It is a functional feature important in daily activities that involve standing, walking, standing from a seated position, climbing stairs. The primary function of the vastus lateralis is to extend and straighten your knee, thereby lifting your lower leg. Your legs are a big part of your day and significantly contribute to the driving power needed in exercises, and the vastus lateralis produces the bulk of the leg power needed for activities. The vastus lateralis, together with the iliotibial band, comprises the lateral wall of the thigh. It joins the other quad muscles and passes over the knee to join the tibia.
It begins as a flat bunch of tendons and attaches to the side of your kneecap. Like the other heads, the vastus lateralis originates from your femur or thigh bone. The vastus lateralis muscle is found on the outside of the thighs and forms the bulk of the flesh on your legs. The vastus lateralis is the largest and strongest head of all four heads of the quads. Regardless of these differences, the muscles sync together in smooth function. These muscles vary in thickness, length, position, and functions during your movement.
The rectus femoris, vastus lateralis, vastus medialis, and vastus intermediate are the four heads that form the quads. However, the quad is not one muscle but a larger muscle group made of four different muscles. The quad or quadriceps femoris muscle is one of the most prominent major muscle groups of the body. Isolating your vastus lateralis is vital for stronger and bigger thighs.īelow, we have highlighted the ten best exercises for the vastus lateralis. Many exercises are designed to work your leg muscles- especially your quads- but provide little to no isolation of the distinctive muscles in your legs. It works with other quad muscles to control leg movements and stabilize you. You also work your core with this exercise, since it must work to keep your body balanced.The vastus lateralis, also known as the vastus externus, is the largest and strongest quad muscle in your thigh. This is a great exercise for working all the main lower-body muscles. One last exercise to help you build a strong quad sweep is the dumbbell split squat. Here, you want greater emphasis on the outer quad, so place your feet lower and closer together on the foot pad. Instead, incorporate all three into your leg program at various junctures.Īs with the leg press, where you place your feet on the pad influences how the muscle fibers get worked. Again, this exercise mimics the movement pattern of the squat or leg press, so you don’t need to add all three of these moves to a single workout. Technique 4: Hack SquatĪnother good compound move to target your outer quad and develop that sweep is the hack squat. When you start adding plates to the bar, especially on major compound movements like the leg press, it’s easy for the strong glutes to come into play. Keep in mind that the lighter the weight, the better muscle activation you get in a target area. Use a lighter weight and focus on feeling it in the outer quads as you do each rep. To work on your quad sweep, position your feet lower on the foot pad, but also bring them closer together than usual. For example, place your feet higher on the pad, and the emphasis is on your glute muscles place them lower, and you bring more quadriceps into the lift. The other nice thing about the leg press is that it allows you to target specific muscles in your quads from different angles, based on the position of your feet. You’ll work all the muscles in your lower body without applying much strain on your lower back-assuming you perform the exercise correctly. The leg press is a great alternative if you’re limited on your squat for whatever reason, or if you simply want a second compound exercise to include in your lower-body routine. Don’t expect to ever squat as heavy with front squats as you do back squats-most people see a significant drop when they shift the bar to the front. Mastering the front squat can take some practice, so use a lighter weight at first while you perfect your form. Shifting the weight forward to the front of your body places more stress on the quad muscles versus the hamstrings and glutes. If quad sweep is your primary goal, favor front squats when possible in your workout routine. There are three main types of squats: high-bar squats, low-bar squats, and front squats.
Indeed, when the squat is performed properly, it does an exceptional job of increasing strength and power and building muscle mass. Squats reign supreme at developing a strong, muscular lower body. As this is an isolation exercise, higher rep training is the route to go.
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