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Tense your thighs

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last update: 30.5.2003
Name: Tighten thighs

• Classification
• Contraindication
• Effects
• Preparation
• Follow-up
• derived asanas
• similar asanas
• Diagnostics
• Instructions
• details
• Variants

Instructions

1. Stand in tadasana. Take the weight off the right foot. Tense the flexors and extensors of the right knee joint simultaneously without changing the angle of the knee joint.
2. If this is successful, slowly change the angle in the knee joint without reducing the tension on the thigh muscles.

details

1. This exploration is an analogy to tensing the upper arm when tensing thebiceps. For most people, this process is more accessible in the more fine motorised upper limb and even there it is not easily accessible to everyone. A little trial and error may be required.
2. In this way, a certain training effect of the muscles can be achieved, which may well be one of the few options available in situations of extensive immobilisation (e.g. bedridden, post-fracture condition). It should only be noted that the sarcomere length in which the muscles involved work is sometimes rather borderline: In the case of the monoarticular parts of the quadriceps it is very short, in the case of the rectus femoris only slightly longer, in the case of the ischiocrural group rather medium, but in the case of the caput breve of the leg biceps very long. This method is therefore not particularly suitable as the sole training method if more holistic alternatives are available.
3. It is usually not possible to tense the thigh muscles without tensing the lower leg muscles. It can also be helpful at the beginning to keep the heel on the floor in order to engage individual muscles through additional effort in the direction of hip flexion(quadriceps) or hip extension(ischiocrural group).