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The Thighs
THE MUSCLES OF THE UPPER LEG
The quadriceps are the muscles at the front of the thigh which act as ex-
tensors of the leg. The four muscles involved are the rectus femoris, the
vastus intermedius (these two muscles making up the central V-shape de-
lineation of the middle front thigh), the vastus medialis of the inner thigh,
and the vastus lateralis of the outer thigh.
BASICFUNCTION:To e:\.i:endand straighten
the leg
The biceps femoris and associated muscles-the
thigh flexors at the
rear of the leg
BASICFUNCTION:To curl the leg back
Other important muscles of the upper leg include the tensor fasciae
latae, coming down from the hip to the outer thigh; and the sartorius,
the longest muscle in the body, which weaves diagonally across the front
of the thigh.
THE
IMPORTANCE
OF THIGH
TRAINING
The muscles of the upper leg are the largest and most powerful in the en-
tire body. There are few movements in sports that do not involve intense
leg effort. A baseball player, golfer, discus thrower, shot-putter, and boxer
Rectus femoris
Vastus lateralis
Sartorius
Vastus medialis
~~,
IJ;.
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Tensorfasciae latae
Biceps femoris
Biceps femoris
Sartorius
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Milos Sarcev's leg development
is
the result of a lot of hard training
and use of the Priority Principle.
all begin their respective movements with a powerful leg drive. In
weightlifting, most power moves like Power Cleans, Clean and Press, and
Deadlifts involve a lot of leg effort, as do the lifts used in Olympic
weightlifting competition.
However, there is no sport in which thigh development is as important
as in bodybuilding. While contest judges have the shoulders, chest, arms,
back, and abs to occupy their attention above a bodybuilder's waist, when
they look at the lower body the single most compelling visual element is
the thighs-the
quadriceps and the hamstrings. Thighs are the most mas-
sive muscle group in the body and proportionately constitute almost half
of your physique.
Can you imagine a Sergio Olivawith weak thighs? Or a Nasser El Son-
baty wi