From politics to sports, many a great campaign conceals unsung heroes.
Which muscles in your body would you automatically flex? Even a young child instinctively knows big biceps are where it’s at- Matthew Muscat Inglott
From Napoleon to Maradona, what would have become of history’s famous faces were it not for the forgotten forces that catapulted them forward, condemned to amble along in continued anonymity?
Our own bodies are not much different. It’s all about big biceps and rippling abdominals, but what would become of them without their forgotten underlying forces?
Some of the hardest working muscles in your body are the ones you don’t get to see on magazine covers and centre spreads. Today we celebrate three of the human body’s great unsung heroes.
“Show me your muscles!” Which of the hundreds of muscles in your body would you automatically flex and display upon such a request? Even a young child instinctively knows big biceps are where it’s at.
The ultimate symbol of machismo: it’s the bulging muscles at the front of the upper arm that remain the most popular poster boys of strength and vitality.
There is something aesthetically pleasing about these comparatively small muscles. However, they are only the proverbial tip of the iceberg when it comes to thick and powerful upper arms.
The deeper brachialis muscle that lies beneath is actually the more specialised arm flexor. On the physiques of competitive bodybuilders and extremely lean athletes, the biceps can clearly be seen sitting atop another thicker muscle.
The biceps themselves actually have two roles: to flex (bend) the arm and to supinate (turn up) the hand.
Think of a waiter or porter casually exposing their palm requesting a tip, and you can thank the biceps for your subsequent loss of change.
The brachialis, on the other hand, serves no other purpose than to flex the arm, as it originates along the upper arm bone known as the humerus, and inserts on the major bone of the lower arm known as the ulna, unlike the biceps, which also attaches to the smaller rotating bone of the lower arm, the radius.
Favouring larger, heavier moves like pull-ups or rows will more effectively engage the brachialis and lead to more upper-arm development than exclusively performing smaller, lighter moves involving rotation of the wrists.
The smaller moves do have their place too. However, this is yet another reason not to neglect bigger, more functional exercises as part of a well-rounded programme.
If the biceps are among the most glamorous celebrities of the muscle world, then they would be regularly brushing shoulders at exclusive events with another anatomical superstar, rectus abdominis. The fitness industry sells six-pack abs as the one must-have muscular accessory to die for.
Fortunately the buzzword has evolved somewhat from abs to core, which actually is a far more appropriate term, since rectus abdominis is certainly not a solo act. It may very well be the universal visible symbol of a strong core, but many experts believe the true key to elite core strength lies a little deeper.
While rectus abdominis is arranged vertically from top to bottom, there is another set of muscles beneath, arranged horizontally, running from side to side. These are transversus abdominus or simply, transverse abdominals.
Think of the tight corsets Victorian women once wore. The transverse abdominals are precisely your muscular equivalent. When they contract, they increase the pressure inside your abdomen, stabilising the torso, thus supporting the spine. Strength athletes wear weightlifting belts for this exact same purpose to ultimately increase functional strength.
Indeed, powerlifters in particular know a tight belt can add anything up to 15kg to a maximal squat or deadlift attempt. For the rest of us, developing a thick set of transverse abdominals means we can essentially grow our own weightlifting belt, naturally.
Some studies have also suggested that without proper contraction of transversus abdominus, the central nervous system cannot communicate effectively with the rest of the muscles of the core.
Imagine squeezing your waist to fit into your smallest and tightest pair of jeans ever. With a little practice and observation, you will feel your transverse abdominals in action. To engage them in your workouts, avoid simply ambling through your abdominal exercises and counting off the repetitions.
Make every repetition count by emphasising deep breathing in concert with your movements, which should be slow and controlled. Engaging these muscles requires excellent muscular control, so concentration is your first step at discovering them.
And finally, let’s finish off with an interesting little muscle in the lower limbs. When we think of well-developed calves, we automatically picture the two dramatic bulges that constitute the gastrocnemius muscle. They are a symbol of pride for footballers and basketball players, but the true unsung hero of lower-limb functional strength is the supporting soleus muscle beneath.
The soleus keeps us stable when we stand up straight. If it wasn’t there, we would be in constant danger of flopping over forwards.
The soleus also tirelessly serves our blood circulation system. While the heart can easily and forcefully pump blood out to the body though our thick arteries, combined with pressure changes associated with the action of breathing, it is predominantly muscular contractions that gently squeeze it back up again from the legs through the veins.
The soleus is the farthest and loneliest outpost of the body from which blood must be catapulted back towards the heart, contributing towards the effective performance of our cardiovascular system during all physical activity performed upright.
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