Will Your Arms be Covered Up this Summer?

May 13, 2018 – 

Do you remember last month?  It was sunny and cool, a brisk 51 in the morning and a lovely 73 at night!  Oh how sweet it is, my wife is a native Texan and tells me “it is great to live in Texas in April and October” … but here comes the heat.  Ick

Did you happen to notice the increase in walkers, runners, and cyclist’s outside?  Well, they know that the temperature is about to increase and the need for long sleeves or a jacket will be unnecessary.  They will now start the summer wardrobe of sleeveless shirts, tank tops, spaghetti strap blouses. Are you ready?  Well it is not too late, but some effort is required.

Ok, let’s talk about firming up your arms. First, a review of Anatomy 101 for those of you who were not paying attention in the ‘science elective.’  Engineers, Accountants, and Architects included.

The Shoulder or Deltoid has 3 heads; Anterior, Middle, and Posterior.  Along with a variety of torso based muscles to articulate the arm, the deltoids assist in an endless number of movements almost every minute of every day.  If you have ever heard somebody say they had a “rotator cuff injury” they are talking about the shoulder.  This is where the upper arm/humorous bone attaches at the torso. And for simplicity lets say the shoulder extends, flexes, and stabilizes all movements of the arm.  The movements that the shoulders make are typically the exercises that we attempt to become stronger at.  All are important and only some are dangerous.  Practically impossible to explain right now, but if something hurts, don’t do it.  My favorites are external rotation with tubing or a dumbbell, horizontal row, and front dumbbell raise.

Biceps brachii are the upper arm muscles on the front of the humorous, sometimes we call them our “guns”!’ lol Biceps have one true function … as elbow flexors.  There are SO many different movement patterns to shape or sculpt this muscle, but for the most part, lift something fairly heavy by bending your arm. Easy peasy!

Triceps as you recall are the 4^thlargest muscle in our body when it comes to the muscular tissue per cubic unit and should be taken seriously.  The triceps have an opposite, yet similar job at the elbow.  Triceps after all is said and done … straighten the elbow.  And again, SO many different movement patterns that it’s practically impossible to train you on paper.  However, I invite you to stop in and see me if you want to get ready to show off your GUNS this summer.

In good health,

Bob

“Doesn’t matter what kind of car you drive, all that matters is the size of the arm hanging out the window!”  – (my friend) W.Walker