Glute Strength: The Missing Link in Hip Health for Fitness-Forward Athletes

Whether you’re a CrossFit athlete hammering out box jumps, a weekend runner chasing that next PR, or a fitness-forward enthusiast pushing through your squat routine, hip pain can be a frustrating and limiting setback. As a physical therapist team specializing in fitness injuries in Minneapolis, we’ve seen firsthand how often this pain stems from one overlooked culprit: weak or under performing glutes.

Let’s break down why your glute strength matters more than you think—and how building it can help prevent or resolve common issues like hip pain when squatting, hip pain with running, gluteal tendonitis, and gluteal bursitis.

Why Glute Strength Is Non-Negotiable for Athletes

The gluteal muscles (gluteus maximus, medius, and minimus) are powerhouses of hip stability and mobility. They help generate force in movements like squats, deadlifts, and sprints, and they’re key stabilizers during running and jumping. When these muscles aren’t pulling their weight, your body compensates in ways that stress your hips, lower back, knees, and even ankles.

For barbell athletes, weak glutes often show up as:

• Hip pain and knee pain when squatting

• Poor form under heavy load

• Early fatigue in high-rep workouts

For runners, the signs may include:

• Hip pain with running, especially on longer distances

• Lateral hip pain that worsens on hills

• Front or lateral knee pain with impact

For everyday fitness enthusiasts:

• Trouble achieving full hip mobility

• Nagging aches around the hip during box jumps or lunges

• Stiffness after workouts that lingers longer than it should

Glute Dysfunction Can Lead to These Common Hip Injuries

1. Gluteal Tendonitis

This is an overuse injury of the gluteal tendons, often triggered by poor movement mechanics and weak glute activation. It presents as aching pain over the outside of the hip, especially during prolonged standing, walking, or climbing stairs.

2. Gluteal Bursitis

When the bursa (a small fluid-filled sac that cushions the hip joint) becomes irritated, inflammation and lateral hip pain follow. It’s often confused with tendonitis but can coexist.

Both of these conditions are common among athletes who push hard without giving the glutes the attention they deserve—especially those with poor hip control during repetitive or high-impact activities like squats, running, or box jumps.

How to Fix It: Glute Strengthening Is the Key

Here’s what our premier physical therapist team in Minneapolis would recommend:

Targeted Activation Before Workouts

Priming the glutes before training sessions with mini-band walks, glute bridges, or clamshells can reduce hip compensation patterns.

Train in Planes

Most workouts happen in the sagittal plane (forward-backward). Glute medius and minimus need lateral and rotational work—think side planks with leg lifts, lateral step-downs, and monster walks.

Rebuild with Form-Focused Strength Work

Try incorporating exercises like:

• Barbell hip thrusts

• Bulgarian split squats

• Single-leg Romanian deadlifts

Keep volume moderate and focus on quality of movement, not just load.

Takeaway for the Fitness-Forward Community

If you’re dealing with hip pain when squatting, soreness with running, or recurring issues like gluteal tendonitis or bursitis, don’t just power through. Get assessed by a skilled physical therapist—especially one who understands performance athletes.

As a physical therapy group in Minneapolis working with CrossFitters, runners, and recreational athletes, we help people unlock better movement by addressing the root cause, not just the symptoms. Often, that means retraining the glutes to ‘work’ effectively.

Stronger glutes mean healthier hips, smoother movement, and fewer setbacks—so you can keep training hard without pain holding you back.

⸻

Ready to take your hip health seriously?

If you’re local, come see our physical therapists in Minneapolis who speaks your athletic language. Whether it’s CrossFit, running, or general fitness, we’ll help you build a stronger foundation for long-term performance.

Stay strong, stay mobile, and never underestimate the power of your glutes.