Weightlifting and VMO Isolation?

[Guest guest]

Was: VMO Isolation?

Mel,

On the same note, I have a noticable tendency to shift my weight from

right to left when I pull or squat. This causes my right knee to " buckle "

or drift inwards. Is this due to a strength imbalance between the muscles

that stabilize my knee? If so, how do I correct this problem? I'm assuming

it's fairly common.

[idiosyncrasies or asymmetries of action are not necessarily due to muscle or

strength " imbalance " , because movement patterns are orchestrated by neural

control. You need to work on technical skill and use a video camera to examine

exactly what you are doing. Mel Siff]

Thanks,

Tom Hood

Royal Oak, MI

----- Original Message -----

> An anonymous final year Biokinetics student from South Africa sent

> us this letter:

>

> Do any of the readers know any exercises that isolate the

> VMO? I have heard that by rotating the foot externally on leg

> extensions does the trick. Yet, apparently EMG studies show

> this not to be the case (I have not been able to find these studies, though).

[First of all, it is almost impossible to isolate a single muscle group in

any gross movements like that, certainly without extensive use of

biofeedback methods. In other words, the question could be reworded thus:

Does anyone know of any exercises which increase VMO activity

proportionately more than the other knee extensors? Then, of course, someone

most

justifiably could ask if increased EMG activity necessarily implies greater

productive

force generation. Mel Siff]