ArticleEuropean journal of applied physiology2016
Strength and size relationships of the quadriceps and hamstrings with special reference to reciprocal muscle balance.
Article in European journal of applied physiology, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 24 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
24 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- The effect of instability resistance training on balance ability among athletes: a systematic review.Frontiers in physiology · 2024Pooled it
- Walking with blood flow restriction on lower limb muscles post-ACL reconstruction: A within-subject trial.PloS one · 2025Trial
- Integrating intramuscular fat radiomics with hamstrings-to-quadriceps structure and function ratios to predict future hamstring strain injury.PLOS digital health · 2025Article
- Associations Between Female Sex Hormones and Skeletal Muscle Ageing: The Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging.Journal of cachexia, sarcopenia and muscle · 2025Article
- Differences in muscle morphology assessed by ultrasound at various muscle regions and their impact on voluntary and involuntary force production.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Association of body composition measures to muscle strength using DXA, DScientific reports · 2025Article
- The strength of associations between ultrasound measures of upper limb muscle morphology and isometric muscle strength: An exploratory study.Muscle & nerve · 2025Article
- Article
- How mechanics of individual muscle-tendon units define knee and ankle joint function in health and cerebral palsy-a narrative review.Frontiers in bioengineering and biotechnology · 2023Review
- Relative contribution of neuromuscular activation, muscle size, and muscle quality to maximum strength output of the thigh muscles in young individuals.Physiological reports · 2023Article
- Maximal isokinetic elbow and knee flexor-extensor strength measures in combat sports athletes: the role of movement velocity and limb side.BMC sports science, medicine & rehabilitation · 2022Article
- Muscle Quality of Knee Extensors Based on Several Types of Force in Multiple Sclerosis Patients with Varying Degrees of Disability.Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2022Article
- ACSAuto-semi-automatic assessment of human vastus lateralis and rectus femoris cross-sectional area in ultrasound images.Scientific reports · 2021Article
- Implementing Ultrasound Imaging for the Assessment of Muscle and Tendon Properties in Elite Sports: Practical Aspects, Methodological Considerations and Future Directions.Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.) · 2021Review
- Panoramic ultrasound vs. MRI for the assessment of hamstrings cross-sectional area and volume in a large athletic cohort.Scientific reports · 2020Article
- Bilateral Comparisons of Quadriceps Thickness after Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction.Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2020Article
- A clinically applicable tool for rapidly estimating muscle volume using ultrasound images.European journal of applied physiology · 2019Article
- Effects of Different Combinations of Concentric and Eccentric Resistance Training Programs on Traditional and Alternative Hamstrings-to-Quadriceps Ratios.Sports (Basel, Switzerland) · 2019Article
- Alternative Methods of Determining Hamstrings-to-Quadriceps Ratios: a Comprehensive Review.Sports medicine - open · 2019Review
- Measurement of the cross-sectional area of the hamstring muscles during initial and stretch positions with gravity magnetic resonance imaging.Journal of physical therapy science · 2019Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
purposeThis study examined the association of muscle size and strength for the quadriceps and hamstrings, the relationship between the size of these muscles, and whether the H:Q size ratio influenced reciprocal strength balance-widely regarded as a risk factor for hamstrings injury.
methodsKnee extensor and flexor isometric, concentric and eccentric (50 and 350° s(-1)) strength were measured in 31 healthy, recreationally active young men. Muscle volume was measured with magnetic resonance imaging.
resultsThe knee flexors achieved higher concentric and eccentric torques (normalised to isometric values) than the extensors. Muscle volume explained a significant part of the inter-individual differences in strength in both extensors (isometric 71%, concentric 30-31%) and flexors (isometric 38%, concentric 50-55%). Notably, muscle size was related to knee flexor eccentric strength (r = 0.69-0.76; R (2) = 48-58%) but not extensor eccentric strength. Quadriceps and hamstrings volumes were moderately correlated (r = 0.64), with the majority of the variance in the size of one muscle (59%) not explained by the size of the other muscle. The hamstrings-to-quadriceps (H:Q) volume ratio was correlated with the isometric (r = 0.45) and functional strength ratios (350° s(-1), r = 0.56; 50° s(-1), r = 0.34).
conclusionsMuscle size exhibited a differential influence on knee extensor and flexor eccentric strength. Quadriceps and hamstrings muscle size was related, and the H:Q size ratio contributed to their strength ratios. Muscle size imbalances contribute to functional imbalances and these findings support the use of hamstrings strength training with an emphasis on hypertrophic adaptations for reducing injury risk.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.