Quadriceps femoris muscle - wikipedia Quadriceps femoris muscle Not to be confused with quadratus femoris. Quadriceps femoris muscle Quadriceps femoris, with different muscles in different colors. rectus femoris - blue vastus lateralis - yellow vastus intermedius - green vastus medialis - red Details Origin Combined rectus femoris and vastus muscles Insertion Tibial tuberosity Artery Femoral artery Nerve Femoral nerve Actions Knee extension ; Hip flexion ( Rectus femoris only ) Identifiers Latin Musculus quadriceps femoris Dorlands / Elsevier Quadriceps femoris muscle TA A04. 7.02. 017 FMA 22428 Anatomical terms of muscle ( edit on Wikidata ) The quadriceps femoris ( / ˈkwɒdrɪsɛps ˈfɛmərɪs / ) ( Latin for `` four - headed muscle of the femur '' ), also called simply the quadriceps, quadriceps extensor, or quads, is a large muscle group that includes the four prevailing muscles on the front of the thigh. It is the great extensor muscle of the knee, forming a large fleshy mass which covers the front and sides of the femur. Contents 1 Structure 1.1 Innervation 2 Function 3 Society and culture 3.1 Training 4 Etymology 5 Additional images 6 See also 7 References 8 External links Structure The quadriceps consists of four separate muscles It is subdivided into four separate portions or ' heads ', which have received distinctive names : Rectus femoris occupies the middle of the thigh, covering most of the other three quadriceps muscles. It originates on the ilium. It is named from its straight course. The other three lie deep to rectus femoris and originate from the body of the femur, which they cover from the trochanters to the condyles : Vastus lateralis is on the lateral side of the femur ( i.e. on the outer side of the thigh ). Vastus medialis is on the medial side of the femur ( i.e. on the inner part thigh ). Vastus intermedius lies between vastus lateralis and vastus medialis on the front of the femur ( i.e. on the top or front of the thigh ), but deep to the rectus femoris. Typically, it can not be seen without dissection of the rectus femoris. All four parts of the quadriceps muscle ultimately insert into the tuberosity of the tibia. This is via the patella, where the quadriceps tendon becomes the patellar ligament, which then attaches to the tibia. There is a fifth muscle of the quadriceps complex that is often forgotten and rarely taught called articularis genus. In addition, recent cadaver studies have confirmed the presence of a sixth muscle, the tensor vastus intermedius. While the muscle has variable presentations, it consistently originates at the proximal femur, runs between the vastus lateralis and vastus intermedius muscles, and inserts distally at the medial aspect of the patellar base. Historically considered a part of the vastus lateralis, the tensor vastus intermedius muscle is innervated by an independent branch of the femoral nerve and its tendinous belly can be separated from the vasti lateralis and intermedius muscles in most cases. Innervation Femoral nerve ( L2, L3, L4 ). Function All four quadriceps are powerful extensors of the knee joint. They are crucial in walking, running, jumping and squatting. Because rectus femoris attaches to the ilium, it is also a flexor of the hip. This action is also crucial to walking or running as it swings the leg forward into the ensuing step. The quadriceps, specifically the vastus medialis, play the important role of stabilizing the patella and the knee joint during gait. Society and culture Training In strength training, the quadriceps are trained by several leg exercises. Effective exercises include the squat and leg press. The isolation movement ( i.e. targets solely the quadriceps ) is the leg extension exercise. In body building communities, this muscle is colloquially referred to as the `` leg triceps ''. Etymology The proper Latin plural form of the adjective quadriceps would be quadricipites. In modern English usage, quadriceps is used in both singular and plural. The singular form quadricep, produced by back - formation, is frequently used. Additional images Knee diagram Capsule of right knee - joint ( distended ). Lateral aspect. Cross-section through the middle of the thigh. Anterior aspect of right leg. Front and medial aspect of right thigh. Lateral aspect of right leg. The leg extension is an isolation exercise. Quadriceps muscle Quadriceps muscle See also This article uses anatomical terminology ; for an overview, see Anatomical terminology. Hamstring References ^ Jump up to : Grob, K ; Ackland, T ; Kuster, MS ; Manestar, M ; Filgueira, L ( 6 January 2016 ). `` A newly discovered muscle : The tensor of the vastus intermedius ''. Clinical Anatomy. 29 ( 2 ) : 256 -- 263. doi : 10.1002 / ca. 22680. Jump up ^ Therapeutic Exercises, Carolyn Kisner & Lynn A. Colby, 5th ed. ( 2002 ) 692 - 93. Jump up ^ Monaghan, L. ( 2002 ). Vocabularies of motive for illicit steroid use among bodybuilders. Social Science & Medicine ( 1982 ), 55 ( 5 ), 695 - 708. External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to Quadriceps femoris muscle. Quadriceps_muscle at the Duke University Health System 's Orthopedics program Muscles / Quadriceps at exrx.net `` Anatomy diagram : 39960.000 - 1 ''. Roche Lexicon - illustrated navigator. Elsevier. Archived from the original on 2014 - 01 - 01. Muscles of the hip and human leg Iliac region Iliopsoas psoas major / psoas minor iliacus Buttocks Gluteal muscles maximus medius minimus tensor fasciae latae lateral rotator group : quadratus femoris inferior gemellus superior gemellus internal obturator external obturator piriformis Thigh / compartments Anterior sartorius quadriceps rectus femoris vastus lateralis vastus intermedius vastus medialis articularis genus Posterior hamstring biceps femoris semitendinosus semimembranosus Medial pectineus external obturator gracilis adductor longus brevis magnus minimus Fascia Femoral sheath Femoral canal Femoral ring Adductor canal Adductor hiatus Muscular lacuna fascia lata Iliotibial tract Lateral intermuscular septum of thigh Medial intermuscular septum of thigh Cribriform fascia Leg / compartments Anterior tibialis anterior extensor hallucis longus extensor digitorum longus peroneus tertius Posterior superficial triceps surae gastrocnemius soleus accessory soleus Achilles tendon plantaris deep tarsal tunnel flexor hallucis longus flexor digitorum longus tibialis posterior popliteus Lateral peroneus muscles longus brevis Fascia Pes anserinus Intermuscular septa anterior posterior transverse Foot Dorsal extensor hallucis brevis extensor digitorum brevis Plantar 1st layer abductor hallucis flexor digitorum brevis abductor digiti minimi 2nd layer quadratus plantae lumbrical muscle 3rd layer flexor hallucis brevis adductor hallucis flexor digiti minimi brevis 4th layer dorsal interossei plantar interossei Fascia Plantar fascia retinacula Peroneal Inferior extensor Superior extensor Flexor Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Quadriceps_femoris_muscle&oldid=775616319 '' Categories : Knee extensors Thigh muscles Anterior compartment of thigh Muscles of the lower limb Hidden categories : Medicine infobox template using GraySubject or GrayPage Medicine infobox template using Dorlands parameter Talk Contents About Wikipedia Azərbaycanca Български Català Čeština Cymraeg Dansk Deutsch Eesti Ελληνικά Español Euskara فارسی Français Galego Hrvatski Italiano עברית Latina Nederlands नेपाल भाषा 日本 語 Polski Português Română Русский Slovenščina کوردی Suomi Svenska ไทย Türkçe 中文 Edit links This page was last edited on 16 April 2017, at 01 : 28. 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Question: where are your quads located on your body
Answer: the front and sides of the femur