Quad Dominance and Pain
Quad dominance is a common condition (more in females) that refers to the quadriceps muscles on the front of the thigh working to a much greater degree than the opposing hamstring muscles and glute muscles of the hip. They are dominant compared to the other surrounding muscles. This is a problem because quad dominance (QD) can lead to back, hip and knee pain as well as injuries (including the ACL). It’s common for someone with QD to feel their quads burning much more than their glutes during lower body exercises. They also tend to feel knee pain because the patella tendon (that attaches to the quad muscles) has become tight. Correcting QD is fairly straight forward, and advised. The following suggestions can really help get you balanced:
Before you exercise your lower body, stretch your quads for ~45 seconds for 2-3 sets on each side. Do the same for your calves.
Slow your repetition speed with squats, deadlifts, and lunging movements. This will allow you to focus more intently on engaging your glute and hamstring muscles.
Listen to your body. When correcting QD, the goal is to gradually feel your glutes more and more as you perform lower body movements/exercises. When performing hamstring-specific movements, such as RDL’s, the focus should be equally on your hamstrings and glutes.
When to stop the set: It’s important to discontinue a set when your quadriceps activation is approaching 50% engagement. This is true even though you can still perform the set with good form. Try to feel at least 50% of the muscle engagement in your glutes. As you continue the reps, if your quads start to dominate, stop! Rest, and then do another set with focusing on your glutes. This is called muscular reeducation, a process in which you’re teaching your body what muscles to engage, and to what degree.
Stay balanced.