Natural Method of Physical Training by Edwin Checkley, (04) Muscles and What They Do

Figure nine shows how the biceps flexes. The forearms also come into play, uniting with the upper arm. When the muscles of the front and back are both drawn at once, the limb becomes rigid.

Figure ten shows the chief muscles that carry the body on the toe. The bone of the heel creates a lever on which the muscles of the calf operate. The function of the muscles is thus to pull. Every movement of which the body is capable of is brought about by the pulling of one or more muscles. Muscles contract both automatically through no will of our own and consciously through our own free will free. We cannot expect to become unconscious of our body in the right sense until thoroughly and intelligently conscious of every part of it.

The health of our muscle machinery is of very great importance to the health of the entire body. The muscles must be used and developed or the body will fall into ill health. They are more than half of us and must be taken into consideration in a serious and intelligent manner. The chief reason being that muscles aid in the circulation of blood throughout the body, and upon perfect circulation of the blood health is greatly dependent. The moment a muscle is put into action, blood dances through it with increased speed. As muscle develops more blood is called upon to supply it. Studious deep breathing and exercise should be first steps in treating diseases of blood circulation. For optimal circulation, all the muscles should be called into play in the general carriage and use of the body.

The difference between a great athlete who is able perform astounding feats and the average person is not so much in the capacity of the individual muscles, but in the ability use more of them. The goal should be to lift, carry, stoop, reach and climb with the majority of muscles. Understanding the scope of the muscular action in a movement allows us to secure power in that movement. The continuous health and use of all the muscles not only has the effect of securing a great boon to the system from free blood circulation, but gives a great advantage in every muscular effort. The body not only acquires greater power but greater ease and grace. The body takes much longer to grow fatigued when we carry it with a well drilled army of fibres, fully supplied with stimulating blood.

The relationship between muscle function and blood circulation should never be overlooked. ‘Hard’ muscles inhibit blood circulation and, although they may provide great immediate power, they have little endurance. ‘Hard’ muscles feed off our vitality. When our muscles feel like iron, we do not own our power. Our power owns us.

By keeping our muscles in a relative soft and highly flexible state, we are in a position to summon both great amounts of strength and endurance. By practicing natural exercise we are easily kept in training, our condition is preserved and we are ready at any time for specialized training, if need be, without any shock or inconvenience.

Strive for consistent reasonable exertion. Muscular exercise results in waste material that must be flushed from the muscles. The muscles remove this waste and with increased circulation comes increased muscle capacity. When exercise is properly conducted, this waste and renewal go gradually and easily forward, preserving complete health and steadily increasing resources. When exercise is unnecessarily violent the destruction of the tissue is injuriously carried on. When exercise is introduced infrequently or after periods of complete inaction. The body is not capable of atoning for this sin. It will not do to sit, stand, breath and move badly the majority of the time and hope to even it out through one percent of right exercise.

The muscles will have the greatest health, strength and staying power if they are kept flexible and full of blood by continuous use in everyday life. Expecting to maintain health with infrequent bouts of exercise on some machine is the same as hoping to maintain the comfort of the stomach with only one meal a week.