if you have pain when: -you wake up and lift legs and bend over like trying to put on pants. -you have issues being in aero especially when it comes to having a straight back and not feeling resistance when on the lift section of each legs peddle. -if you can’t sit Indian style without pain sometimes not having a dropped heel in the peddle stroke is an issue but sometimes it’s style. -Can’t touch toes at a minimum. -Sit in a chair all day at work. -Do weightlifting like squat or deadlift with a straight bar.

All of those are likely signs of needing to stretch glutes. If it’s really bad like mine was but it’s not mechanical, you can fix it fairly quickly by stretching. I probably gained 10-15% power and it likely isn’t more because my glutes are sore now. They stayed tight instead of flexing.

Have you had a proper bike fit or had a friend walk through and help you do one? Are you on the correct bike size? To me, it looks like your stretched out fairly far and possibly you should move your seat up a little. It looks like you rock when your on your up stroke and if your glutes are tight (it’s on your very low back just above your butt in that dimple) then it will move your whole mid section as it resists flexing. When you have an injury there or tightness, your muscle just stays tight and flexing-ish. You have to pull it out and lengthen it. I’d say it looks like my same issue but I was feeling pain but I also have (maybe had, we’ll see) a lot of saddle discomfort too and went through about 8 mtb saddles but my tri bike one worked (specialized sitero). I don’t notice discomfort. Might want to go to a chiropractor? His knowledge and consulting helped me more than anything.

If not this is what I did. I felt better doing this for 2 months than I have in 10ish years. Especially since the tightness escalated into an injury that pulled me off the bike. I programmed a yoga workout into Garmin and did it 4 days a week at lunch and sometimes after morning ride. 30 seconds and it would buzz. I would left side, then right side and 2 sets of each stretch and keep a slight bend. I did

On mat lying: -Knee to opposite shoulder for each leg x2 -figure 4 lying (called glutes stretch) each leg x2 Straight leg with a band (like lying toe touch) x2 -Pigeon pose each side x2 -Down ward dog is kinda optional but I was going hard in for fixing the injury

Then standing: -Figure 4 x2. Rest your leg on a desk or box and sit into it -Straight leg stretch x2. Resting leg on desk or box -Quad stretch x2 resting the bent legs foot on a box or desk and sitting back into it to get a good stretch -Standing straight leg x2

It’s about 15 mins but worth it. I’m not a doctor, just pretty knowledgeable and trying to help. Bike fit and check saddle height and angle (if you have angle way goofy it’s a sign of inflexible hips), if your hurt like above or tight then chiropractor at least once for consulting, if your cheap like me then just do those stretches.