Characterising gluteal muscle forces during hip-focused injury prevention & rehabilitation exercises

Methods: Neuromusculoskeletal modelling was used to estimate gluteus maximus, medius, and minimus muscle forces in 14 female footballers during 8 hip-focused exercises (single-leg squat, split squat, single-leg Romanian deadlift (RDL), single-leg hip thrust, banded side-step, hip hike, body weight side plank, and side-lying leg raise) performed with a 12 repetition maximum (12RM) resistance. Body weight side planks most effectively target both gluteus medius and minimus and require no equipment, making it ideal for on-field or at-home injury prevention/rehabilitation. Characterising muscle forces as well as fibre and activation properties may help inform exercise selection to optimize mechanical loading of muscles, specific to the performance, injury prevention, or rehabilitation training goals.