The unexpected health benefits of a ‘hockey butt’ — and how to get it

Boys like big butts, and they cannot lie.

Thanks to shows like “Heated Rivalry,” which gave ample screen time to the derrière, men aren’t aiming for washboard abs or bulging biceps at the gym — it’s all about thick thighs and a “hockey butt.”

The obsession with a bootylicious behind extends beyond aesthetics. Turns out that it may actually be an important asset for a long, healthy life.

Glute-centric moves like deadlifts, squats and lunges have long been part of many gym-goers’ routines, and classes specifically for a strong posterior, like Best Butt Ever, offered at luxury fitness chain Equinox, are increasingly being added to rosters.

The largest and most powerful muscle in the body, the gluteus maximus is the foundation of core strength and healthy aging because it is linked to stability, movement and more.

The gluteal muscles — the maximus, medius and minimus — help with balance, a key factor as we age and a critical indicator of nerve, bone and muscle strength.

Strong glutes can also help manage and even reduce lower back pain by stabilizing the pelvis and spine.

Adults over the age of 65 with strong glutes and hip abductors (the group of muscles on the outside of your hip) tend to have less risk of falling than those with weaker muscles.

Having some extra padding back there can also act like a shock absorber when we walk or climb stairs, reducing hip, knee and overall joint pain.

Weak glutes, though, can make everyday activities like getting out of a chair or walking up stairs difficult.

“I tell my clients, ‘As long as you can climb flights of stairs, you can have sex,’” LA-based personal trainer Daniel Rice told the Wall Street Journal last week.

But while a bigger booty may make chairs more comfortable, sitting too long has been linked to worse health outcomes and could lead to the dreaded pancake butt or dead butt syndrome.

Called gluteal amnesia, this condition occurs when the glutes forget their primary function after too much inactivity and go numb or even feel sore.

And when your glutes are weak, other muscles start to overcompensate to stabilize the pelvis. The imbalance can lead to knee and low back pain, hamstring strains and ankle sprains.

Even changes in the shape of the butt and shrinkage of the gluteus maximus could be a sign of Type 2 diabetes in men.

As men go for glute gains, the discussion around butt strength and longevity is also growing.

“You do see temporary increases in hormones like testosterone and growth hormone with resistance training, especially when larger muscle groups are involved,” Dr. Benito Villanueva, a longevity specialist and the medical director at the LA clinic Evolve Anti-Aging & Wellness, told the Journal.

But Villanueva says the more important change is around metabolism, as increasing glute strength improves “how the body handles glucose, how it uses energy and how it maintains muscle over time.”