It is always important to be proactive instead of reactive when it comes to injury prevention. As a gymnast, you should regularly address your deficits and stay in tune with how your muscles and joints feel to remain ahead of potential injuries.

That is why it is critical to check whether a gymnast has strong hip abductors (aka the butt). The butt muscle provides stability for your back, your hips, your knees and your ankles. It provides proper knee and hip control during single leg support. It prevents the hips, knees and feet from rolling inwards which puts you at risk for multiple injuries. It is a very important muscle that is often overlooked in gymnastics conditioning programs.

Side Lying Glute Strength Test

The best way to test the strength of your hip abductors (aka butt muscle) is to lie on your side, lift your leg up (with your heel leading) towards the ceiling and with your leg slightly behind you.  Have someone push it down towards the ground. You should be able to resist the opposing force without changing your position. If you cannot hold this position then you should be focusing on adding butt exercises to your daily routine.

Side Plank with Hip Abduction

There are many great butt exercises to perform. I like to work the core in addition to activating the butt muscles; therefore side plank with hip abduction is one of my favorite exercises. It is important that you focus on your form while performing this exercise and that you are feeling the burn in your butt and not directly on the side of your hip.

Standing Glute Series

Another great exercise is a standing glute series. When you are standing on one leg, your butt muscle is working extra hard to support you from falling over.  Assume a tick tock position making sure your knee is aligned with your second toe (and not caving inward) and your hips are even and level. In this position you can move your arms and your body as shown below to challenge the stability and strength of your butt muscle.



Other butt muscles that are important to work are:

• ​Hip external & internal rotators (gluteus medius & minimus)
  
• Hip extensors (gluteus maximus)
  

Keeping your butt strong will not only help prevent injuries, but it will also help make you a more powerful and explosive gymnast.


Marla Ranieri is a doctor of physical therapy at Drayer Physical Therapy who specializes in working with gymnasts and performing injury prevention assessments. She is a former elite international gymnast who competed for Stanford University. She works closely with North Stars Gymnastics Academy and USA Gymnastics. If you would like to speak with her about coming to your gym, please contact her at mranieri@drayerpt.com


Related:
Gymnastics Injury Prevention with Marla: Preventing Elbow Injuries