Stretching the pectoralis minor and major muscles helps decrease tightness in your upper chest. Stretching elongates the muscles and releases tension that can build up within the muscles fibers. The pectoralis minor and major can be stretched...
The female breast muscles are the pectoralis major and pectoralis minor lying underneath the fatty breast tissue. The smaller pectoralis minor originates at the second through fifth ribs and inserts on the coracoid process, a small bony piece at...
The four muscles that facilitate elbow flexion are the biceps brachii, brachialis, brachioradialis and pronator teres, which each cross the front of the joint. Learning the anatomic structure and biomechanical function of each muscle can help you...
Your muscles do not directly connect to bones. One example is your rotator cuff, where tough bands called tendons connect your shoulder and arm muscles to bones that help in lifting the arm. Overuse can cause your tendons to become inflamed,...
The muscles of the shoulder account for several arm movements. According to Exrx.net, the shoulder can flex, extend, abduct, adduct and internally and externally rotate. Flexion is the movement of the arm up in front of the body. Extension is the...
The heavy weights and high repetitions involved in the workout regimen of a bodybuilder may put the muscles, tendons and joints of the shoulder under extreme amounts of stress. Symptoms such as pain, inflammation or immobility can interrupt your...
Shoulder pain is one of the most common reasons people see a doctor, according to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. Most pains located in and around the shoulder involve the tendons, ligaments or muscles. Orthopedic surgeons group...
The bench press exercise is done on a weight bench using weights as resistance. Barbells are traditional, but according to "Conditioning for Strength and Human Performance" by T. Jeff Chandler and Lee Brown, other weights can also be used, such as...
The barbell biceps curl is a weightlifting exercise that uses a barbell to target the biceps brachii muscles in the upper arms. Other muscles used in the move are the synergist muscles -- brachialis and brachioradialis -- and the stabilizer...
You have over 430 skeletal muscles in your body that work together to produce voluntary movement, according to the National Strength and Conditioning Association. Skeletal muscles are striated in appearance and each one is considered an organ that...
The shoulder joint has a collection of tendons that attach four small muscles to the acromion and coracoid bones. The area is called the rotator cuff and is responsible for multiple ranges of motion. When you suffer a direct hit to this area, your...
The biceps are a muscle group found in the front of the upper arms. These muscles are often targeted in weightlifting and bodybuilding programs -- but people with long arms tend to have a harder time building noticeable muscle mass in the biceps....
Many different reasons are given for performing resistance training. It can raise your metabolism and lower your body fat while increasing lean muscle tissue. You can increase your strength for daily activities and/or sports performance. Maybe you...
Exercise has many benefits, but it also has risk of injury. Unfortunately, tendonitis is a common occurrence in active people. It is an inflammation or irritation in the tendon of a muscle, the thick, fibrous band that connects muscle to bone....
The scapula is a plate-like bone that is located on the back and lies on top of your ribs. The scapula joins with both the clavicle and humerus on each lateral side. The acromion forms an apex on the lateral portion of the top of the scapula that...
The pectorals are made up of the pectoralis major muscle, which assists in shoulder and arm movement, and the pectoralis minor muscle, which helps the rib cage rise. Tightness of the pectoral muscles can result in back, neck and shoulder pain, and...
The acromioclavicular, or AC, joint is formed by the acromion process of a person's shoulder blade and the distal end of the collarbone. An injury to the AC joint may happen suddenly or may occur from repetitive movements such as lifting boxes...
Learn about different trigger points for massage in this free video clip on holistic medicine and chiropractics.
An untreated rotator cuff injury will lead to discomfort, limited strength and mobility. Learn how to treat a rotator cuff injury in this sports medicine video.
