When people say “I’m stretching my glutes,” they treat the glutes like a single muscle. But the truth is, your glute medius and glute maximus serve different functions (as well as the other glute muscles).
And that means they require different types of stretching.
Knowing the difference between a glute medius stretch and a glute maximus stretch can make or break your recovery from hip tightness, lower back pain, or post-workout soreness.
Quick Anatomy Breakdown: Glute Maximus vs. Glute Medius
The Gluteus Maximus is the largest muscle in your butt — a powerful hip extensor that activates during squats, lunges, and explosive movements. It lays on top of all the other glute muscles and runs from the crest of the hip and tailbone to the femur.
The Gluteus Medius is smaller and sits higher on the outer hip. It stabilizes your pelvis when you walk or stand on one leg and is underused or weak in people with chronic pain.
You can see it more like a vertical strip that connects your outer hip crest to the side of your femur.
All muscle fibers move the leg away from your body (abduction), but different sections of the muscle will rotate the hip internally and externally. This muscle can also extend or flex the hip depending on the hip angle.
So the glute medius can do A LOT.
Glute Maximus Stretch: Big Muscle, Big Movements
The glute maximus requires a deep stretch to lengthen. Since it connects from your pelvis to your femur, you need to get into deep flexion with some rotation to hit it.
My Favorite Glute Maximus Stretches:
Knee Hugs (basic but powerful)
This gentle stretch is perfect in the morning while laying in your bed or on the floor.
Lie on your back and pull one knee toward your chest. Move your knee in small circles to help mobilize the hip joint..
Try mixing it up: hug one leg at a time, pull both knees in together, or shift your grip to different parts of your leg to change the angles!
To fine-tune the position, press your tailbone down into the surface—this helps keep your hips grounded.
You might feel a little pinch or tightness around the front of the hip. That’s normal and totally okay!
Check out the video I made so you can follow along and see exactly what I mean!
Deep Lunge (optional twist)
Begin in a deep lunge, allowing your hips to sink down with your back leg laying on the ground.
**optional** rotate your torso (tight core) toward your front leg and hold the twist for several breaths before releasing. Twisting will shift the stretch into the deep rotator muscles.
To enhance this stretch, try the following:
- Hinge deeper at the hips, using your front foot for leverage.
- Press outward on your inner thigh to open the hips.
- Walk your hands (spider-crawl style) to either side and take slow, full breaths.
Figure 4 Glute Stretch
Lie on your back with both knees bent. Cross one ankle over the opposite thigh so it rests just above the knee.
From here, gently reach through and grab behind your bottom leg’s thigh, slowly pulling both legs in toward your chest. You’ll feel a deep stretch through the glute and outer hip of the crossed leg.
To increase the stretch, press your bent knee away from your body using your hand or elbow.
Focus on keeping your back flat and your breath steady as you hold.
Half Pigeon
Start in a plank position and bring one leg forward, bending the knee and placing your shin across your mat at an angle.
Extend your back leg straight behind you. The goal is to bring your front hip down toward the floor—but don’t force it. Let your body ease into the stretch.
Avoid letting your front hip lift too high, as this can shift pressure onto your knee.
Instead, focus on keeping your hips square and level, feeling the stretch in your glute and outer hip, rather than in your lower back.
A few common mistakes to watch for:
- Elevating your hip too much, which can strain your knee
- Sitting directly on your leg without actually opening the hip
- Rounding your back and thinking you’re deep in the stretch—when really, you’re just collapsing forward
This stretch is a stepping stone toward Full Pigeon, but full pigeon attacks the hip rotators a bit more than we want for a gluteus maximus stretch.
BTW – if your hips don’t move this way (trust me, you’re not alone), feel free to modify as needed—props and adjustments are your friend.
Oh and don’t forget to pair this with glute trigger point therapy to get the most out of the stretch!
Glute Medius Stretch: Hit the Side of the Hip
Tightness in the glute medius often shows up as outer hip pain, SI joint discomfort, or even a dull ache that makes sleeping on your side unbearable.
The key to a good glute medius stretch is Hip adduction (pulling leg across midline) and Slight internal rotation…
That said, I believe as long as you are lengthening away from the stretched hip, you can target the Glute Medius in most glute stretches!
Best Glute Medius Stretches:
Crossover Hip Stretch (lying on your back with one leg pulled across your body)
While lying on your back, pull one leg up and across your body. Concentrate on rotating the hip across the body without letting your back twist too much.
Cross over/seated knee hugs
Many people mess this up and use it for their back relief. But if your goal is to release tension in your Glute Medius, then this is how you do it:
Cross one leg over the other, placing the crossed foot flat on the floor.
Instead of trying to twist as much as you can, focus on driving the knee further across your body while keeping your foot firmly planted.
Hanging Side Arch
Now this one requires some props and access to a gym, but this is great for your entire side and can be used to target the Glute Medius.
Place a barbell slightly above your waist height and hang from it while walking your feet backwards
Rotate yourself to target the glute medius as seen in the video to the right (coming soon)
Targeting the glute medius can be tricky. That’s why I love the deep lunge where you can explore all the corners of your hip movement, to find the tight spots.
I always pair these stretches with Glute trigger point therapy to get the most out of the stretch. It’s like your own personal massage that you get to lead!
What About the Glute Minimus?
The glute minimus, often grouped with the medius, plays a subtle but important role in hip stability.
It’s the deepest of the glute trio and will get stretched when targeting the other two.
That’s why I don’t have dedicated stretches for it.
Regardless, the best way to lengthen the glute min is to create hip adduction (bring leg to midline) in your stretch.
Why Stretching the Right Glute Muscle Matters
If you’re not targeting the correct area, you may end up wasting time on stretches that don’t work for your specific situation.
Example: If your outer hip is tight and you keep doing figure four stretches, you’re primarily hitting the glute maximus and deep rotators — but the glute medius is still tight and causing issues.
By learning how to feel the difference between these stretches, you’ll get better results — faster.
A Quick Tip for Isolation
If you’re not sure which muscle is tight, look at this glute map:
You can also use a lacrosse ball or tennis ball and press into different areas to find where the largest source of pain is coming from.
- Press your fingers or ball into the center of your butt — that’s likely the glute maximus.
- Now press higher and outward near the top of your pelvis — that’s glute medius.
- Whichever area feels more tender, that’s the one to stretch and release.
Learn more about locating trigger points here!
For Best Results: Combine Stretching With Release
Stretching alone doesn’t always solve the issue — especially if the muscle has active trigger points.
Use tools like A foam roller for glutes OR Trigger point therapy
Follow it up with the right stretch and your glutes will respond more effectively.
Final Thoughts
I am a super fan of making my body as open and pain free as possible.
And I want the same for you.
Stretching the glute muscles is a big part of creating a pain free body!
If you’re ready to take the next step, Explore my Fix Your Glutes category page for full recovery routines and trigger point tools that get results.
And of course, my ultimate guides to stretching and trigger point therapy are also great places to begin if you aren’t sure!
Let me know if you have any questions below.
Good luck!
- Nick