Need Help with Vastus Medialis (tear drop)

[thundergod]

I posted a thread in the Dogg Pound about weak glutes causing my knee injury. Doctor wants me to obviously strengthen the glutes and to focus on bringing up the Vastus Medialis. Leg extensions are out due to being so hard on the knees. I did do some light, high rep, narrow stance squats with heels elevated the other day and started doing light(er) leg press with feet low and close on the platform. It's a little tough to get to parallel right now due to an alignment issue with upper and lower leg, but its getting better by the day. Just curious if anyone has and other movements to target/strengthen that area??

[Sammich]

Super-side stance box squats. Focus on the feeling of "pushing the floor apart" with your feet.

[DC_catholic315]

I remeber a video of frank Zane saying that very light leg presses with your feet in the "calf raise" type foot pos hit the tear drops well

I like the Smythe machine performing a vertical leg press, it kills my tear drops
Typically for a muscle round
Or a drop set

From a therapeutic standpoint I like tke (terminal knee ext) on the three way hip machine for my patients and the leg with toes up and turned in in top 1/2 rom of movement

But I agree with SAMMICH that wide squat (specially to a box) will destroy teardrops and glutes

I also like john meadows split squat drop sets with ISO tension reps for this

Hypothetical example (adjust wt to your strenght... I do mine last on leg day)
Like 40 lb dbell for 10-15
10'sec hold
20 for 12-15
10 sec hold
Bw to failure (at least 10)
10 sec hold

Will destroy you vmo and glute wise

[Sammich]

Following up to what I said, a few days ago I did box squats with super wide stance. I was trying to take the knee out of the movement due to a knee issue I have. I ended up focusing on tightening my glutes and inner thighs to do the movement, and I used the mental cue of "spread the floor" to squat wide more efficiently.

I focused on keeping tension in (and squeezing with) my glutes and hamstrings on the eccentric and exploding up on the concentric, to take the strain away from my right knee. What ended up happening is that the next day, my glutes, hammies, and vastus medialus were super sore. That's why I recommended that particular movement. Not only can it hit your vastus medialus quite strongly, but it can also teach you how to use your glutes more in the squat, which you mentioned was an issue.

[greensoup]

My teardrop is much more developed than my quad sweep muscle. I squat PL and knees out FWIW. People suggest close stance leg work for outer quads. Likely a correlation here.

[Sammich]

Well, the VM is very active in terminal knee extensions, but doing them under actual "weight", as opposed to leg extensions, will be much better. Plus, doing box squats the "correct" way, will teach him how to activate the glutes as well, which he mentioned was an issure.

[Dens228]

Look up "somersault squat" on youtube.
I started doing every few workouts and it seems to hit the area you need.
I looks like it'd be tough on the knees but it isn't.

[greensoup]

Well, the VM is very active in terminal knee extensions, but doing them under actual "weight", as opposed to leg extensions, will be much better. Plus, doing box squats the "correct" way, will teach him how to activate the glutes as well, which he mentioned was an issure.

" terminal knee extensions, but doing them under actual "weight", as opposed to leg extensions, will be much better. " Lost here, please explain


to the OP: try doing some glute activation exercises before your leg days. Good chance you have very little ability activating them and thus cannot train them effectively

[Sammich]

" terminal knee extensions, but doing them under actual "weight", as opposed to leg extensions, will be much better. " Lost here, please explain


to the OP: try doing some glute activation exercises before your leg days. Good chance you have very little ability activating them and thus cannot train them effectively

I meant terminal leg extensions via, say, wide-stance box squats will be superior (in terms of muscle growth) to terminal leg extensions on a leg extension machine. I have yet to see any equipped powerlifter (which means they squat wide) who doesn't have very developed VMs. The suit helps you in the hole, but locking out the squat requires terminal leg extension against a massive amount of weight. Wide-stance box squats mimic that effect without the suit. Plus you get the added benefit of inner thigh, glute, hamstring, etc., activation.

[thundergod]

Thanks guys. I will be trying out most, if not all of these movements and put them in my rotation somehow.

[Agi]

I had an issue with knee cap alignment in one leg. The PT wanted me to do limited leg extensions. From the horizontal position, I only drop 15 degrees and back up. I do this for three sets of thirty reps. It has made a world of difference. I started with zero weight and worked my way up. When I went back to another PT for a shoulder problem 18 months later, he commented on how developed my VM's were.

[DShores]

Check Poliquin on youtube. He has a step up variation that targets the VM and is easy on the knee.

[thundergod]

I also have a knee cap alignment issue, but it seems to stem from the glute not functioning properly which was caused by a flexibility issue in the ankle. Hopefully some people will realize that proper body alignment/functioning is critical.

[greensoup]

I had an issue with knee cap alignment in one leg. The PT wanted me to do limited leg extensions. From the horizontal position, I only drop 15 degrees and back up. I do this for three sets of thirty reps. It has made a world of difference. I started with zero weight and worked my way up. When I went back to another PT for a shoulder problem 18 months later, he commented on how developed my VM's were.

so from full quad extension to a very short length eccentric and back up? basically the end portion of the movement hits that part of the quad?

[DShores]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=venxzC5TDfg

Here is the Peterson step up for the VMO.