The Study
The role of agonist and antagonist muscles in explaining isometric knee extension torque variation with hip joint angle
This study is like taking pictures of 9 guys doing leg pushes in two different positions. It shows what happened in that moment, but we can't say one thing caused the other. It helps us notice patterns, but not prove why they happen.
Analysis score
Maximum 44 for a cross-sectional study.
Where the score came from
This study checks if lying down makes your legs stronger than sitting when pushing straight out. Even though one key thigh muscle is stretched more when lying down, people don’t push harder. The reason seems to be that the brain doesn’t fully turn on the muscle in that position.
Where does this study sit?
Reviews of RCTs (Meta-analyses)
Max 100Randomized Trials
Max 90Reviews of Cohort Studies
Max 85Cohort Studies
Max 72Reviews of Case-Control Studies
Max 63Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional & Case Series
Max 50Expert Opinion
Max 520 / 100
Quality score
Snapshots of a population at a single point in time, or descriptions of small groups. Can identify correlations and prevalence, but cannot determine cause and effect.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1Even though the muscle is in a better position to pull harder when lying down, the body doesn’t use its full strength, likely due to nervous system limits, not muscle or opposing muscle tension.
- 2Max push strength was about 245 Nm lying down and 241 Nm sitting.
- 3Hamstring resistance was 26 Nm sitting vs 12 Nm lying.
- 4The muscle could produce 111 Nm when stimulated lying down vs 99 Nm sitting.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
European Journal of Applied Physiology
Year
2017
Authors
T. Bampouras, N. Reeves, V. Baltzopoulos, C. Maganaris
Related Content
Claims (5)
When healthy guys lie on their back, their thigh muscles can push harder than when they're sitting — probably because the position stretches one key muscle and lets it work better.
When healthy guys push with their legs, they're just as strong sitting or lying down—even though one position stretches the muscle more. That means muscle strength isn’t just about how stretched the muscle is.
When guys sit down and squeeze their quads as hard as they can, their hamstrings resist more than when they're lying flat — probably because the hips are bent.
When lying down, your leg muscles don't get stronger even if one key muscle gets longer — and that's mostly because your brain isn't fully turning on those muscles, not because opposing muscles are getting in the way.
Leaning back during leg extensions might make your front thigh muscle work harder and grow more because it stretches the muscle more during the move.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.