Anatomy 101.

[C_Bino]

I am writing this in an attempt not only to make things run a little smoother around here but also to help each of you out in your quest for the ultimate body.

Anatomy is important to us for many reasons and studying it has not only helped me in my training methods and approaches but also in terms of injections (this is going to be key for many members on here). I see far too many posts with the incorrect usage of terms which only leads to confusion and furthermore misguided information or advice.

Lets start out with the ever so important definitions:

The very BASE to learning anatomy is being aware of the anatomical position. This is standing erect with your feet placed forward, hands at your sides with palms facing FORWARD (very important).

Medial: Towards the midline of the body. Eg. Your ring finger is medial to your thumb (remember anatomical position?)
Lateral: Away from the midline of the body. Eg. The lateral border of your leg is the "outside" portion.
Anterior: Towards the front of the body. Eg. Your chest is anterior to your back.
Posterior: Towards the back of the body. Eg. Your elbow is on the posterior side of you arm (again, remember your anatomical position).
Superior: Above, or farther up your body vertically. Eg. Your Pecs are superior to your knees, and your knees are superior to your feet.
Inferior: Below, or lower down on your body vertically. Eg. Your nose is inferior to your eyes.
Distal: Away from the body. Eg. Your finger is distal to your forearm
Proximal: Toward/closer to the body. Eg. Your quadriceps are proximal to your toes.
Superficial: Atop/toward the surface of the body. Eg. You’re your sub-q fat is superficial to your muscles.
Deep: Underneath/deeper in the body. Eg. Your heart is deep to your ribs.

[C_Bino]

Lets get into naming muscles and areas of the body. This is very important: your shoulder is a joint not a muscle, same as your hip and knee. They are all joints. Why is it you see people say they are working their shoulders one day, but they never say they are working their knee? I assume because it sounds stupid, well guess what so does saying that you are working your shoulder. It may be more acceptable, and I myself say it from time to time. But I assure you it is much easier and less confusing when things are named properly. So lets give our ARM and our SHOULDER and QUADS some real names shall we.

Shoulder: Deltoid
Arms: Biceps brachii and triceps brachii
Quads: Vastus medialis, vastus intermedius, vastus lateralis and rectus femoris (now that you know what medial and lateral mean it is EXTREMELY easy to understand why they are named what they are. The “tear drop” muscle is the most medial, hence vastus MEDIALIS, the outer muscle (most commonly used for injections) is the most lateral of the 4, hence vastus LATERALIS. It all makes sense when you start to think about it, and it makes it very easy.
Hamstrings: Semitendinosus, semimembranosus and biceps femoris.
Calves: Gastrocnemeus (superficial), soleus (deep)
Back: Trapezius, latissimus dorsi, erector spinae group. From medial to lateral the three erector spinae muscles: Spinalis, longissimus, iliocostalis, rhomboids major and minor, teres major and minor
Abs: Rectus abdominis, external/internal/transverse obliques

Muscle origins and insertions:
Each and every muscle in your body has an origin and an insertion. They are connected to bones via tendons. By contracting your muscles you are bringing the insertions point closer to the origin. For example lets take any of the vastus muscles that make up 3 of the 4 quadricep muscles. They all originate on the femur (thigh bone) and insert onto the tibia (shin bone). Therefore it is extremely easy to understand why moving your tibia closer to your femur (insertion to origin) causes the contraction of the quadriceps. Just imagine when you are doing leg extensions. You are shortening the muscle length by moving your shin up to bring the insertion point on the tibia closer to the origin on the femur.
Now, most origins are proximal to their respective insertions points. I would say almost ALL muscles fall into this category. This is not true however for a muscle such as your rectus abdominis, in which the insertion point in actually the proximal attachment, and the origin is distal. So know you know that when you want to train your rectus abdominis you are to bring your ribs towards your hips (insertion to origin) in order to contract the muscle fully.

[SMAN12b]

SWEET, thanks Bino !!

[Liftnainez]

Bump!

[C_Bino]

Now I am going to get into something that I truly believe to be one of thee most mis-understood aspects of the body and muscles…NERVES. Every muscle in your body is innervated by one or two nerves for action. I am going to give you a list of each of these innervations for the major muscle groups.

Arm:
Deltoid: Axillary nerve
Biceps brachii: Musculocutaneous nerve
Triceps brachii: Radial nerve

Trunk:
Rectus abdominis: Thoracoabdominal nerves

Back:
Trapezius: Spinal accessory nerve (Cervical nerve XI)
Latissimus dorsi: Thoacodorsal nerve
Erector spinae (iliocostalis, longissimus and spinalis-yes it is comprised of three muscles not just one): posterior rami of the spinal nerves
Teres major: Lower subscapular nerve
Teres minor: Axillary nerve

Leg:
Hamstrings: Sciatic nerve
Semitendinosis: Tibial nerve
Semimembranosus: Tibial nerve
Biceps femoris short head: Common fibular nerve
Biceps femoris long head: Tibial nerve
Quadriceps: Femoral nerve
Rectus femoris: femoral nerve
Vastus lateralis: femoral nerve
Vastus Medialis: femoral nerve
Vastus intermedius: femoral nerve
Gluteus maximus: Inferior gluteal nerve
Gluteus medius: Superior gluteal nerve
Gluteus minimus: Superior gluteal nerve

After viewing this we can now understand how it makes no sense when people say “Don’t inject into your leg, there are WAY too many nerves there.” Everytime you see something like this I hope you all raise the BS flag. The only place where nerves are intertwining and very dense is in the plexuses of your body, but there is no need to go into those now. If anyone has any questions about them or anything here, or even wants some elaboration on something I would be more than happy to oblige.

Now of course there are many many more muscles which I did not go over. But I think I have listed the most superficial and widely talked about muscles that you should be concerned with. I will update this thread with tidbits here and there, as I know I always forget somethings or want to emphasize something.

[mwolffey]

nice stuff bino...i just did a powerpoint for a class of mine on the same thing

[PROTEINSHAKE]

another great read by CBINO...Thanks for all of you great posts & attention you give to the guys on here..I can only speak for myself & I appreciate all the information & advice you give...It is constructive & positive & always informative. Thanks again!!

[C_Bino]

nice stuff bino...i just did a powerpoint for a class of mine on the same thing

Oh great stuff man. Feel free to post any info in here that you see fit. Like I stated there are obviously many things i skimmed over or forgot. But I just wanted to get some minor info atleast out there.
I find anatomy extremely interesting, and Im sure you find just as I do, that learning these things actually helps to improve your training. For example, knowing that your rectus femoris is the only quadricep muscle that crosses the hip joint now allows me to realize that leg extensions allow a more focused contraction of the rectus femoris as your hip is flexed in the seated position. These things really do help, and like I said feel free to throw in any input.

[WEBB]

Nice post, Dr.VonBoobie....

[*Alex*]

Nice post, Dr.VonBoobie....

[WEBB]

He deserved it......he called me fat in my competition thread....PLus the man knows more about gyno than i thought possible, i just want a mod to change his title to that...

[C_Bino]

another great read by CBINO...Thanks for all of you great posts & attention you give to the guys on here..I can only speak for myself & I appreciate all the information & advice you give...It is constructive & positive & always informative. Thanks again!!

Thanks man, appreciate it a lot.

He deserved it......he called me fat in my competition thread....PLus the man knows more about gyno than i thought possible, i just want a mod to change his title to that...

LOL, Im sure when I rub someone the wrong way my title will go that way...I hope you like the REAL name I quoted you under. LMAO.

[dragon69]

Erector spinae (iliocostalis, longissimus and spinalis-yes it is comprised of three muscles not just one): posterior rami of the spinal nerves

actually thats 3 muscle groups of 3 muscles each (ie iliocostalis lumborum, iliocostalis thorasis, iliocostalis cervicis)
Interestingly SOME also consider Semispinalis as part of the erectors (I do not), however when origin/insertion are considered it is obvious that it is merely a spinal rotator (although it may work in conjunction with the others in erecting if under load). SO I was glad to see semispinalis not listed here.

After viewing this we can now understand how it makes no sense when people say “Don’t inject into your leg, there are WAY too many nerves there.” Everytime you see something like this I hope you all raise the BS flag. The only place where nerves are intertwining and very dense is in the plexuses of your body, but there is no need to go into those now.

there are worse areas to inject yes, but lets be clear here.....there are some BAD BAD areas of the leg that should be avoided and some very safe ones too. Personally, in the Vastus Medialis or into the Gluteus Minimus are the only truly safe areas.

[marcus300]

i never knew were my arms were, now i do thanks cbino........jk

good 1

[WEBB]

I hope you like the REAL name I quoted you under. LMAO.

You know what the funny part is, i look right at it and didnt even notice....Damn you Bino....

[goose]

Very good post!!!

[pepperoni]

quality stuff.

[ODC0717]

thank you sir.

[C_Bino]

actually thats 3 muscle groups of 3 muscles each (ie iliocostalis lumborum, iliocostalis thorasis, iliocostalis cervicis)
Interestingly SOME also consider Semispinalis as part of the erectors (I do not), however when origin/insertion are considered it is obvious that it is merely a spinal rotator (although it may work in conjunction with the others in erecting if under load). SO I was glad to see semispinalis not listed here.

Thanks for posting, but let me just comment on this. It is NOT 3 groups of 3 muscles. There is no way it is 9 seperate muscles my friend. You are saying that each of the three muscles comprising the erctor spinae are comprised of three muscles respectively names lumbordum, thoracis and cervicis. These are three regions of the spine: lumbar, thorax and cervix. However, in NO WAY are they three different muscles, rather different regions of the muscle. And Im glad you metioned origin and insertion, as merely looking at this you can see why it is only 3 muscles not 9, they all arise from a broad band tendon from the posterior portion of the iliac crest, posterior surface of the sacram, sacroiliac ligaments, sacral and inferior lumbar spinous processes and supraspinous ligament. So again, let me assure you it is only 3 muscles, and they all pass through the 3 regions of the spine. But these regions are not different muscles by any means.

Also I agree that some people tend to group semi-spinalis with this erector group when clearly it remains with the other intrinsic muscles in the DEEP layer (transversospinal) such as multifidus and rotatores longus and brevis.

there are worse areas to inject yes, but lets be clear here.....there are some BAD BAD areas of the leg that should be avoided and some very safe ones too. Personally, in the Vastus Medialis or into the Gluteus Minimus are the only truly safe areas.

As for the injection sites I really dont see why you would think those two are safer. Maybe you could elaborate more for me. As I dont consider any safer, but even going by common medical practice IM injections in those areas would be done primarily in the gluteus maximus and vastus lateralis not minimus and medialis.

Again thanks for the input though.

[dragon69]

It is NOT 3 groups of 3 muscles. There is no way it is 9 seperate muscles my friend. You are saying that each of the three muscles comprising the erctor spinae are comprised of three muscles respectively names lumbordum, thoracis and cervicis. These are three regions of the spine: lumbar, thorax and cervix. However, in NO WAY are they three different muscles, rather different regions of the muscle. And Im glad you metioned origin and insertion, as merely looking at this you can see why it is only 3 muscles not 9, they all arise from a broad band tendon from the posterior portion of the iliac crest, posterior surface of the sacram, sacroiliac ligaments, sacral and inferior lumbar spinous processes and supraspinous ligament. So again, let me assure you it is only 3 muscles, and they all pass through the 3 regions of the spine. But these regions are not different muscles by any means..

review your anatomy;
What I'm saying specifically is that each has 3 sections which are independant of each other (save for say connective tissue). Anatomy references lists them as different muscles with origin and insertion seperate of each other......(ie iliocostalis lumborum: 0-iliac crest[etc] i- ribs 7-12, iliocostalis thorasis: 0-ribs 7-12 i- ribs 1-6, iliocostalis cervicis; 0-ribs 1-6 i-C TVPs). Suprised you didn't know that.

Also I agree that some people tend to group semi-spinalis with this erector group when clearly it remains with the other intrinsic muscles in the DEEP layer (transversospinal) such as multifidus and rotatores longus and brevis.

exactly....and those are important to know as they are excellent in use for rehabilitation

As for the injection sites I really dont see why you would think those two are safer. Maybe you could elaborate more for me. As I dont consider any safer, but even going by common medical practice IM injections in those areas would be done primarily in the gluteus maximus and vastus lateralis not minimus and medialis.

well, between the greater trochanter and the lateral portion of the iliac crest is considered the safest for injection and is the standard for nursing staff throughout europe and north america. Very little vessels here, so no biggie.
Vastus lateralis has little in the way of nerve or artery in the lower 2/3rds whereas that can't be said about the rest of the quad and most certainly NOT the rest of the leg. So it would be the safest place then by elimination.

also; surely you support me that injecting into triceps,biceps,traps is simply asking for trouble.....especially traps

[dragon69]

Good to see I'm not the only one trying to educate the members.

Hey noticed you're from ON. Grew up there south of TO. In BC now.

[valcon]

thanks C Bino

[C_Bino]

review your anatomy;
What I'm saying specifically is that each has 3 sections which are independant of each other (save for say connective tissue). Anatomy references lists them as different muscles with origin and insertion seperate of each other......(ie iliocostalis lumborum: 0-iliac crest[etc] i- ribs 7-12, iliocostalis thorasis: 0-ribs 7-12 i- ribs 1-6, iliocostalis cervicis; 0-ribs 1-6 i-C TVPs). Suprised you didn't know that.


exactly....and those are important to know as they are excellent in use for rehabilitation

well, between the greater trochanter and the lateral portion of the iliac crest is considered the safest for injection and is the standard for nursing staff throughout europe and north america. Very little vessels here, so no biggie.
Vastus lateralis has little in the way of nerve or artery in the lower 2/3rds whereas that can't be said about the rest of the quad and most certainly NOT the rest of the leg. So it would be the safest place then by elimination.

also; surely you support me that injecting into triceps,biceps,traps is simply asking for trouble.....especially traps

OK bro I got you now, all I was saying is that I didnt believe it was 9 seperate muscles. To me its more or less like the biceps brachii, there are two HEADS but I would never consider it two SEPERATE muscles. Anyways, its obvious you know your stuff and I hope you can continue to contribute and add to this thread as you see fit. It would be great to get someone with some knowledge like yourself in on it. I think maybe i was misunderstanding what you were saying at first.

[rx8rone]

nice post

[anaBROLIC]

good post bro, guys who arent familiar with this stuff pay attention..the anatomy is hard to learn, but good to know how it works when it comes to bodybuilding.. i dont know a whole lot but the EMT class i took covered a good amount of it and helped understand..

[ru35]

Not to beat a dead horse because the basic jist is there, but the only muscle of the erector spinae that has a lumborum is the iliocostalis. (It can be argued that the longissimus has a lumborum but it is not scientifically backed.) However when the longissimus reaches the cervical region it splits into the longissimus cervicis and the longissimus capitis. But that's neither here nor there.
Excellent post though! Definitely a good read

[guns626]

Bino, a quick question: In the anatomical position (palms facing forward) wouldn't you palm be the anterior portion of the hand? You said that it was the posterior portion of the hand?

[C_Bino]

Bino, a quick question: In the anatomical position (palms facing forward) wouldn't you palm be the anterior portion of the hand? You said that it was the posterior portion of the hand?

AHHHH yes yes, thanks so much for pointing that out. Definitely a mistake on my behalf on that one.
I will change that immediately. The easiest way to differentiate back and front of hand is to call the palm side the palmer aspect, and the back the dorsal aspect.

Thanks again.

[C_Bino]

Not to beat a dead horse because the basic jist is there, but the only muscle of the erector spinae that has a lumborum is the iliocostalis. (It can be argued that the longissimus has a lumborum but it is not scientifically backed.) However when the longissimus reaches the cervical region it splits into the longissimus cervicis and the longissimus capitis. But that's neither here nor there.
Excellent post though! Definitely a good read

Well I think this whole topic is very tricky and the reason why me and dragon werent seeing it the same. In all of my medical textbooks etc the erector spinae is a group of 3 muscle solely. In terms of lombordum, cervicis and thoracis how bout we just stay out of it for now. I went back to my books and read and even ran a search on google and found erector spinae is comprosed of 3 muscles, that go through the three regions of the upper spine (cervix, thorax and lumbar) but I mean now this is contrary to what you are saying so I mean for purposes on this site I dont think we need to get into it that deeply anyways my friend. Thanks though, this is definitely something I will now be looking into more.