I found these also
. SITTING ISOMETRIC CONTRACTIONS (Toes facing slightly out)
Sit on the ground with your legs out in front of you.
Place your first 2 fingers on your VMO. ( Refer to the image above if you don’t know where that is)
Tighten your quad muscles and imagine pulling your knee cap upward towards your hip
Hold the contraction for up to 10 seconds and make sure you feel VMO working (aim to contract that muscle first)
Note: For those doing this exercise for the first time, try to perform 10 repetitions for 5 second holds. Once this becomes easy, increase the length of the hold to 10 seconds and decrease the reps by 5. Once that becomes easy, start to increase the reps until you’re up to performing 10 repetitions for 10 seconds holds.
2. SEATED ISOMETRIC VMO AND ADDUCTION CONTRACTIONS
Sit on the ground with your legs out in front of you.
Place a pillow, cushion, or a foam roller between your thighs
Place your first 2 fingers on your VMO. (Refer to the image above if you don’t know where that is)
Tighten your quad muscles and imagine pulling your knee cap upward towards your hip
At the same time, squeeze the pillow, cushion or foam roller between your thighs
Hold the contraction for up to 10 seconds and make sure you feel VMO working (aim to contract that muscle first)
Note: For those doing this exercise for the first time, try to perform 10 repetitions for 5 second holds. Once this becomes easy, increase the length of the hold to 10 seconds and decrease the reps by 5. Once that becomes easy, start to increase the reps until you’re up to performing 10 repetitions for 10 seconds holds.
3. FOAM ROLLER LEG EXTENSIONS
This one is very handy, especially if were smart enough to get a foam roller to release the tension in the outside structures of the thigh. Foam Rollers have many purposes!
Sit on the ground with your legs out in front of you
Place the foam roller under your knee
Place your first 2 fingers into VMO and tighten your quad muscles, lifting your foot off the ground and contracting your thigh
Hold the contraction for up to 10 seconds and make sure you feel VMO working (keep trying to feel it if you can’t at the start!!)
4. PLIE KNEE BENDS
For those who don’t know what a ‘Plie’ is, it is similar to a ballet move where you do a 1/4 squat with your knees going out slightly to the sides.
Stand with your knees hip width apart and your toes pointing slightly out. Imagine them at 12 o’clock at the start and pull them to roughly 2 o’clock.
Squat down slightly and let your knees follow your toes
Concentrate on VMO and ‘pull’ your legs back up mostly using VMO
Gradually build the amount of reps up to 15, making sure that they are all done with perfect technique
5. BALL SQUATS
This is one of the first exercises I would do with a client if they had difficulty performing a bodyweight squat. Once you build up the strength in your legs, remove the ball and concentrate on using only your bodyweight.
Place a Swiss Ball against a wall and lean into it with your lower back supported
Gradually lower yourself into a seated position, pushing your hips backward (as if you were trying to touch your bum against the wall, but be conscious to push your knees forward at the same time)
Lower yourself until your thighs are roughly parallel with the floor
Push through the heels and squeeze your thighs until you are standing vertical again
6. SPLIT SQUATS (STATIONARY LUNGE)
This is an exercise I refer to as a stationary lunge that is performed at the mid-way point
Start with your feet hip width apart and take a slightly longer than normal step out with one leg
Keep most of your body-weight through the front leg, but particularly through the heel of the front leg
Slowly start to lower your self down, pushing back through the hips and maintaining a fairly upright position
Make sure that your knee is also being pushed forwards, but the heel remains in contact with the floor
Once you are in the bottom position, push through the heel of the front foot to return to the starting position
Concentrate on VMO through both the raising and the lowering of the movement
Start off with lower reps such as 6-8 and build them up until you reach 12-15
Hold onto a railing, wall, or broom handle for support if balance is an issue
Gradually add more weight through the use of dumbbells, a barbell or even a knapsack on your back
7. SINGLE 1/4 LEG SQUATS
This can be a difficult exercise for some people. Make sure you are well balanced and use a railing, wall or broom handle for support if needed
Stand with your feet hip width apart
Slowly raise one of your legs off the ground (bring your heel towards your bum)
Slightly point your toes out to the side (5-10 degrees)
Slowly push the knee out over the toes, concentrating on holding VMO
When you reach the bottom of the movement, pull the leg back up using VMO
Maintain good hip alignment throughout and use a railing, wall or broom handle for support if balance is an issue
Start off with lower reps (6-8) making sure that you can feel VMO, and gradually increase the reps up to 12-15 as your strength improves
8. STEP-UPS
Stand in front of a step, or a stair
Step up onto the step, ensuring that your knee is in line with your toes and hip
Pull through the heel and contract VMO to pull yourself upward into a straightened position
Maintain the contraction in VMO, keep your heel on the step and knee over the toes on the lowering phase
Start off with lower reps (6-8) making sure that your balance is good and you are using VMO
Increase the height of the step as you improve and up the reps to 12-15
9. STEP-DOWNS
Stand on top of a step or chair
Make sure your weight is through your heels and slowly lower yourself down to the floor
Concentrate on maintaining a contraction into VMO and keep an upright posture
Keep your hips level
Start off with lower reps (6-8) making sure your balance is good and you are using VMO
Increase the height of the step as you improve and up the reps to 12-15
10. RUNNING AND SPORT SPECIFIC ACTIVITIES
begin by performing straight runs on a flat surface
increase the challenge by incorporating sport specific motions. For example, side to side movements, hops, twists and jumps are all movements that are specific to many different sports.