Gluteus maximus
Latin: M. gluteus maximus sinistra
Location: Gluteal
Paired structure: one on the left and one on the right side of the body.
View the gluteus maximus in 3DOrigin
Ilium behind the posterior gluteal line, sacrum, coccyx, sacrotuberous ligament, thoracolumbar fascia.
Insertion
Iliotibial tract (three-quarters) and gluteal tuberosity of the femur (one-quarter).
Action
The body's bulkiest muscle: extends and laterally rotates the hip from flexion — the stair-climbing, rising-from-chair and sprint-drive muscle. Tenses the fascia lata to stabilise the extended knee.
Nerve supply
Inferior gluteal nerve (L5, S1–S2).
Blood supply
Inferior and superior gluteal arteries.
Clinical relevance
Inferior gluteal nerve palsy weakens hip extension — climbing stairs and rising from a chair become hard, with a backward-lurching gait. The upper outer quadrant of the buttock is the safe IM injection zone, away from the sciatic nerve.
Educational anatomy reference, not medical advice. About this content.