As a health professional, I am always trying to freshen up and study the latest research. However, this week I decided to go back and review the material that I’ve already collected on my bookshelf.. I singled out two books which focused on anatomy and dove in, then read from beginning to end. When I was finished, it turned out to be pretty cool to go back through what I learned before having experience as a trainer and reprocess what lessons are actually key for the majority of clients I train.

This blog goes through some key points in anatomy we all should remember.

1. No matter what any trainer tells you, doing incline presses will not tone the breasts or prevent their sagging. Our breasts are made of adipose (a.k.a. FAT tissue) and that fat simply rests on top of the pec majors. My personal experience is that good posture will enhance your breast appearance.

Try reverse flys on a stability ball, great exercise for posture:



2. Your triceps brachii (muscle in the back of the arm) is the muscle that jumps in to help when your lats fatigue, so if you have arms that keep on shaking when you wave goodbye, take up rock climbing.

(Chelsea Piers has a great wall to climb, check out the website!)



3. Back pain is the most common problem of the lumbar spine, the painful cramping limits movement that might tear or increase tearing of the small deep muscles.

My favorite stretch is the baby cobra, for lower back mobility:

4. Disc herniation is a serious concern for any person performing weightlifting. The cause is almost always incorrect back position. After a heavy workout, stetch the back by hanging from a chinup bar, this will allow the muscles to relax and recreate the space between the vertebral discs.

5. During lifting for the lower body the hamstrings are the muscle most often torn or injured. As with any muscle injury, they are usually injured due to an improper warmup.

One of my favorite warmups is the inchworm, click for a full explanation of exercise.


Cutting this blog in half, last of the top ten to come!