MUSCLE:
Brachioradialis
Origin:
At the upper two-thirds of the
lateral supracondylar ridge of the humerus
Inserts:
At the lateral styloid process
of the radius
Function:
Flexing the elbow when the hand
is in a neutral position (as in a thumb-up
“Hammer” curl). It shows little activity in
slow, easy flexion and is more active in rapid
flexion and extension.
MUSCLE:
Extensor carpi radialis
Origin:
At the distal third of the
lateral supracondylar ridge of the humerus
Inserts:
At the second metacarpal on the
back of the hand
Function:
Extension and abduction of the
wrist and aids in flexion of the forearm
MUSCLE:
Flexor carpi radialis
Origin:
From the flexor tendon of the
medial epicondyle of the humerus
Inserts:
Into the second and third
metacarpals of the hand
Function:
Flexion and abduction of the
wrist and aids in pronation of the forearm
Indications of Weakness:
The forearm may
become weak in a number of ways:
(1) Repetitive muscle
trauma, causing the muscle to become shortened with
adhesions (tennis elbow) and pain on the outer (lateral)
side of the elbow joint
(2) Pain on the inner
(medial) side of the elbow
joint indicates that the forearm
flexor muscles are also shortened with adhesions
(3) If the proximal
radioulnar (elbow) joint has
restrictions, the forearm may
also become weak and hard to
pronate and supinate when
lifting weight
Optimal
Training Principles:
(1)
Brachioradialis: Reverse grip E-Z bar curl.
Use pronated or semipronated grip to put biceps
at a mechanical disadvantage to increase stress
on the brachialis and brachioradialis. Hammer
curl is also excellent for these muscles and
alleviates stress on the wrist.
(2) Extensor carpi radialis: Dumbbell
wrist extensions off a bench or the knee are an
excellent way to develop strong wrist extensor
muscles. The dumbbell wrist extension is
preferred over the straight bar wrist extension
since dumbbells allow for both radial and ulnar
deviation to work different wrist extensor
muscles as well as eliminate the excessive
stress the straight bar puts on the wrist.
(3) Flexor carpi radialis: Barbell or
dumbbell wrist curls. Wrist flexor muscles use
no pronation and therefore place little or no
stress on the wrist. Barbells allow the use of
heavier load during wrist curls. Deviate the
wrist ulnarly or radially to work the various
wrist flexors. Using a 45 degree angle on the
preacher curl or resting the forearms on the
thighs in a “Half-Squat” position allows you to
increase stress on the wrist flexors at the top
(end contraction position) of the wrist curl.
James
T. Bell, PhD is the
founder and president of the International Fitness
Professionals Association, IFPA.
More
Books from Jim Bell, PhD
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