and cut.

Problems can show up somewhere else

Weak glutes can cause trouble in another spot: your knees. That's why knee injury prevention programs work on hip strength.

Weak glutes, caving knees

If your side-of-hip muscles are weak, your knees can cave inward when you land. That knock-kneed position is a risk for ACL tears, like you learned in the Knee lessons.

Glute bridges

Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat. Tighten your belly and glutes, then lift your hips until your body is a straight line from knees to shoulders. Hold, then lower slowly.

Side-of-hip moves

Side-lying leg raises and clamshells train the glutes on the side of your hip, the ones that help stop your knees from caving in.

Wake up your glutes

A few glute moves in your warm-up, like hip bridges, get your glutes working before you play. Knee injury prevention warm-ups include moves like these.

Myth or fact?

• Using your glutes when you land and cut takes stress off your knees. Fact. Bending at your hips and knees softens the landing, and strong glutes help keep your knees from caving in.