Strengthening the Pelvic Muscles & Lower Tail Bone

The muscles around your pelvis and tail bone help move your legs forward, backward, to the sides or up and down. In other words, these muscles contribute to pretty much anything you do on two legs, including walking, jumping and running. Work your pelvic muscles at least once each week to improve your everyday and athletic movements.

  1. Gluteus Maximus

    • The gluteus maximus, your body’s largest muscle, sits on the back of your pelvis and straddles the tail bone. This key muscle assists in hip adduction, extension, abduction and external rotation. As you’d expect of such a large muscle, you can work it out in numerous ways. Any type of squat will strengthen your gluteus maximus, as will a lunge, especially when you take a long step forward. Leg presses, stepups and deadlifts are also options. Warm up with five to 10 minutes of light cardio before training your gluteus maximus, or any other pelvic muscle.

    Hip Abductors

    • Your hip abductors, on the outside and back of your pelvic area, move your legs laterally, away from your body, and also help your hips rotate. Exercise choices for the abductors -- which include the tensor fasciae latae plus the gluteus medius and minimus muscles -- are more limited than for the gluteus maximus. You can sit in an abductor machine and push your legs laterally. Alternatively, attach a low cable or resistance band to your left ankle, turn your right shoulder to the anchor point, then swing your leg to the left with your knee straight. Perform the exercise on both legs.

    Hip Flexors

    • When you raise your knees toward your hips -- by lifting your legs when you run, for example -- your hips are flexing, thanks to the hip flexor muscles on the outsides of your hips and upper thighs. A variety of muscles can flex your hips, including the tensor fasciae latae, the rectus femoris from the quad group, the sartorius -- your body’s longest muscle -- plus the iliopsoas and the pectineus. Work your hip flexors with various leg raise exercises. For example, hang straight down from a pullup bar, bend your knees and hips and bring your knees up toward your chest. You can also perform situps on a decline bench or use a dedicated hip flexor machine.

    Hip Adductors

    • The adductors -- on the upper, inside area of each thigh -- move your legs toward the middle of your body and also help to flex and extend your hips. The adductor group, including the adductor brevis, longus and magnus, may also receive help from the pectineus and gracilis muscles. Work these muscles in a seated adduction machine, which is the opposite of the abductor machine because you squeeze your legs together. Use a resistance band or low pulley machine by securing one end to your right ankle, then turning your right shoulder to the anchor point. Position yourself so the band or cable is taut with your right leg straight and right foot about knee-high in the air, then swing your leg to the left, keeping the leg extended. Do the exercise with both legs.

    Considerations

    • Perform eight to 12 repetitions of each pelvic-area exercise. If your muscles aren’t fatigued after your final rep, add more weight for your next set or your next workout. Stop performing any exercise and see a doctor if you feel pain.