How do I strengthen my vastus lateralis? Read it here

FRONT SQUAT. One of the best exercises that you can do that’ll target your quads while also giving you a killer burn is the front squat.
LEG EXTENSION. For this exercise, you need to use the leg extension machine.
LEG PRESS.
HACK SQUAT.
BARBELL WALKING LUNGES.
DUMBBELL SPLIT SQUAT.
SISSY SQUAT.

What exercise works the vastus medialis?

Squats are the king of leg exercises, just like deadlifts are the king of back exercises. The heel elevated back squat is especially effective at building up your quadriceps, especially the vastus medialis.

How do I strengthen my vastus lateralis? – Related Questions

What is the function of the vastus lateralis?

Vastus lateralis, also known as vastus externus, is the largest and most powerful of the quadriceps muscles, found on the lateral (outer) side of the front of the thigh. It works with the rest of the quadriceps to help straighten the knee and with activities such as getting up from a chair and going up and down stairs.

How do you activate vastus medialis?

Seated Isometric VMO and Adduction: Sit on a chair or platform where your feet hang freely. Place a ball between your thighs and squeeze the ball together activating your VMO. Hold your contraction for 10 seconds. Again, feel your VMO to ensure its activation and increase length of contraction as you become stronger.

How do you target the VMO muscle?

How do you isolate the VMO muscle?

During this attempt to isolate VMO activity, some designated exercises executed include but are not limited to the following:

Quad sets.
Terminal open chain knee extension exercises.
Straight leg raises (SLR) with external rotation of the lower extremity.

Can you preferentially train the VMO?

A systematic review we looked at included 20 different studies. The authors concluded that the VMO cannot be preferentially activated and strengthened (Smith et al., 2009). Only 3 of the studies were able to display any preferential VMO activation.

How do I get VMO firing?

How do I know if my VMO is weak?

If you’ve ever had a nagging pain on the inside of your knee or a knee that seems to buckle or give way, there is a fair chance you’ve had some dysfunction in the VMO muscle. VMO dysfunction is very common in runners, hikers, cyclists, athletes involved in jumping sports and after any knee injury.

What happens if VMO is weak?

When the VMO is weak, the other quadriceps muscles pull the knee cap to the outside part of the groove. This can lead to rubbing and excess wear and tear of the joint surfaces in the outside or lateral patellofemoral joint region.

What angle is VMO most active?

Tang et al. investigated the activity of the quadriceps muscle at various knee bending angles, and reported that the VMO/VL ratio was highest at the 60° knee flexion angle.

Does walking backwards strengthen VMO?

For example, one of the primary causes of runner’s knee is weakness in the vastus medialis oblique (VMO), so adding some backwards walking or running into your rehab program may be an effective way to increase strength and stability in this muscle.

What causes weak vastus medialis?

In some cases, usually following an injury or due to biomechanics, vastus medialis oblique can become weak, fatigued, mis-fire or switch off altogether. This can lead to problems with patella tracking (how the kneecap moves) and anterior knee pain such as patellofemoral pain syndrome.

Are squats good for VMO?

When it comes to total lower-body development, Squats are king. When it comes to specifically engaging the inner most portion of the quadriceps, or the “Tear Drop” muscle known as the Vastus Medialis Oblique (VMO), there are few exercises better than the Cyclist Squat.