Originally Posted by
JordanF
Additionally, this sweet little popliteus muscle has been reported to prevent posterior translation of the tibia by aiding the function of the PCL by 9% with an intact ligament and 36% with a cut ligament. (American Journal of Sports Medicine 1997) . It's main actions, however, are to laterally rotate the femur with the foot in contact with the ground, or medially rotate the femur when the foot is not in contact. I fail to see how this muscle could contribute significantly to a max effort squat significantly in lieu of functioning abductors/external rotators/adductors which all have a much greater mechanical advantage.