LOWER BODY MUSCLES - what they do for you!
Regardless of how active you are, lower body strength plays a pivotal role in our everyday lives as well as for your sports performance, longevity and overall health. In today’s post, we take a look at the key muscle groups of the lower body that we should be targeting and how Pilates can help you to get a well-rounded lower body workout to improve not just strength but also stability, balance, mobility and power.
THE GLUTES
Your gluteal muscles (as they’re officially called) is a group of three muscles, each with its own role in the body. The largest is the gluteus maximus. Sitting close to the surface, it forms most of the shape of the buttocks and is one of the strongest muscles in the body. Its primary functions are pelvic stability, hip rotation and hip extension (pulling the leg backward beyond the line of the body). Next we have the gluteus minimus; the smallest and deepest-set of the three. Without it, we would struggle with leg movements such as inner and outer rotation, and abduction (moving the leg away laterally from the body) and would have limited stability in the hips and pelvis when walking and running. Finally, we have the gluteus medius which (as its name suggests) is the middle-sized muscle that sits between the gluteus maximus and minimus, a little more toward the outer edge of the buttocks. It plays a key role in assisting the other two muscles in hip abduction, lateral rotation and pelvic stability and alignment.
Strengthening these muscles will help to improve your posture as well as explosive lower body power, balance and stability, making them essential for many different sports, from soccer to powerlifting. It can also help to reduce lower back pain, as having weak glutes will increase the load on the spine and negatively impact spinal stability. Pilates exercises such as Bridging and Lunges (facing both front and back) on the Reformer are some of our favourites to target the gluteal muscles and promote balanced development.
THE QUADS
Located at the front of your thighs, the quadriceps (like the glutes) are not a single muscle but in fact a group of 4 muscles; this time made up of the rectus femoris, vastus lateralis, vastus medialis, and vastus intermedius. Together, they contain more mass than any other muscle group in the body; combining forces to enable the majority of lower body movements including knee extension and hip flexion. Your quads are often considered the most important muscle group for speed and power; helping to pull the legs forward for powerful bursts of speed when sprinting. They also provide fundamental stability during movements like running, walking, cycling, squatting, jumping, kicking and climbing stairs/steps. That’s why it’s important to keep them strong, as their role in the alignment of your body can help to keep you injury-free. People who suffer with knee pain in particular can work on strengthening the muscles in the quadriceps to help ease their daily discomfort.
Reformer Pilates exercises like Footwork and Double Leg Knee Stretch are just two of the movements we use during group classes and private sessions to effectively engage the quadriceps; building strength and endurance in the muscle group and helping to rehabilitate any injuries.
THE HAMSTRINGS
The hamstrings work in beautiful synchronicity with both the glutes and the quads to enable comfortable, fluid and pain-free movement. Running down the back of the thigh between your hip and knee, the group of muscles known as the hamstrings (comprised of the biceps femoris, semitendinosus and semimembranosus) work together with the quads to bend and straighten your leg. Each time you bend your knee, your hamstring muscles are contracting while the quads relax. Conversely, when you straighten out your leg, it’s the quads that contract while the hamstring muscles relax. The hamstrings also pair up with the glutes. As mentioned in the section above, the hamstrings are essential in flexion and extension (bending and straightening) of the knees, but this would put the body at risk of injury if it wasn’t for the glutes providing stability to your hips and pelvis. In fact, the hamstrings require this stability from the glutes in all exercises targeting the posterior chain (back of the body) and any movement involving the hip including extension, rotation and abduction.
Strengthening the hamstrings helps to prevent imbalances in the body, and reduces your risk of common knee injuries and hamstring strains which are particularly prevalent in runners and amateur/professional soccer and basketball players. Bridging not only works the glutes but also the hamstrings, and Feet in Strap exercises such as Leg Lowers work the whole back of legs from glutes to hamstrings, to calf muscles.
THE ADDUCTORS & ABDUCTORS
You had most likely already heard of the three muscle groups discussed above, but how about the adductors and abductors? Found on the inner thighs and outer part of your hips respectively, these lesser-talked-about muscle groups have dual roles as both movers and stabilizers. While the abductors are focused on moving the leg away from the midline of the body, the adductor muscles work to bring the leg back toward the body, and both muscles provide fundamental stability in the hips and pelvis.
Think about one of the most basic movements: walking. Every time we lift one leg to take a step forward, the pelvis must counteract that one-sided movement to keep you upright and balanced without compromising your skeletal alignment. For this, it relies on the abductors and adductors to create slight but essential shifts in your leg, pelvic and hip position. As a result, these muscles play a key role in your gait and balance. Without strong abductors to keep the pelvis level, your opposite hip will drop as you walk; causing other muscles to compensate for the misalignment, pulling your body out of its optimal position, putting you at higher risk of injury/falls and causing the over-worked muscles to become tight. The longer this goes on, the more likely these issues will start to manifest as hip or knee pain when walking or even sitting or sleeping. Easing this pain comes from releasing the tension and tightness in the muscle, and building strength to help you counter the harmful movement pattern. That’s where Pilates comes in.
Rather than simply focusing on the front (quads) or back (hamstrings, glutes) of the lower body, Pilates trains the body 360° - never neglecting a muscle group to help get and keep you strong, stable and balanced. While the hip abductor/adductor machines you see in the gym may have their place in a strength or hypertrophy-based programme, the majority of trainers and movement experts agree that these machines are far from the best way to strengthen these muscles, as they do not replicate any movement pattern that is actually performed in daily life. Training the body through scientifically-proven, functional and most importantly safe planes of motion will help you to build that strong, healthy body that will stand the test of time - whatever life throws at you!
What to take away from this post? Get your lower body workouts scheduled in! Targeting the glutes, quads and hamstrings in particular is so important for your everyday movement and comfort, as well as your sport performance. It will come as no surprise that we’re particular fans of Pilates exercises for this! As you read above, they are a fantastic, low-impact, functional way to engage these muscles while promoting proper alignment, control and flexibility.
Ready to give it a try? Get 50% off your first small group class or private session with us, and feel the benefits in your own body! Get in touch here with any questions or help booking. We look forward to seeing you soon!
Note: Always consult a qualified Pilates instructor or fitness professional before attempting new exercises, particularly if you have injuries or pre-existing medical conditions.