The Gluteus Medius: A Small Muscle With a Big Job!
By: Rachel Ames, MPT, Owner of OsteoStrong Missoula and Missoula Physical Therapy
Why this often-overlooked hip muscle is essential for balance, stability, and healthy aging.
When we think about strengthening our muscles, we often focus on the larger muscle groups—our quadriceps, hamstrings, or gluteus maximus (the largest muscle in our buttocks).
But there's another important muscle that deserves attention, particularly as we age: the gluteus medius.
This muscle plays an essential role in how we walk, maintain our balance, climb stairs, and move confidently throughout the day.
For those focused on maintaining strong bones and preventing fractures, understanding the importance of this muscle is especially valuable.
What Is the Gluteus Medius?
The gluteus medius is a broad, fan-shaped muscle located on the outside of each hip, just beneath the upper portion of the gluteus maximus. It attaches from the outer surface of your pelvis (ilium) to the top of your thighbone (femur), at a bony prominence called the greater trochanter.
Its location and shape allow it to perform several important functions:
Hip abduction: Moving your leg outward, away from the center of your body.
Pelvic stabilization: Keeping your pelvis level when standing or balancing on one leg.
Hip rotation and control: Helping rotate and position your thighbone during movement.
Lower-body alignment: Working with other muscles to control the position of your hip, pelvis, and knee during weight-bearing activities.
Although it helps move your leg, perhaps its most important job is keeping your body stable when your weight is supported on just one leg.
Why Is Gluteus Medius Strength So Important as We Age?
1. Balance and Fall Prevention
The gluteus medius helps control side-to-side stability, making it essential for walking, stepping, and maintaining balance. Building strong bones matters, but preventing falls is equally critical to reducing fracture risk.
2. Support for Hips, Knees, and Lower Back
Your hips, knees, pelvis, and spine all work together. When the gluteus medius is weak, your body may compensate through pelvic tilting, trunk leaning, or excessive inward knee movement, potentially increasing stress on surrounding joints.
But here's something important: Your gluteus medius doesn't work alone! It works alongside your deep core muscles, including the transversus abdominis and multifidus, to help stabilize your pelvis and spine during movement. When these muscles work together effectively, they provide a strong foundation for better posture, balance, and efficient movement. Want to learn more about activating your deep core muscles? Revisit our previous article, Marching into Core Strength, where we explain how to find and engage these important stabilizers.
3. Mobility and Independence
As we age, muscle weakness and changes in balance can make everyday activities more challenging. Strong hip stabilizers help us navigate stairs, uneven surfaces, and unexpected movements with greater confidence. The good news? Strength and balance can improve with training at almost any age!
Let's Put Those Muscles to Work!
Traditional exercises such as side-lying leg raises and clamshells are beneficial for strengthening the gluteus medius. However, standing exercises offer an additional advantage: They challenge your muscles to stabilize your body while supporting your weight, much like they do during everyday activities.
Here's something interesting! During a standing side leg raise, the gluteus medius on your standing leg works to keep your pelvis stable, while the opposite leg strengthens through movement. It's a two-for-one benefit!
Research supports combining hip strengthening with standing and balance exercises. Studies have shown that lateral resistance-band walking effectively activates the gluteus medius, while progressive strengthening and balance training can improve strength, stability, and functional mobility.
First, Let's Find Your Gluteus Medius!
Before getting started, it helps to know where this important muscle is and how to activate it.
Watch this quick video: Find Your Glute Medius
Remember the core connection! As you perform these exercises, stand tall, gently engage your abdominal muscles, keep your pelvis level, and breathe naturally. The goal is to strengthen your hips while teaching your core and hip muscles to work together.
Ready to Strengthen Your Hips and Challenge Your Balance?
We've put together 5 Standing Exercises for Stronger Hips and Better Balance that you can easily incorporate into your weekly routine. [View or Download Your Exercise Sheet HERE]
Choose two or three exercises appropriate for your ability and practice them two to three times per week. Focus on slow, controlled movements and gradually increase the challenge as your strength and stability improve.
Safety first: Always keep a sturdy countertop or other stable support within reach when performing balance exercises. If you have a recent fracture, significant balance difficulties, or other medical restrictions, seek individualized guidance before starting.
Want an extra challenge? Some of these exercises can also be adapted for use on our vibration plate with guidance from your OsteoStrong coach. Remember, the goal isn't simply to strengthen a muscle. It's to train that muscle to keep you strong, stable, and confident during everyday movement!
The Takeaway: Strong Bones Need Strong, Stable Muscles
Building strong bones is important, but maintaining the muscle strength and balance to stay safely on our feet is just as essential. A little focused hip strengthening and balance training can go a long way toward keeping you active, confident, and independent as you age.
Stay strong, stay stable, and keep moving!
References and Further Reading
Rezaei M, et al. (2026). The effects of eight weeks of sensorimotor training on balance, proprioception, and hip abductor isometric strength in elderly women with genu varum: a randomized controlled trial. BMC Geriatrics. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC13107626/
Optimizing Hip Abductor Strengthening for Lower Extremity Rehabilitation: A Narrative Review on the Role of Monster Walk and Lateral Band Walk. (2025). Journal of Functional Morphology and Kinesiology. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12372021/
