What is the Sartorious Muscle? 6 Exercises to Strengthen the Sartorius Muscle

The Sartorius muscle has been called a 'hidden treasure' of the lower body. That's because it's responsible for stabilising the knee, controlling lateral (side to side) movements of the knee and helping rotate your leg.

The Sartorius muscle is one of the longest muscles in the human body, with a distinct bell-shaped appearance. As a result, this muscle can become susceptible to injury due to overuse or trauma.

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What is Sartorius Muscle?

The Sartorius muscle originates on the anterior superior iliac spine, a.k.a. the hip point.

It sweeps down at an angle across the front of the thigh and goes into the pes anserine area below the inside of the knee. While the muscle may be a contributing factor to knee pain, problems in this muscle don't always cause pain.

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Exercises to strengthen the Sartorius Muscle

Most compound exercises train the sartorius muscle, which is included in practically every lower body activity. Here are some exercises to help you strengthen your sartorius muscle:

#1 Lateral Band Walks

Banded walks. (Image credits: Pexels/ Mart Production)

The lateral band walk is a fabulous way to activate dormant hip muscles, like the sartorius and glute medius. Both of them play key roles in hip stabilisation when lifting.

To do a lateral mini-band walk, follow these steps:

• Wrap a light to medium mini-band around your knees and/or ankles.
• Standing with your feet hip-width apart, tighten but don't extend the band.
• Assume an 'athletic' stance, with your hips and knees bent.
• Laterally, take a step to the left.
• Control the action as you bring your right foot in, so the band doesn't lose tension when your legs return to hip-width apart.
• Continue taking five to ten steps to the left; then reverse the movement to the right and repeat.

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#2 Clamshells

Clamshells. (Image credits: Pexels/ Angela Roma)

Doing clamshell exercise is one of the most fundamental exercises that appear deceptively easy, but when done correctly, they set fire to your external rotators, particularly the sartorius muscle.

To do clamshells:

• Lie on your left side, and support yourself with your left arm tucked under your head and neck.
• Stack your shoulders, hips and legs so that one side is directly on top of the other. Flex your hips and knees so that your upper legs and torso, as well as your upper and lower legs, create 90-degree angles.
• Tighten your core, and rotate your right hip such that your knees expand, while keeping your big toes in contact with each other.
• Rotate as wide as you can while keeping your stacked posture; then reverse the movement by bringing your legs back together.
• Perform 10-15 reps on each side before switching sides.

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#3 Plie Squat

Plie squats. (Image credits: Pexels/ Monstera Production)

When you choose an exercise that involves strong external rotation of the hips, such as plie squats or frog squats, you can significantly ramp up the overload on your sartorius muscles.

To do plie squats:

• Rotate your feet, legs and pelvis so that they point towards the corners of the room. Stand with your feet slightly wider than your shoulders.
• Lower your body into a squat by bending your hips and knees.
• When your thighs are parallel to the ground, press through your heels to return to a standing position. Do 12-15 repetitions; then rest for 1-2 minutes before repeating for a total of 3-5 sets.

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#4 Step-Ups

Step-ups. (Image credits: Pexels/ Gustavo Fring)

Step-ups are a great exercise to build the legs, especially the sartorius. This exercise can be done on a step, box or raised plank.

To perform this exercise:

• Try standing with your feet slightly apart on a raised platform.
• Put your left foot on the platform, and climb up; then stand with both feet on the platform, and step down using the opposite leg.
• When stepping down, be careful to avoid any kind of injury. Repeat this 10-12 times, at least, adding weights or dumbbells if you want more resistance.

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#5 Standing Quad Stretch

Quads stretch. (Image credits: Pexels/ Andrea Piaxquadio)

Both yogis and runners are familiar with the standing quadriceps stretch, which exercises the sartorius as a hip stabiliser.

To do this exercise:

• Stand on your right leg. Bend your left leg behind you, and bring it up to your hips.
• To extend the left thigh, reach down, and grab your left foot; draw it closer to your buttock. Rep on the opposite side.
• This one has two sartorius functions. In the lifted leg, you'll stretch your sartorius, and strengthen the standing leg.

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#6 Resisted Knee Lifts

Resisted knee lifts. (Image credits: Ivan Samkov)

You can strengthen the sartorius muscle, along with the other hip flexors, by doing resisted knee lifts.

To do this exercise:

• You’ll need a resistance band and one foot anchored to the floor.
• Put your left foot in the loop, anchoring it to the floor. Slip your right foot in, too.
• Lift your right knee up as high as you can, while working against the resistance of the loop.

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Sartorius muscle training is a difficult muscle to strengthen, but these sartorius exercises are the best exercises for this muscle. To achieve the desired results, you should perform this exercise regularly.