Quadriceps Femoris a Rectus femoris sreeeeeeee 3 originate on femur -eeeee Vastus intermedius Vastus medialis wee Patella Tendon group -**** e+ Tibia The "quadriceps femoris’ is a 4-headed muscle. Vastus lateralis is the largest of the four, on the lateral side. Vastus medialis is a meaty teardrop on the medial side. Vastus intermedius is a deep muscle we don't need to worry about when drawing, and the rectus femoris is high up in the middle. -**** Rectus femoris origin Sartorius ++++e« They all originate on the femur, except the rectus femoris which originates higher up on the pelvis, not all the way up where the sartorius and TFL attach. The quad muscles are grouped together because their tendons all inserts on the patella. The patella’s tendon then attaches to the tibia. isere Vastus medialis There's asymmetry from the front view of the quads. The sartorius and TFL create a V shape that leads into a tear drop gesture. The tip of that tear drop starts at the ASIS, which is off to the side, not in the center of the leg. At the knee, you want to use more straight lines to indicate bone and all the vertical tendons in that area. The vastus medialis is the lowest of the bunch. The vastus lateralis is a bit higher up on the outside. The rectus femoris starts even higher at the top of the quad tendon. The quad tendon looks like a little house tipping over to the lateral side, with an asymmetrical roof. The connection to vastus medialis is so low, that it attaches on the side of the patella as well. \\ °° Rectus femoris Quad tendon shape Vastus lateralis -* ob. Vastus medialis J \Basic Forms The quads span most of the front and side of the leg. They're defined by the vastus lateralis and are fairly flat. The rectus VL ov femoris bulges out in the middle. eo D a The sides bulge more above the knee. There is a bread slice shape as a cross section. Quad tendon « The vastus medialis and weer VM vastus lateralis are muscles on VL ‘the sides that round the top part of the bread slice. Bread slice shape Vastus medialis The quad tendon in the middle is flat and can be recessed as the muscle bellies bulge around it. The tendon is thin, so when the knee is bent and the tendon is stretched, you can see the femur's pointy lateral condyle through it. The medial condyle is covered by the mass of the vastus medialis. 3The isa on the inside, above the patella. You'll see a sharp edge where it ends at the bottom. On an average person there's a distinct furrow above the kneecap. The wraps behind the and around to the side of the tibia. Make sure you don't confuse the whole mass as the vastus medialis. The medialis ends above the patella. \ see Vastus medialis -++++++++4 ++ Sartorius e+ Whole massVastus Lateralis The vastus lateralis is the largest of all the quads. In profile view, it looks like a large football high up on the leg, with its top point at the greater trochanter and bottom point just above the patella. The side plane is flat-ish and when flexed, it can flatten even more and get a sharp turn along the front edge. On a buff person, you might see some strong diagonal fiber striations. Also, remember the vastus lateralis can be vertically indented by that iliotibial band we learned about in the butt lesson. a 5 { P+ lliotibial band sharp turn -+-§ ==Quads Triceps 1. Low medial head 2. High lateral head 3. Long head There is a similarity between the and the . Both have a anda from the body of the bone, and a that originates on the torso instead of the limb. Both have large tendinous zones at their insertion and they both straighten the limb. 6BP Front view E Side view \ ( % . a The is the most superficial quad and therefore the most visible from the front. It also defines most of the contour from side view. The rectus femoris crosses two joints, the hip and the knee, giving it two functions. It flexes the hip in addition to extending the knee. The other quads only cross the knee joint, so they only extend the knee. Flexing the hip Extending the kneeRectus Femoris Anterior Superior hiac Spine | nferior I liac Spine Acommon mistake is to attach the rectus femoris to the ASIS along with the tensor fascia latae and sartorius. The correct attachment is at the AIIS. The tensor fascia latae and sartorius make a triangular cave. The All isn't visible on the surface form and marks the true starting point of the lower leg. «+ Sartorius 1+» Tensor fascia latae eee Triangular cave see» Rectus femorisWhen the leg bends, this is the " between where the torso ends at the ASIS and where the leg starts at the AlIS. The AllS is one eyeball down, one eyeball inwards medially, and one eyeball back from the ASIS. Memorize this measurement to draw the rectus femoris correctly. Eyeball Measurement Rectus femoris «+=s Relaxed +++++++a8 = Flexed . a aa When |, the rectus femoris is a flat-ish and rounded, fusiform body. When , the inferior end is narrow and the vastus muscles bulge around it. They swallow the end of the rectus femoris. The rectus femoris is a muscle, meaning its muscle fibers run diagonally out from a central tendon. The belly on the lateral side is taller and comes forward more. The belly on the medial side is partially covered by the sartorius muscle at the top, which makes it look smaller on the surface. Diagonal muscle fibers Sartorius: ++.Vastus muscles ry Hot dog bun shape As the name implies, the vastus muscles are vast and wide. They sit under the rectus femoris, and wrap around the femur like a hot dog bun. The bun ends on the back of the femur at the medial and lateral lips of the linea aspera. The hamstrings totally hide their origin. The vastus medialis originates on the front, all along that medial lip of the linea aspera on the back. The fibers run diagonally and attach to the extension of the quad tendon attaching to the the kneecap. yor Medial lip «==. “2 Front BackOblique ---.. “e+ Teardrop shape 4 The of the can be separated in two forms: a and an portion. The longus portion is mostly covered by the rectus femoris muscle. Goldfinger says that on the surface you'll see two forms. It’s super rare, but in the image above you can see this definition. is a tendon that causes a subtle recession that appears on the front of the leg. It's a very thin strip and crosses over the quads. It's so thin and weak, it disappears the moment the quads tense, even just a tiny little bit. When the muscle is relaxed, it spills downward by gravity. ‘ Tense quads + Richer’s band «= =Vastus lateralis «+++ originates on the front of the femur and all along the lateral lip of the linea aspera. The fibers travel diagonally across the side of the leg to attach to the quad tendon a couple finger widths above the patella. Its fibers don't reach the of the femur. That's why the lateral condyle is often seen poking through the tendon on the surface when the leg is bent. ++ Fibers travel diagonally 2 finger widths «++ » Lateral condyleLitoie| =e) muscle Sharp turn can vary a lot on people, especially on the vastus lateralis. On some bodybuilders, you'll see a rounded muscle belly all the way across. On others, you'll see a on the fibers as they attach to the tightened tendon on the side. It's not the IT band causing that corner, it's the shape of a shorter muscle attaching to a longer tendon. Sharp turn -++--++++— rela TendonIT Band lliotibial band eeeee Anterior border «++»: There are two common creases usually seen from the iliotibial band. The first one is just outside TFL, caused by the anterior border of the IT band. The other crease is found from the second layer of the IT band that covers gluteus medius and runs between the greater trochanter and TFL.f a Wy ’ Oblique muscle fibers Vertical IT band Back edge °*" In extreme cases, you'll see both layers’ or even more than two indentations. Sometimes the will cut across the muscle, sometimes it covers the whole vastus lateralis, up to the hamstrings. Regarding creases, remember that if it's |, it's a crease from the IT band. Muscle fibers of the vastus lateralis are . They are both visible in the example above. Below, the tendon looks like it's the vastus lateralis attaching to the side of the tibia. It looks that way, but it’s the |. The attaches to the around at the kneecap. » IT band +» Vastus lateralis Quad tendonRectus femoris «++» Vastus intermedius Vastus lateralis «+++ Vastus medialis The vastus intermedius is the deepest layer of the quads. It originates on the front of the femur, below the other three quadriceps, and then joins them at the quadriceps tendon. Remember that it pushes the quad tendon forward away from the femur, since the quad tendon sits on top of it. Also, you can almost see it peeking out from behind the IT band tendon at the knee. It softens the form of the femoral condyle. If you're just drawing pictures, you don't need to know it. Rectus femoris s+ Rectus femoris ++ Vastus intermedius sseee Quadriceps tendonAssignmentera www.proko.com © Proko LLC