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Be Your Butt...

Saturday, 05 November 2011 03:00

Love Your Butt ...This story originally appeared on mothernature.com and was posted on MTN's predecessor site on April 19, 2010. We're recycling this story 'cuz our readership has grown significantly. And because we really like butts.

By DELAINE FRAGNOLI

Perhaps no part of a woman's anatomy suffers more self-scrutiny than her butt. "Too big" and "too flabby" is our collective hue and cry. And letting it all hang out on bike rides in leave-little-to-the-imagination spandex shorts doesn't do much to alleviate our cracked rear view.

But if we can stop judging the appearance of our backsides long enough to understand their anatomy and cycling physiology, we can find many reasons to appreciate the locomotive uses of our cabooses. In what may be the ultimate exercise of mind over matter, you can learn to love your butt, build it right, and use it to your advantage.

Posterior Primer

Your butt is the seat of your cycling power, so to speak. Among the largest and strongest of all muscle groups, the gluteals in your rump aid hip extension and rotation, helping you initiate strenuous movements like climbing stairs, squatting, and pedaling....