Sartorius

The sartorius is the longest muscle in the human body and runs the length of the thigh. Sartorius means- ‘tailors’ or ‘to do tailoring’ in Latin. This was chosen as the tailors often sat crossed legged.

The sartorius is visible on competitors who reach a low level of body fat, and is seen as a long thin strip of muscle that runs across the entire length of the upper leg.

The sartorius is responsible for the flexion of the knee and also is recruited during abduction of the hip.

Hip abductor exercises will stimulation the sartorius (NB performing abductor exercise seated (lateral) will stimulate the glutes effectively, but not the sartorius. Perform hip abduction standing upright, which will target the sartorius). The sartorius will also be stimulated during a lot of hamstring exercises in which the flexion of the knee is the primary action.

Studies have shown that sartorius is often about a 50/50 split of type i and type ii fibres. This is dissimilar to the other knee flexors, the hamstring muscles, which tend to have a high abundance of type ii fibres.

6-12 reps will likely provide optimal time under tension for most the sartorius muscle, providing adequate stimulation for sarcoplasmic hypertrophy for its make up.