QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s):
Home     Help     Feedback     Subscriptions     Archive     Search     Table of Contents

First published online May 18, 2006
Journal of Experimental Biology 209, 2143-2155 (2006)
Published by The Company of Biologists 2006
doi: 10.1242/jeb.02255

This Article Figures Only Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Lieberman, D. E. Articles by Cutright-Smith, E. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Lieberman, D. E. Articles by Cutright-Smith, E.

The human gluteus maximus and its role in running

Daniel E. Lieberman^1,*, David A. Raichlen¹, Herman Pontzer¹, Dennis M. Bramble² and Elizabeth Cutright-Smith³

¹ Department of Anthropology, Harvard University, 11 Divinity Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
² Department of Biology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA
³ Department of Anthropology, University of Arizona 1009 E. South Campus Drive PO Box 210030, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA

^* Author for correspondence (e-mail: danlieb{at}fas.harvard.edu)

Accepted 5 April 2006

The human gluteus maximus is a distinctive muscle in terms of size, anatomy and function compared to apes and other non-human primates. Here we employ electromyographic and kinematic analyses of human subjects to test the hypothesis that the human gluteus maximus plays a more important role in running than walking. The results indicate that the gluteus maximus is mostly quiescent with low levels of activity during level and uphill walking, but increases substantially in activity and alters its timing with respect to speed during running. The major functions of the gluteus maximus during running are to control flexion of the trunk on the stance-side and to decelerate the swing leg; contractions of the stance-side gluteus maximus may also help to control flexion of the hip and to extend the thigh. Evidence for when the gluteus maximus became enlarged in human evolution is equivocal, but the muscle's minimal functional role during walking supports the hypothesis that enlargement of the gluteus maximus was likely important in the evolution of hominid running capabilities.

Key words: gluteus maximus, running, walking, locomotion, biomechanics, stabilization, human

This article has been cited by other articles:

				A. G. Williams and J. P. Folland Similarity of polygenic profiles limits the potential for elite human physical performance J. Physiol., January 1, 2008; 586(1): 113 - 121. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]