This blog post covers 12 best VMO Exercises that will help strengthen your knee.
The Vastus Medialis Oblique (or VMO for short) is a muscle which is involved with extension of the knee, knee stability and optimal tracking of the patella (knee cap).
Vastus Medialis Oblique (VMO) Strengthening Exercises
The following exercises have been arranged in order from least to most difficult.
Note: You may need to focus on the easier exercises before progressing to the more difficult ones.
(Keep in mind: It is not possible to completely isolate the VMO contraction without engaging the other thigh muscles. The main aim with the exercises is to strengthen the knee in general.)
1. VMO Activation
READ THIS: This is the most important VMO exercise that you will NEED to know how to perform.
It is essential that you can ACTIVATE and FEEL the VMO muscle engage.
This contraction will need to be engaged with every exercise mentioned on this blog post.
(In my opinion – failure to effectively engage the VMO with the exercises will result in sub-optimal results.)
Instructions:
- Lie down on the floor.
- Place a foam roller underneath your ankle.
- Allow your leg to roll outwards so that your foot and knee are pointing slightly outwards.
- Push your knee downwards as hard as you can comfortably tolerate.
- Aim to feel a firm contraction in the VMO muscle in the lower/inner thigh region.
- Place your hand on top of VMO muscle and feel the for the contraction.
- Hold for 5 seconds.
- Repeat 20 times.
2. Knee Push Down (Sitting)
Instructions:
- Sit down on the edge of a chair.
- Straighten your leg in front of you.
- Point your knee and foot outwards.
- Place your heel on floor.
- Push your knee downwards as hard as you can comfortably tolerate.
- Aim to feel a firm contraction in the VMO muscle.
- Hold for 5 seconds.
- Repeat 20 times.
3. Straight Leg Raise
Instructions:
- Lie down on the floor.
- Push your knee downwards.
- Keep your knee completely locked straight throughout this exercise.
- Pivot your leg slightly outwards.
- Aim to feel a firm contraction in the VMO muscle.
- Lift your leg slightly.
- Perform 20 repetitions.
- Progression: Add an ankle weight.
Note: It is important that you keep the leg completely locked straight throughout this exercise. If you can not keep your leg straight, it is likely that you’ll need to persist with the previous 2 exercises first to build more strength.
4. Terminal Knee Extension
Instructions:
- Lie down on the floor.
- Place a foam roller underneath your knee.
- Pivot your leg outwards.
- Push your knee down onto the foam roller.
- Whilst keeping the downward pressure onto the foam roller, lift your foot off the floor.
- Aim to feel a firm contraction in the VMO muscle.
- Hold for 5 seconds.
- Repeat 20 times.
- Progression: Add an ankle weight.
5. Modified Plank
Instructions:
- Assume the position as shown above
- Lock your knee straight.
- Aim to feel a firm contraction in the VMO muscle.
- Hold for 5 seconds.
- Repeat 20 times.
- Progression: Perform this exercise on one leg only.
6. Squat with Ball Squeeze
Instructions:
- Stand up right with your feet shoulder-width apart.
- Place a ball between your knees.
- Squeeze the ball with your inner knees throughout this exercises.
- Perform a squat.
- Aim to feel a firm contraction in the VMO muscle throughout the exercise.
- Perform 20 repetitions.
- Progression: Hold onto weights.
7. Knee Extension Against Resistance Band
Instructions:
- Wrap a resistance band around the back of your knee.
- Anchor the other end of the resistance band in front of you at knee height.
- Step backwards to create a firm amount of tension onto the band.
- Hold onto something for balance.
- Raise your other leg in the air.
- Straighten your leg against the resistance of the band.
- Aim to feel a contraction in the thigh muscle.
- Hold for 5 seconds.
- Repeat 20 times.
More Advanced VMO Exercises
It is a good idea to engage the VMO in different knee positions.
8. Forward Lunge
Instructions:
- Place your foot onto a step.
- Have both of your hands supported onto a wall that is in front of you.
- For the leg on the step, keep the knee in line with your toes throughout this exercise.
- Lunge forwards.
- Move your knee forwards as much as you can without allowing for the knees to click.
- Provide as much support from your hands as required.
- Perform 20 repetitions.
- Progression:
- Allow the knee to move more forwards.
- Gradually reduce the amount of support being provided by your arms.
9. Single Leg Mini Squat
Instructions:
- Stand up right.
- Hold onto something for balance.
- Stand on one leg.
- Perform a mini squat.
- Aim to feel a firm contraction in the VMO muscle.
- Perform 20 repetitions.
- Progression: Hold onto weights.
10. Backwards Walking
Instructions:
- Walk backwards up a slight incline.
- Make sure that you can feel the contraction in the VMO.
- Continue for 60 seconds.
- Progression: Hold onto weights.
11. Step Up
- Place your foot onto a step.
- Shift your body weight onto the foot.
- Without using momentum, step up onto the step.
- Straighten your leg completely.
- Feel the contraction in your thigh muscles.
- Repeat 20 times.
- (If required – You can hold onto something for balance.)
12. Step Down
Instructions:
- Stand on top of a step.
- Hold onto a stationary object for support.
- For the leg that is on the step, keep the knee in line with your toes throughout this exercise.
- Slowly reach your other foot down to the floor.
- Return to starting position.
- Perform 20 repetitions.
- Progression:
- Perform the exercise slower.
- Use a higher step.
- Use less arm support.
Conclusion
The Vastus Medialis Oblique (or VMO short) is an important muscle of the knee which is involved with stability, strength and control.
This blog post contains 12 different VMO Exercises that will help strengthen your knee.
You do not need to do them all. Focus on the exercises that give you the best results.
What to do next
1. Any questions?… (Leave me a comment down below.)
2. Come join me:
3. Start doing the exercises!
Disclaimer: The content presented on this blog post is not medical advice and should not be treated as such. It is not intended to be used as a substitute for professional advice, diagnosis or treatment. Use of the content provided on this blog post is at your sole risk. Seek guidance from a healthcare professional before attempting any exercise. For more information: Medical Disclaimer.
My orthopedist recommended VMO exercises and a cortisone injection to avoid or at least delay a total knee replacement. Yours is the absolute best website offering VMO exercises–they are exceedingly well described, and having them in order of difficulty is genius. Thank you, so much.
Question: is it okay to print them out (I’m 77 and like hard copy) or do you publish any ebooks or similar?
Hi Joy,
Yep – of course you can print them out.
Good luck with your knee exercises!
Mark
hey Mark , I just recently found out , perhaps due to my horrible pillow positioning , that my head is tilted to the right and rotated right? Could this cause my spine to twist and pelvis to rotate/laterally tilt? What exercises should I do for this neck muslce imbalance. I have been doing the spine and pelvis exercises on the page but could it be a problem with the neck?
Hey Marcus,
The position of your head can influence and be influenced by the position of the torso and spine. For Example: if your torso is rotated towards the right, this could orientate your head towards the right as well OR it the head may even relatively counter tilt/rotate towards the mid line.
The head position is also strong influenced by the position you adopt throughout the day. For example – if you have a computer screen that is slightly towards the right of you, this may cause your head to become accustomed to turning towards the right.
If your pelvis is stuck facing towards one side, I would address that first:
See post: Rotated Pelvis
If your torso is biased towards one side, I would address that first. See posts:
– Twisted Torso
– Scoliosis Exercises
If your torso is in a good position and it’s just the head that is rotated, the main muscles I would look at are the Sternocleidomastoid, Levator Scapulae and Erector Spinae. You basically want to stretch the right muscles pulling you towards the right and then strengthen the muscles that will pull your back to midline.
Mark
Hey Mark , what would cause a clicking left ankle and a popping right ankle when drawing circles with the feet?
Hey there,
Clicking is usually as a result of the joints moving in a certain way, whereas a popping sensation is usually due to a tendon flicking over a bony prominence.
Mark
Hi Mr. Wong, my name is Mahan, I’m a 24 year old who used to be a D1 athlete, now I’m 6’4 350lbs and I feel like I’m losing hope and really need some thorough help. I am willing to pay you for an individual session online or just correspondence back and forth in an attempt to diagnose and fix what feels like never-ending pain. I also messaged you a more detailed DM on Facebook.
Hi Mahan,
If you outline what issues you are experiencing, I might be able to point you into the right direction.
Mark
hey Mark, what muscle imbalances would using the right hand to write all the time cause?
Hey Jamal,
That is hard to answer as you can use your right hand with multiple positions of the body.
For example – you can lean your torso to the left/right/forwards/backwards etc when using your right hand.
Mark
Hey Mark , I am a 17 year old with a LOT of posture problems. Do you think you can help find the root cause.
I have lots of pain on the right side of my neck and left side near back of arm. My spine is twisted right.
left nipple is higher than right.
lateral pelvic tilt with right side higher than right.
pelvis rotated left.
Head rotated left and tilted.
clicking in my knees when I heel in prayer and right duck foot.
What should I do ? Its all a bit overwhelming. Thanks you so much Mark , you are a saviour to many people out there.
Hey Musab,
Have you tried stretching your Right Erector Spinae muscle. See post: Erector Spinae Stretch.
If this muscle is tight on the right, it can cause the torso to right towards the right, pull the right shoulder down (and therefore left shoulder upwards), rotate pelvis towards the left, pull the right hip upwards.
Mark
I will try thanks
hey Mark ! Hope you are having a WONDERFUL day ! COuld you pleeeaase do an article about a tilted/rotated head and what exercises to do etc. Thanks!
Hey James,
I am having a wonderful day!
I can certainly make a blog post on a tilted head. But keep in mind – the tilted head is usually as a result of a tilted torso. See this post: Scoliosis Exercises
Mark
Hey Mark , would it be possible to do an article on how to walk correctly and what shoes to wear ?
Hi Huzaifah,
That’s a great idea for a post.
Thanks for the input.
Mark