The Quadriceps muscle, which is important enough to work on its own even when we make the slightest leg movement, is one of the largest muscle groups in our body and should therefore be kept strong at all times. Let’s take a closer look at what the Quadriceps muscle is, what its duties are, and let’s see the exercises you need to do to strengthen this muscle group.
Let’s put the sports thing aside altogether and think about our daily life. We all at least walk and sit and get up. If we do not have any discomfort, we do not have difficulty in doing these movements because our quadriceps muscle works continuously without any effort, just like the heart muscles. Quadriceps muscle, one of the largest muscle groups in our body therefore extremely important.
It can be a little difficult to feel or understand some of our muscle groups. You can even feel the quadriceps muscle when you put your hand in your pocket and touch your leg. Because it starts from the hip along the thighbone and goes down to the knee. Having such a large and important muscle group will make your daily life healthier. What is the quadriceps muscle, what are its functions, how to strengthen it Let’s examine all the details.
First of all, what is the Quadriceps muscle?
Quadriceps muscle, also known as Musculus quadriceps femoris, Quadriceps femoris muscle; along the thighbone on the front of your leg It is a muscle group located in an area from the hip to the knee. It is considered one of the vital and largest muscle groups. You do many basic leg movements thanks to the Quadriceps muscle.
Small muscles that make up the quadriceps muscle:
- The rectus femoris is a bicameral muscle that arises from the hipbone and is the only muscle that spans both the hip and knee joints.
- The vastus intermedius is located in the middle of the thigh and is directly connected to the knee joint.
- The vastus lateralis runs along the outside of the thighbone and is the strongest of this muscle group.
- The vastus medialis runs along the inside of the thighbone and is the smallest of this muscle group.
- The vastus intermedius tensor is an inclined muscle that lies between the vastus lateralis and the vastus intermedius.
For many years, it was thought that the quadriceps muscle was formed by the four basic muscles, and it was named after this. However, in recent studies, the vastus intermedius tensor muscle has also been discovered and It turns out that the quadriceps muscle is a quintet. Experts don’t yet know the exact function of this new muscle, but it’s clearly out there.
Where is the quadriceps muscle located?
The quadriceps muscle is a muscle group that can be easily seen from the outside, especially when it is working, even if it is not very strong. Quadriceps muscle, with numerous small fibers It lies in front of your thighbone between your hip and knee. It connects the pelvis, hipbone, thighbone, and kneecap.
So, what does the Quadriceps muscle do, what are its functions?
The first and most important task of the quadriceps muscle is to enable you to move your kneecaps. Even while reading this post right now the slightest movement you make to your kneecap You will feel it activate your quadriceps muscle. Since our kneecap movements are vital for even the simplest movements, the Quadriceps muscle that allows us to work it works without any effort, just like the heart muscle.
We use our Quadriceps when walking, running, jumping, kicking and similar movements. As the quadriceps muscle gets stronger The feeling of tiredness that occurs while doing all these movements decreases, and we do these movements much easier and our performance increases. Therefore, it is extremely important to keep the Quadriceps muscle strong.
Quadriceps muscle injuries:
- Tearing can occur as a result of excessive stretching of the muscle fibers.
- If muscle tears increase, you may have problems using it.
- The muscle may tear completely and break from the knee, and you may experience incredible pain.
- A condition called contusion occurs as a result of a blow to your Quadriceps muscle and bruises appear from the outside.
- The external tear caused by an accident can go deep and damage the Quadriceps muscle.
- Inflammation of the muscle tendons can result in a condition called tendinitis.
Injuries to the quadriceps muscle are not common because it is a muscle we use often, and it is extremely strong. In a research done Only one in 10,000 athletes Quadriceps muscle injury has been observed. Depending on age, this may change. According to the same study, hamstring injuries, which are the back of the thigh muscle, are much more common. However, the following conditions are risk factors for Quadriceps muscle injury;
- be over 40
- Diseases such as multiple sclerosis, diabetes, gout, rheumatoid arthritis
- A previous Quadriceps muscle injury
- muscle fatigue
- a previous hamstring injury
- Use of medications known to weaken muscles and tendons
How to strengthen the quadriceps muscle? Some strengthening exercises:
Squat using body weight:
Whether you want to work your front or back leg muscles; The first and most important move you should do should be the squat. certainly If you’re just starting out, don’t rush and without using weights, using only your body weight. We talked about squat movements you can do in our article here before.
Walking move:
The walking move is extremely simple and will work many different muscles, especially the Quadriceps muscle. Put one foot forward as far as you can and bend down until your knees are bent. So take a big step forward. Perform this movement for a certain number of repetitions and sets. Be careful not to put any weight on your knees.
Knee raise:
Knee raise is basically a movement based on pulling your knees up. If you wish, you can also do it in the form of climbing up and down an elevation. Stand still, pull one knee up as high as you can and return to your original position. After a certain rep, do the same with your other knee. You will feel the burning in your quadriceps muscle.
Split squat:
If you are doing it for the first time, it may be a little difficult, but you can learn much better through the tutorial videos. Put one leg on an elevation behind you and squat just like squatting. After a certain number of reps, do the same with the other leg. Be careful not to strain your knees.
Lateral lunge:
The lateral lunge is also simple, but it’s a move that will work all your leg muscles at the same time. Extend one leg to the side as far as you can and stretch the other. Bend your extended leg and return to your original position. After a certain number of reps, repeat the same movement with the other leg.
One of the largest and most important muscle groups running along the front of our thighbone. What is the quadriceps muscle, what are its functions, how to strengthen it We talked about exercises that you can apply by answering frequently asked questions. What we describe is for informational purposes only. Do not forget that you should get the most accurate and specific information about the Quadriceps muscle from a specialist physician, as in all health issues.