Many athletes pay attention to the development of the muscles of the chest and arms, because these body parts are most visible in the summer. Learn how to develop arm strength in bodybuilding. For training to be more effective, it is important not only to know how to develop arm strength in bodybuilding, but also to understand the anatomy of the muscles. This will help you find the most effective exercises for your workout program.
The structure of the muscles of the arm
The arm can be divided into upper and lower sections. This division is not arbitrary, but is caused by the presence of a dense septum of connective tissue. It is called the intramuscular septum. The outer arm consists of the brachialis, biceps and coracobrachialis.
Biceps
This muscle has two heads of different lengths. The long head attaches to the scapula at a location called the supra-articular tubercle. The long head of the bicep is located on the lateral side of the arm and its fibers are intertwined with the short head, which in turn is attached to the process located on the outside of the scapula.
The long and short heads are connected to the elbow thanks to the bicep tendon. Also, the biceps tendon is attached to the radius, then the biceps also plays the role of a kind of instep support of the hand. The long head is involved in the contraction of the muscles of the shoulder girdle and for this reason, to fully stretch the biceps, the elbow joints should be pulled back.
Brachialis
This muscle, like the biceps, is activated when the elbow is flexed. This muscle is practically indistinguishable, as it is located deep under the muscles of the shoulder girdle. The brachialis is located between the humerus and the forearm. This is a very powerful flexor of the elbow and for this reason its development has a direct impact on the biceps. The stronger your brachialis is, the more weight you will be able to work with while training your arm muscles.
Grip strength
This is a very important factor for the development of the arm muscles, since it allows you to hold the sports equipment until the target muscles fail. To increase grip strength, athletes should develop the muscles of the forearm.
Brachyradialis
This muscle is attached to the humerus in the area of the lateral epicondyle and then smoothly passes into the ligament, which is attached to the radius near the wrist. Since the brachyradialis is located to the wrist and does not cross it, the main function of the muscle is to flex the elbow joint. The strength of the brachyradialis is of great importance when using the reverse grip.
Long radial extensor
This muscle is clearly visible in athletes. On the one hand, it is attached to the epigastrium of the humerus, slightly below the brachyradialis, and on the other, to the base of the carpal bone. More precisely, the attachment point of the muscle is the second carpal bone, since there are five of them in total, and they are connected to the phalanges of the fingers.
Finger extensors
Here, two muscles should be distinguished at once, which are located under the fingers. They cross the wrist and for this reason are also involved in wrist flexion. These muscles are crucial for the grip of a sports equipment.
Elbow extensor of the hand
It is a long and thin muscle located in the middle section of the forearm. The muscle begins in the common ligament of all extensors and is attached to the metacarpal, fifth bone.
Other arm muscles
Triceps
The development of this muscle is often given less attention than the biceps and is completely in vain. While the biceps is only visible when the elbow is bent, the triceps is clearly visible when the arm is relaxed. At the same time, the triceps has the greatest functionality among all the muscles in the arm. Its main purpose is to extend the elbow.
The triceps consists of three heads, the fibers of which are intertwined with each other. When the muscle contracts, the elbow joint is straightened.
Shoulder girdle
To give your hands a beautiful look, you need to pay enough attention to other muscles as well. These include the anterior deltoid and pectoral muscles:
- The deltas are thick muscles that cover the shoulder. In their shape, they are very similar to one of the letters of the Greek alphabet, namely the delta. It was this fact that predetermined their name. Deltoid fibers diverge in three directions and are designed to perform different functions. The anterior section is located on the front side of the shoulder joint, and its main task is to raise the arms in front of you.
- The biceps have already been mentioned above and it remains only to add that this muscle is part of the muscle articulation under consideration.
- The pectoralis major muscle also consists of two heads, like the biceps. Its structure is very similar to a fan. This is due to the fact that the fibers of the pectoralis major muscle diverge in different directions and at different angles. This gives athletes the ability to stimulate different areas of the muscle by performing exercises from different angles. By changing the angle of work, you load only a certain section of the pectoral muscle, while other sections rest from the load.
- The upper head of the pectoralis muscle, also called the clavicle, is attached to the anterior surface of the clavicle, and the lower to the ribs. It is the second, small head that is included in the articulation of the muscles under consideration now. The main purpose of this muscle is to rotate the humerus inward and move towards the body.
- The upper pectoral muscle raises the humerus forward, which makes frontal lifts with dumbbells very effective for its development. The lower pectoral muscle does not take part in these movements.
These are all the basic muscles you need to train to make your arms beautiful. Knowing the anatomy of the muscles will make it much easier for you to understand how to develop arm strength in bodybuilding and choose the appropriate exercises. The main thing is to always remember that the body must be developed harmoniously and all the muscles must be given equal attention.
For more information on how to properly train arm muscles for the development of strength indicators, see this video:
