Yoga Articles Yoga Exercises

• Tweet
• 

• Gluteas minimus

While the gluteas medius and gluteas minimus are not very noticeable, (since they are located around the large bony part of our pelvis), the gluteas maximus is the biggest and most noticeable.

What is the function of the gluteas maximus? The gluteas maximus, along with the other two glutes help us to perform all the movements of our hips such as moving the thigh forward and backward, rotating our legs, turning our pelvis sideways or outward.

They help us not only in all our normal daily activities like walking, they are important for power activities like basketball, football or hiking.

Gluteas maximus exercises and stretches: If you have a flabby or weak butt a few exercises will firm them. The following exercises are recommended for those who wish to have muscular glutes:

• Squats
• Butt lift (bridge)
• Glute kickback
• Quadruped hip extensions
• Step-ups
• Lunges

You can also try:

• Treadmill workouts
• Lift heavy weights
• If you are already into some form of exercise activities, try something different (for example, if you are a swimmer, try running, if you are into cycling try walking).
• Stair climbing, hiking, cycling and step aerobics will give you firm butts
• Cardio exercises

What is the rectus femoris? The rectus femoris is part of the quadriceps. It is one of the largest muscle groups in our body, and helps us in hip flexion and knee extension.

The quadriceps are a groups of four muscles which are present in the front (or anterior) of the thigh. These four muscles are the Vastus Medialis, Intermedius, Lateralis and the Rectus Femoris. These muscles start at the top of the femur, and go down where they are attached to the front of the tibia. The rectus femoris crosses the hip joints, and is therefore very important for movements such as extending the knee and flexing the hips.

Rectus femoris exercises: The following exercises will strengthen the quadriceps as a whole:

• Leg press
• Leg extensions
• Squats
• Lunges

What is the Sartorius muscle? This is the longest muscle in our body, running from our pelvis down to our knee. It is one of the five muscles that help flex the hips and also bring the hips and legs (including the knee) together in flexion. It is also used in lateral rotation of the hips.

Sartorius exercises: There are various exercises - standing and supine - to strengthen the sartorius muscles. They are:

• Standing hip abduction
• Standing leg curl
• Roman chair hip raise
• Supine sartorius exercise

Yoga is particularly helpful in strengthening all these muscles.

Read more articles from the Yoga Exercises Category.