GLUTES
Your glutes are the layers of muscle in your buttocks. The gluteus maximus, the large muscle band beneath your skin, runs diagonally from the base of your spine to the outside of each of your thighs. You engage it every time you bend or straighten your legs at the hip. The inner layer of gluteus muscles is a group of six rotators that stabilize your hips and rotate them horizontally. Essentially, your gluteus maximus controls the up-and-down motion of your hips, and your rotators control their in-and-out motion.
GLUTEUS MAXIMUS IN SQUASH
When your squash opponent hits the ball into the front of the court, you lunge forward to get to it. You jump to catch high balls with your racket, and throughout the game you run from one area of the court to another. All of these motions work your gluteus maximus. In a gym, you strengthen this muscle with controlled motions such as lunges and squats. Squash demands the same motions, but with more explosive force.
ROTATORS IN SQUASH
When you rotate your hips outwards, you engage your deep gluteus muscles. In a game of squash, you do this when you lunge sideways to reach the ball. Because squash is such a fast-paced game, you may change direction mid-motion or emerge from a lunge into a sideways jump; movements like this also use your rotators. These muscles control the small, precise movements of your hips and pelvis, so they may work hard simply to stabilize you in a high-impact sport like squash.
AFTER A GAME
Because squash is such an intense workout for your glutes, take appropriate precautions to avoid being sore for the day or two after a match. Cool down after a game by jogging around the court for five minutes, and then stretch out your glutes. Lie on your back and bend one knee. Lift it to a table-top position, then pull it across your body until you feel the stretch. Return it to the start position, and cross the opposite leg over it. Lift your legs and pull them gently toward your body. Repeat these stretches on the other side.
Posted in: Muscle Building