STRENGTH SENSEI BOOKSHELF
Know the Body
A complete resource for understanding anatomy and human movement
If you’re a personal trainer or strength coach, you should have a working knowledge of anatomy and human movement. Unfortunately, such knowledge is often lacking among those in these professions. One reason is that their study material was boring, and it was difficult for these individuals to relate what was in their books to their work. Now there are more and much, much better options.
If there is a guru of functional anatomy in the Iron Game, Charles R. Poliquin and other strength coaches would, without question, say Fredéric Delavier. Delavier is best known for Strength Training Anatomy, the first book by Human Kinetics that sold over one million copies, and his other books in this series. Before getting into those exercise anatomy masterpieces, consider investing in a copy of Dr. Joseph E. Muscolino’s Know the Body: Muscle, Bone, and Palpation Essentials.
Muscolino is a chiropractor who taught musculoskeletal anatomy to massage therapists. And to be clear, his textbook can be rather intimidating as it contains 496 pages. However, consider that he covers not just how muscles look, but how they function and how to identify them by touch.
Know Your Body is divided into two parts. Part 1 (chapters 1-5) and Part 2 (chapters 6-11). Part 1 covers essential anatomy and body mechanics. For example, Muscolino reviews the planes of the body and joint action, using illustrations of the bones of the body placed over a photo of the body. And that’s just Chapter 1!
Part 2 divides the body into regions and goes into a deep dive into how each major muscle works, using a “hands-on” approach. Let’s take the biceps brachii, for example.
The section on this muscle group begins by showing a full cover illustration of the muscles over a silhouette of the arm and chest. He explains how the muscle got its name, its attachments, its actions (including its role in the stabilization of other parts of the body), and its nerve innervation. Many other anatomy books will offer the same material, but what sets apart Know the Body is that Muscolino [who has the perfect name for an expert on muscles, MUSCOlino!] gives precise and simple instructions on how to feel the muscles.
In our biceps brachii example, Muscolino shows where to position the arm to examine the muscle, where to place the fingers on the arm, and how to instruct the client to move the arm to make the biceps brachii contract to palpate it. In addition to written instructions, Muscolino shows how this is accomplished with an illustration of the target muscle and its attachments placed over a photograph of a person. The section concludes with comments about treating tendinitis of the muscle.
Breaking down the two parts of Know the Body further, here is how the chapters are organized:
- Basic Kinesiology
- The Skeletal System
- How Muscles Function
- How to Palpate
- Bony Palpation
- Muscles of the Shoulder Girdle and Arm
- Muscles of the Forearm and Hand
- Muscle of the Spine and Rib Cage
- Muscles of the Head
- Muscles of the Pelvis and Thigh
- Muscles of the Leg and Foot
Muscolino also offers a 320-page workbook of questions-and-answers and other review activities to help you master the material in Know the Body. This workout is a must-have for students and is invaluable for those who teach exercise science. And while you’re at it, check out Joseph E. Muscolino’s author page on Amazon.com for his other study materials. You’ll find musculoskeletal anatomy flashcards and a coloring book, for example, to help your understanding of how the body works.
There are many great resources on anatomy and human movement, and students of the Iron Game shouldn’t limit themselves to one textbook. That said, Know the Body by Dr. Joseph E. Muscolino is a great place to start! (TSS)
[You can purchase Dr. Joseph E. Muscolino’s Know the Body in paperback and Kindle editions through Amazon.com.]
