Build those biceps!

Posted on August 23rd, 2019 by Andries Lodder

Biceps Muscles – Anatomy Muscles isolated on white – 3D illustration

As we age, the strength in our arms decreases at a rapid rate. This is due to the increasing disuse of our upper bodies.

The lower body is used more often for activities such as:

walking
standing from a seated position
climbing stairs
balancing

To keep our independence with activities of daily living, building up the arm muscles is a very significant factor.

The arm muscles can be split up into the upper arm and lower arm:

The upper arm plays a significant role in picking up objects and being the main mover of the arm. While the forearm muscles play an important role in grip strength and fine motor skills.

Something as simple as picking up a kettle to make a cup of tea can be a strenuous activity if one doesn’t have enough arm strength.

In this article we are focusing on the upper arm muscles

The Biceps – a two headed muscle in the front of your arm causing the forearm to flex.

Different exercises will target the different heads of the muscle:

Bicep curl – To maximize activation of the long head, start the curl in the standing position with your hands lined up with the body and in the neutral position (thumb pointing forward) .

Reverse bicep curl – To maximize activation of the short head, turn the palms to face down.

The triceps – a three headed muscle located at the back of your arm causes extension at the elbow.

Different exercises will target the activation of the different heads:

Tricep kickbacks – Targets the long head of the triceps.

Overhead tricep extensions – Targets the activation of the medial head due to the rotation of the hands at full extension.

Tricep dips – these target the activation of the lateral head of the triceps.

If you are struggling with activities of daily living, need to increase your upper body strength or want more aesthetically pleasing arms, contact us and let us help you condition that upper body.