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Some people may say that the hip flexors do not get as much exposure as they deserve, but the hip extensors get even less, despite the equal importance they have. The lesser known hip extensors are the opposing muscles to the flexors, which are composed primarily of muscles running along the back of the leg. The hip extensor's primary function is to pull down the leg from any vertical position (i.e. the hip flexors let you lift your knee up; the hip extensors can be used to pull it back down).
Hip Extensors Anatomy
Most people would be surprised to learn that the hip extensors are mainly made up of 2 major muscle groups: the Hamstring and the Gluteus Maximus.
Hamstring
You are probably familiar with the Hamstring, but just in case you are not here's a quick refresher. The Hamstring is composed of the large muscle and tendons behind your thigh muscle and is used heavily in running and athletic activity.
Gluteus Maximus
The Gluteus Maximus is the most obvious opponent of the hip flexors as it is located right behind the pelvis. It is the largest of the gluteal muscles and extremely powerful in humans and primates, often called the "butt". It is subdivided into smaller muscles but that is beyond the scope of this article.
Why Is This Muscle Group Important?
You may be asking yourself what the importance of the extensors is in relation to the flexors. The answer is simple, in that since the two muscle groups are antagonists (oppose) of each other, anything you do to one of them affects the other.
When you get a flexor injury, the typical course of action is to rest and encourage healing, and then hip flexor strengthening because your muscles have weakened through inactivity. However, most people do not strengthen their extensors, which have also become weak because they have not been used much due to the hip flexor pain. When this happens, the flexors become much stronger than the extensors and cause a muscular imbalance. Muscular imbalances usually lead to non-proper functioning body parts and often injury like a hip flexor strain as a result of one muscle being stronger than the other, which is the last thing you want. This illustrates the importance of training the extensor muscles like the Hamstring and Gluteus Maximus alongside with the hip flexors to develop total functional symmetry.
Information is power; you owe it to yourself and your body's health to understand your injuries. If you are able to understand injuries, you can diagnose them faster, treat them better, and recovery to the highest possible levels.
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