What the heck is your VMO you Say? The Vastus medialis (vastus internus or teardrop muscle) is an extensor Muscle located medially in the thigh that extends the knee. The vastus medialis is part of the quadriceps muscle group.

1. The one and one-quarter Squat is a great way to correct weakness in the VMO

2. Target the stubborn VMO with single-leg movements such as the Peterson step-up.

3. The glute medius and minimus are far more important for knee than the VMO

4. Poor ankle mobility = greater activity of the soleus / less activity in the VMO = athlete’s knee will cave inward during the squat

5. The major disadvantage of deadlifts is that it does not effectively work the VMO – DL’s need to be teamed with quad-dominant exercises

6. The VMO is particularly fast to waste away during an injury, perhaps because it does a lot of eccentric work as a shock absorber

7. Split Squats require the optimal ratio of muscle activation between the VMO & vastus lateralis, the 2 principle muscles in knee stability

8. The time spent on the ground is called the stance Phase amongst other things. The stronger the VMOs, the shorter the stance phases

9. The stronger your VMOs are, the less time it takes you to switch from the eccentric to the concentric phases of both sprinting/jumping

10. A weak VMO makes any back squat training ineffective by affecting knee alignment and puts you at risk for injury