The Safer, Healthier Female Knee

The knee is one area where gender really makes a difference when planning workouts.

Women tend to be dramatically stronger in the quadriceps (muscles in front of the upper legs) than in the hamstrings (muscles in back of the upper legs). This is called "quad dominance" and is problematic for knee health. While quad dominance is not the only factor involved in improving female knee health, it is one of the most controllable.

While men are stronger in the quads than in the hamstrings, the discrepancy is not nearly as dramatic as with women.

Why is "quad dominance" a problem for female knee health?   When the quads are significantly stronger than the hamstrings, this produces a dramatically higher stress at the ACL (Anterior Cruciate Ligament) when running since the quads overwhelm the hamstrings.  The overwhelming force of the quadriceps pulls on the ACL and increases the risk of injury.

Think of the quads as running on a Porsche engine (fires faster and stronger) while the hamstrings are running on a Yugo engine (fires weakly and slowly). Since these muscles are on the opposite sides of the ACL, it would be safer and better if the "muscular engines"  were closer in power.  

This stress is particularly high when you run and frequently pivot (such as in basketball or soccer).

Why I am giving you with such depressing news heading into the 4th of July weekend? Would I leave you hanging with such a negative report? Of course not!

There is good news about female quad dominance.

Resistance training, when focused on the hamstring muscles, can:

1. increase hamstring strength;

2. decrease the strength discrepancy; and therefore

3. create dramatically healthier female knees.

As an added bonus, the ACL responds to resistance training like the muscles do: it gets stronger. Therefore,  it can become safer and more injury resistant.

Although running utilizes the legs, it does not provide a significant strengthening benefit. So it does not make the knees safer as resistance training can.  

By adding in hamstring focused resistance exercises such as deadlifts (almost any version), lunges and step-ups, women can strengthen the hamstrings and create a safer, healthier knee-another in a seemingly endless list of female health and fitness resistance training benefits.

Posted Jul 01, 2010 by Jeff Blair.
This entry is filed under Los Angeles resistance training, Los Angeles exercise expert, Los Angeles weight-lifting, Los Angeles women's resistance training, and women's knee heal.