Quadriceps: Properly Training the VMO, Part 1
By Ashleigh Katzenmoyer
One of the main focus points in the lower body which is studied and examined at L.I.F.T. is the quadriceps muscle group. The quadriceps in the leg consists of four major muscles: the rectus femoris, vastus lateralis (VL), vastus intermedius, and the vastus medialis oblique (VMO). To appropriately train the quadriceps of the lower body, an understanding of the function and the anatomy of the muscle group is necessary, to improve its weakness.
The rectus femoris is the muscle in which crosses over two joints, the hip and the knee. Its functions consist of extending the lower leg and assisting in flexing the thigh. The rectus femoris cannot fully extend the knee by itself. The vastus lateralis is the largest quadriceps muscle and crosses only one joint. It helps stabilize the knee joint. The vastus lateralis and vastus intermedius both assist in extension of the lower leg. The vastus medialis oblique has an important role as a stabilizer of the patella. The vastus medialis consists of two parts – the longus and the obliques whose fibers are angled medially in the frontal plane. It is one of the deep quadriceps muscles and formerly recognized as the bulging “teardrop”.
The vastus medialis oblique muscle (VMO) is usually the weakest of the quadriceps group and appears to be the first muscle to atrophy and the last to rehabilitate. VMO deficiency is one of the commonest conditions presented among general population groups. Athletes with anterior knee pain, poor medial quadriceps activity, and overuse have been found to have VMO weakness and atrophy which causes imbalance of the quadriceps components.
How is one to train a weak VMO to get rid of a weakness? To restore the balance amongst different quadriceps muscle heads begin training by re-educating the muscle and strengthen the muscle by targeting the specific weakness. Since the VMO is a stabilizing muscle, endurance training needs to be emphasized first. An excellent way to strength the VMO is to perform the deep Olympic style squats. Deep barbell squats assist in the strengthening process of the VMO and activate the VMO more than just a regular squat, seen commonly at local gyms. Barbell split squats, low pulley split squats and dumbbell split squats are just a few other great exercises which will assist in strengthening and aid in stabilization of the knee joint.
Exercise descriptions and pictures will be found in Part 2 of Quadriceps: Exercises to Properly Train the VMO.
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