The key muscles of the shoulders and arms

Build nice big shoulders and you will get that great looking "wide" effect. You will earn yourself the ability to fill out a doorway. The arms.........well, what can I say.......not much grabs more attention than a pair of BIG arms in a t-shirt.

Even though the shoulders and arms do a lot of work together they require very different exercises to achieve maximum growth in strength and size. To get the results you will need a knowledge of what you are working with. The main muscles found in these areas are as follows:

• Deltoids - or "delts". These are made up of three separate segments that cover the shoulder and run quite a few centimetres down the arm. The posterior deltoid draws the arm back, the middle deltoid raises the arm to the side and the anterior deltoid raises the arm to the front.
• Rotators - these are small muscles of the rotator cuff that control small movements of the upper arm. They consist of an internal rotator, external rotator and supraspinatis. These muscles are used in lifting and throwing actions.
• Triceps brachii - The triceps muscles cover the back of the upper arm and consist of three sections - the long, lateral and medial heads. The purpose of the triceps is to straighten the arm at the elbow. Due to the three sections, your triceps have the extra potential for making your arms bigger as compared with only two sections in the biceps. Triceps work is always profitable!
• Biceps brachii - The biceps consists of both a long head and a short head and covers the front part of the upper arm. The long head crosses the shoulder joint and works with the front deltoid to raise the arm to the front.
• Brachialis - This muscle lies between the upper arm bone and the biceps. It helps the biceps synergistically to work the elbow when the palm is facing sideways.
• Forearm muscles - the forearms consist of many little muscles called flexors and extensors. The largest forearm muscle is the brachioradialis which lies close to the elbow.

The Key Muscles Of The Chest And Upper Back

Becoming familiar with the muscles that make up a considerable part of your body has more benefits than simply allowing you to talk shop with the other guys at the gym. The more you come to know the muscles you are working with the better you will be able to judge what is needed to keep improving. This article will help you get to know the main muscles of the chest and upper back.

Although being two different areas, we will consider the chest and upper back together because achieving a muscular balance between them is very important due to shared work effort and posture issues.

The main muscles found in the chest and upper back are:

 1. Pectoralis Major - or the "Pecs". These are the large chest muscles found to either side of the breastbone. It's main job is to bring the upper arm inwards across the body, a movement that is known as horizontal abduction. Get them right and they look great. Make them too large and you will begin to look silly - it's best to leave the really big boobs to the ladies!

 2. Latissimus Dorsi - or the "lats". This is the largest back muscle that runs from the lower back to the upper arm bone. It pulls the upper arm towards the body and acts as an internal rotator of the upper arm. If well developed it will give you the classic "V" shape. Too large and people may mistake you for a bat or flying fox - although a very large one!

 3. Trapezius - or the "traps". This muscle runs from the mid spine to the shoulder and then to the neck. Its main role is to facilitate the movement of the shoulder blades. A good set of traps will give you a powerful "bulldog" look.

Like most things in life - balance is key.