The health, fitness, and wellness industry has been going strong for centuries. The Olympic Games were modernized in 1896, although they had been around for centuries. In 1940, Joe and Ben Weider founded “Muscle and Fitness,”* which brought the concepts for much of our modern-day workouts and attitudes around aesthetics. In the 1980’s, a little-known VHS tape was made that changed the game: “Buns of Steel”. From this point forward, the industry became fixated on the glutes, buns, backside, whatever you choose to call it. Looking at the glutes, we are actually talking about one of the most important joints of your body, and not just because they help some of us keep our pants up. Your hip joint and the associated musculature have an important role in your movement, which is why it’s worth bringing attention to this misunderstood joint.
Anatomy and physiology
We tend to think of the hip and just the gluteus maximus muscle, which is far from the truth. Doing a quick search of the muscles of the hip, according to Physiopedia, there are roughly forty muscles that make up the hip joint, and they are broken up into subgroups: the gluteal compartment, the lateral compartment, the anterior compartment, and the posterior compartment (Pandya).
Function
These forty muscles have the job of stabilizing your pelvis while meticulously transmitting force up and down. That is a big advantage for any one joint and group of muscles to have. The daily activities of walking, squatting, lunging, jumping, running, twisting, and so on. When we view the hips in this light, we also must remember that for every action there is an equal reaction. For example, if I perform a seated leg extension aimed at strengthening my quadriceps, it’s reasonable to assume that as my quadriceps contract, my hamstrings have to lengthen or stabilize the knee when it goes into extension; that’s how the body works, action/reaction (stabilization). Here are some of the hip muscles, their opposing muscles, and their function:
- Quadriceps/Hamstrings – knee flexion and extension
- Abductors(outer thigh)/(Adductors(inner thigh) hip abduction and hip adduction
- Gluteus Maximus/Hamstrings, piriformis, and the core(wow) Hip extension
Our bodies are so complex that when we initiate movement for whatever purpose, we must realize it is nearly impossible not to involve conjoining or opposing muscles. Taking this into consideration, the multifaceted nature of the human structure, how it responds to a range of motion, load, and overload.
Exercises
No doubt if you look for exercises of the hip, you will find loads of information on how to train specifically the glutes; however, if you remember that 40 other muscles make up the hip, our exercise selection expands, our hip function may improve, and we will improve how we move through life. When selecting the proper exercise, it’s trendy to pick an exercise that will train aesthetics, but being clear on excessive load, repetitions, and ranges of motion must be taken into consideration. As a rule of thumb, select one or two exercises for the different functions of the hip. Keep in mind that a moderate load for 10-12 repetitions for 3 sets is suitable for success. Exercises for the hip:
- Hip Flexion
- Squats
- Lunges
- Hip extension
- Standing cable extensions
- Standing glute press machine
- Hip ABduction
- Clamshells (with or without a band)
- Standing cable lateral extension
- Hip ADduction
- Seat Hip ADduction machine
- Lateral Lunges
This is a short list of numerous patterns that can be adapted for hips. Some very important advice to consider: First, if something hurts, meaning your joints, stop that exercise immediately. Second, working your gluteus maximus is great, but GM is not the only muscle that the hip is comprised of. Lastly, overloading muscles can be good, just like using heavier weights is a great thing. Let’s turn our attention to those who want maximum results but want to apply the least amount of effort. The principle of muscle growth is directly tied to the amount of progressive overload that is applied. Be targeted with your approach and seek the help of qualified fitness professionals to help you along on your journey.
In good health.
Work Cited
Pandya, Rina. “Functional Anatomy of the Hip.” Physiopedia, 2025, https://www.physio-pedia.com/Functional_Anatomy_of_the_Hip?utm_source=physiopedia&utm_medium=search&utm_campaign=ongoing_internal. Accessed 11 September 2025.
