Yesterday afternoon, I received and e mail from a young football player interested in building bigger, stronger thighs. He did squats, lunges, etc but didn’t have a grasp of what he was doing. I imagine that he doesn’t fully understand the anatomy of the quadraceps, so I wanted to shed some light on that this entry. Once you understand how the quad works, you will find it easier to visualize your quad workouts. The quads are made up of 4 muscles:
1. Vastus Medialis
2. Vastus Intermedius
3. Vastus Lateralis
4. Rectus Femoris
These 4 muscles are found on the front of the thigh. They originate at the top of the femur (largest bone in the leg) and attach down on the tibia. The purpose of the quads is to straighten and extend the knee. Different Parts Of The Quad The term “quad” means four. Therefore the quadriceps is made up of 4 distinct muscles. The front of the quad is made up of the rectus femoris. The rectus femoris, goes across the hip joint and originates on the pelvis itself. Directly underneath the rectus femoris is the vastus intermedius. Then on either side of both you will find muscles that run parallel. These are the vastus medialis (on the inside of the leg) and the vastus lateralis (on the outside of the leg). Simply type in quadraceps in any search engine to see a picture of the muscle group for a visual. http://ow.ly/i/3xyT7
Personal Trainer Austin 