Knowing how to stretch your glutes, or the muscles of your buttocks, is key to any fitness program, and can help you avoid injuries and discomfort in your lower back, hips and legs. Here's how to stretch your glutes.

You should find a wall, table, exercise bar or other stationary object that's sturdy enough to support you if you grasp it and lean away, because you'll need something to hold onto.

Cross one ankle above the opposite knee so that your legs look like a number four. At this point, you should be holding onto your stationary object.

Hold tightly to your support object and lower yourself into a squat, keeping your legs crossed. Ideally, you should squat until your thighs are parallel to the floor.

If this stretch isn't enough for you and you'd like more stretch, there are a few ways you can go about it. If you have very good balance, you can release your support object and use your hands to press the knee of the crossed leg further toward the floor, increasing the stretch in that side of your glutes.

If you don't have good balance, you can perform this same stretch in a chair. Sit down and cross one ankle over the other thigh. Maintain erect posture as you lean forward over your legs, until you feel the desired stretch. You can also perform the same stretch lying on your back on the floor; cross one ankle over the other thigh, then use your arms to pull that thigh toward your chest.

You should hold the stretch on each side for 20 to 30 seconds, while breathing deeply into the stretch. Repeat the stretch on each side two or three times.