Any ideas?
Being a tennis player it is an issue. I do suffer every now and than with a slight pain/weakness in my knee. I think I need to balance things out a bit ( I’ve got the outside of my thigh over developed. I should say the inside under developed ;))
Thanks
Vastus medialis = the quad muscle on the inside of your knee which also plays a major role in stabilizing the knee.
Squat deeper
Full squats, front and back. The vastus medialis isn’t fully stimulated until the bottom portion of the squat. The lower you go, the better.
For your hip adduction:
http://www.T-Nation.com/readArticle.do?id=459552
ATG FSQ
what they said plus:
peterson stepups & other forms of TKE
peace
Sorry but what are peterson step-ups ? Thanks.
if you have patello femoral disorder all the squatting is going to go out the window and just aggravate your pain.
stairmaster
pull dragging sled backwards
point your toes outward on the leg extension machine. squeeze at the top for 2 seconds, controlled 2 second down just before rest, maintain the flex throughout the set.
anything that involves full flexion or full extention, its actually both ranges of motions that activate it the most, as why “joggers” and people that dont go into either extremity often usually have nothing showing out of their shorts
[quote]Xen Nova wrote:
pull dragging sled backwards[/quote]
Yes.
You might also try carrying a heavy weight down a steep incline. The VM has a very active role in deceleration, a trait which would be stimulated by such an activity. But as Xen suggested, backwards sled drags (where you are facing the sled) would probably be more practical.
Full ROM squats would be good as well, but I trust that the OP would not be asking this question if he could do full squats.
a rather narrow front squat seems to make my VMO sore
All of the above + unilateral lower body movements (lunges, step ups, split squats, single leg squats).
Hi,
Front leg elevated split squats will target both your VMO and your glutes nicely.
Also one i found my accident and use all the time now on patients is riding a bike with the saddle too low! it absolutely burned my VMOs so i get my sports clients now to ride the stationary bike on the lowest level (within moderation depending on height). It will build endurance and help with function (i.e the VMO will need endurance for tennis) or put it on level 20 of the stationary bike and do a max effort for power!
Give it a try and let me know how you get on! It BURNS is all il SAY!!!
[quote]eic wrote:
Xen Nova wrote:
pull dragging sled backwards
Yes.
You might also try carrying a heavy weight down a steep incline. The VM has a very active role in deceleration, a trait which would be stimulated by such an activity. But as Xen suggested, backwards sled drags (where you are facing the sled) would probably be more practical.
Full ROM squats would be good as well, but I trust that the OP would not be asking this question if he could do full squats.
[/quote]
Original poster may also be female and their hip angle tends to result in PFS, especially playing a sport like tennis… if thats the case squats and unilateral work will just cause more pain.
so be careful
for me, i noticed major increases in stability with 1-leg deadlifts, and then a progression from stepups to 1-leg squats
I know everybody else is saying it, so it must be true.
Front squats DEEP, as deep as you can go.
From all the evidence that I’ve collected, it’s the best, of course all evidence is purely anecdotal
Alternating lunges on an aerobic block.
Here’s how to do Peterson step ups.
Remember that the VMO is preferentially recruited at both extremes of knee extension. That’s why both deep (below parallel) squats and step ups work. Of course with the step ups you have to add a fair amount of weight to make them challenging.