Gluteus maximus is the most powerful muscle in the body. It works mainly in hip extension — not in a deep squat, whatever you read.
Glutes — Hamstrings, Spinal erectors, adductors
PrimarySecondaryNot worked
What it is
Glute max runs from the ilium and sacrum to the femur and IT band. It extends and externally rotates the hip. Gluteus medius, above it, stabilises the pelvis in the frontal plane — it is what stops the knee collapsing inward under load. The two need different work: one loads the front-back axis, the other the lateral one.
How to load it
Ten to twenty sets a week, across two distinct families: movements loading hardest at hip lockout (thrusts, extensions) and movements loading hardest in the stretch (lunges, Romanian deadlifts). Add abduction work for the medius, which sagittal movements barely touch.
The recurring mistake
Compensating by arching the lower back at lockout. Extension comes from the hip, not the spine: ribs stay down and the pelvis finishes in posterior tilt.