Rectus femoris exercise: Health Benefits, How to do?

Rectus femoris exercise is a great way to improve strength of thigh muscles and many health benefits such as helps to relive knee pain and provides stability of knee joint

What is rectus femoris strengthening exercise?

The rectus femoris muscle is one of four muscles that made up the quadriceps muscles at the anterior thigh region. The best rectus femoris exercises are those that utilize your knee and the hip, as this muscle moves two joints. Strengthening the quadriceps may also help to prevent injury, especially in athletes.

Anatomy of the Rectus Femoris

The quadriceps is located anterior to your thigh and consists of 4 muscles: The rectus femoris, The vastus medialis, The vastus lateralis, and The vastus intermedius. These four muscles act together to extend your knee or straighten your leg.

The rectus femoris muscle has an additional role, as it attaches from the hip to the anterior inferior iliac spine, while the other three quadriceps muscles attach to the lower part of the femur. its main action is knee extension, the rectus femoris also helps to flex the hip due to its origin point. All four muscles form the quadriceps tendon, which inserts at the knee joint at the tibial tuberosity.

Health benefits of rectus femoris strengthening exercise:

• Regularly doing rectus femoris strengthening exercises may help you to make it easier to extend your knee and flex your hip.
• This exercise strengthens your four quadriceps muscles.
• This exercise improves the stability of your kneecap.
• This exercise protects your knee joint from injury.
• This exercise helps to increase your jump height.
• This exercise improves your overall athletic ability.
• This exercise reduces your risk of developing knee osteoarthritis.
• Helps to improve your balance and stability.
• Stronger quadriceps make everyday movements easy such as walking, bending, and sitting, running.

Here, we explain Rectus Femoris Exercises:

Straight Leg Raise

How to do it?

• To perform this exercise, you have to lie on your back with one leg flexed and the other leg straight.
• Raise the straightened leg off the ground, but no higher than the opposite flexed leg. Hold for 3 to 5 seconds and then slowly lower it down.

• If you want to make this exercise harder then Add ankle weights to make this exercise harder.
• Do 10 to 18 repetition of 2 to 3 sets.

Knee Extension Exercise With Elastic Bands

How to do it?

• For this exercise, you have to Sit in a chair and wrap a resistance band around the leg of the chair and one end around the ankle on the same side.
• Extend your leg until it is almost fully straight.
• Hold and then return to the initial position.
• You may also do this exercise on a knee extension machine at the gym.
• Complete 2 to 3 sets of 10 to 20 repetitions.

Closed-Chain Rectus Femoris Workout

These rectus femoris exercises are closed-chain exercises that build strength for optimal knee health. Closed-chain exercises have one extremity fixed to the floor and may help to build up strength. They are more functional, promote joint stabilization, and need several different muscle groups.

Squats With Free Weights

How to do it?

• Grab free weights and stand with your feet shoulder-width apart.
• Squatting down as you hinge your hips back as you are sitting down in a chair.
• Hold for two seconds and come back upstanding.
• Complete 2 to 4 sets of 20 to 25 repetitions.

One-Legged Squat

How to do it?

• For this exercise, you have to Extend your arms in front of your body for balance.
• You can also hold onto hair for balance. Balance your body weight on one leg, with the opposite leg extended straight in front.
• Squatting down and hinge your hips back, while keeping the other leg off the ground. Stand up.
• Complete 1 to 2 sets of 5 to 10 repetitions on both legs.

Alternating Split-Squat Jumps

How to do it?

• For this exercise, you have to come into a deep lunge position, with your right foot back and left foot forward into a lunge.
• Explode or jump up and switch as you lunge to the other side. Repeat.
• Do two sets of 15 repetitions.
• Rest for 20 to 30 seconds in between two sets.

Forward Deceleration Steps

How to do it?

• For this exercise, you have to Place an elastic band or towel around your waist and have a partner hold on to it while standing behind you.
• Now start walking forward as your partner applies resistance with the elastic band, making it difficult for you to move forward.
• Progress to running forward with resistance.
• Run or walk up to 25 yards. Repeat 5 times.

Lunge

How to do it?

• The lunge is a classic body weight exercise that can build foundational strength in the rectus femoris.
• Do this exercise by standing in an erect position and your shoulder-foot width apart.
• Now step forward, landing on the heel of your front foot. flexed the front knee so your back leg nearly touches the floor.
• Push off with the front foot to return to the initial position and repeat this on the other foot.
• You can increase the difficulty of this exercise by grasping a pair of dumbbells.
• Complete 3 to 4 sets of 15 to 20 repetitions on each leg.

Squat

How to do it?

• For this exercise, you have to stand with shoulder feet width apart and toes pointing upward and outwards.
• Your arms should be by your side. your hands on the hips or clasped together.
• Your core muscles should be tight and chest up, push your hip backward and knee flexed as if you are doing a sitting.
• Stop when your thighs are parallel to the floor and hold for two seconds at that point.
• Push through your heels and return to the initial position.Complete 3 sets of 12-15 repetitions.

Leg Extensions

How to do it?

• Do this exercise on a leg extension machine.
• Adjust the padded bar so that it rests just above the front of your ankles.
• Grab the handles with both hands and extend your knees to lift the weight.
• Stop before your knees are fully extended to avoid excessive strain on the joints.
• Allow the weight to return to the initial position and repeat for 6 to 12 repetitions.

Step-Ups

How to do it?

• This is a very simple exercise. It requires just your body weight and a step, or bench. To perform this exercise you have to Stand in front of the step with your feet shoulder-width apart. Step up with the right foot and subsequently step up with the left foot.
• Step back down with the second foot and then with the first foot.
• Increase the difficulty of this exercise by increasing the height of the step stool or bench, or grabbing a pair of dumbbells.Do 2–3 sets of 6–10 repetitions on each leg.

Leg Press

How to do it?

• To utilize your rectus femoris muscle you have to Perform the decline leg press variation by using a leg press machine.
• Put your feet high on the platform and hold the handles.
• Put your feet about shoulder-width apart, straighten your knees and hips to lift the weight.
• Stop before your knees are fully extended and allow the weight to return to the initial position. Perform 3 to 4 sets of 6 to 12 repetitions.

When did you not do Rectus femoris exercise?

• If you feel any pain during this exercise then do not do this exercise.
• If your leg bones are recently fractured.
• If your knee ligament is recently injured.
• If you have back issues then avoid weight lifting and back bending exercises.