The ability to non-invasively image skeletal muscle with a large field-of-view during active contraction is of key interest to better diagnose and manage treatment of patients with muscle disease, as well as to better understand the link between muscle structure and function. I have developed the first acquisition and image reconstruction strategy based on phase contrast MRI to measure 4D velocity and strain rate values in muscles during contraction. Thanks to the use of undersampling and compressed sensing reconstruction, this was achieved in a clinically feasible scan time. Furthermore, I was the first to exploit Oscillating Gradients diffusion MRI for skeletal muscle evaluation, and showed its feasibility for imaging muscle fibers during isometric contraction and for detecting changes in cellular size.