Can any muscle be trained / built?

aix0

aix0

aix0

Associate
Joined
16 Mar 2005
Posts
708
Location
Staffordshire
Hi Chaps

I'm hoping that there's some people in the know that might be able to help me with a question I have.

Basically, my arm cannot be straightened past approximately 100 degrees (assuming fully straightened is 180). This problem has been with me from birth and has caused a significant lack of muscle growth at the top of my arm (biceps and triceps). My arm is fully functioning, but because of the restricted movement it hasn't allowed my muscles to develop as they have in my other, normal arm.

My question to you is, can any muscle be trained using exercises? Like I mentioned, my muscles seem to work properly, I can feel the movement when I tense etc, but because of the weakening, is it past the point of no return?

I'm not seeking medical advice from you and this isn't specific to my muscles, just in general - can any muscle be trained, or is there a point where it is totally past the point of rehabilitation?

Thanks

Martin

ps - Please don't move this into the sports section, Dons. This question is more targeted more towards people that know about human anatomy rather than body building.
 
Yes to a certain extent, after tearing the cartilage in my knee I couldn't bend my leg all the way back. After daily stretches for a few weeks full movement returned.

MW
 
Aslong as its currently functioning and is causing no pain then I would assume that it is possible. Without know why its developped that way etc and whats been tried before then I cant say anything else. Generally speaking, if a muscle is in a state of working - with weakness the only issue - then it can be developed. There will always be exceptions however.
 
Pretty much any muscle can be trained as long as you can apply some sort of load on it. If you have problems with your arm I would seriously recommend seeing a Physiotherapist or Doctor before trying anything though.
 
Yeah to be honest, it's going to sound horrible but because you are unable to to fully stretch your arm I doubt you will be able to any serious muscle building with it. You need to be able to completely extend and contract the muscle in order to "make it bigger". That's obviously because weight lifting tears muscle strands and your body through hypertrophy and protein synthesis builds on this to make you stronger as such.

Depending on the angle at which you can bend your arm, you may be able to do some exercises to generate some muscle growth, but it wont be the same as what you are able to achieve on your other arm because you can't extend it in the same way.

Maybe consult a doctor if its really worrying you and see if they can make any suggestions about possible skeletal correction as it sounds like its your elbow joint you can't fully flex.
 
So people who know gym stuff don't know anatomy? Lol

Anyway, physio would be a good option, sports specific one.
Maybe surgery or something will be needed
 
aix0 said:
ps - Please don't move this into the sports section, Dons. This question is more targeted more towards people that know about human anatomy rather than body building.
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Just fyi, that's a slightly harsh and very misinformed opinion.

To build muscle you will be using bodybuilding techniques. This can apply to any muscle, provided progressive stresses can be places on it properly.
 
Morba said:
So people who know gym stuff don't know anatomy? Lol
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icecold said:
Just fyi, that's a slightly harsh and very misinformed opinion.
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I think it's pretty clear what I meant when making that statement. By asking that it's not moved to the sports forum, I'm obviously acknowledging that naturally, the best group to answer this question are in-fact body builders that frequent that area of this forum.

However, I wanted this to be exposed to a wider audience than it would be tucked away in the sports section. People that have a good understanding of human muscular system aren't necessarily going to body builders that read the sports forum - so why limit the question to that group?

Anyway, there's been some really sound advice given in this thread - which is greatly appreciated. My pattern of thinking was that if you can 'tense' a muscle even slightly, then surely by continuous replication of movement with resistance, you would progressively increase the mass as with any other, 'healthy' muscle.

I will indeed consult a professional with regards to my case. However, I was just interested in the opinions of other people that have a good knowledge of this stuff. My opinion's formed with very little knowledge of muscular anatomy, so my thoughts on this could be / are a million miles from reality.

Any further comments / thoughts appreciated!

Thanks

Martin
 
Wow a mate of mine has a similar problem:only his arm was broken . I think he was going to see a consultant last week. Anyhow it still didn't stop him training and he has a very good physique on him considering he trains with the difficulty of having a bent arm. He lives in Staffordshire too.
 
is a good point, could your range of motion improve if subjected to some aggressive strengthening and stretching? Or is the limitation more to do with bone/other soft tissue?
 
Unfortunately, the restriction of movement is caused by a deformation in the elbow joint, so without a surgical procedure, the movement is never going to improve.
 
well as I'm guessing you don't want to go down the surgery route then providing the cause is due to bone growth and the underlying weakness is simply a result of lack of use then there's no reason you can't improve it. You're not going to be able to go full range of motion but to be honest there's lots of kids you see in the gym curling with less than ideal range.

Get a referral to a physio initially to ascertain the extent of atrophy and any damage to connective tissues, as them for some basic strengthening exercises. After a couple of weeks there's no reason you can't hit the gym and stimulate some growth in the muscle. Rows and pulldowns might be particularly useful for you in the early stages just be aware that initially you'll obviously be needing to go light.
 
DanH84 said:
well as I'm guessing you don't want to go down the surgery route then providing the cause is due to bone growth and the underlying weakness is simply a result of lack of use then there's no reason you can't improve it. You're not going to be able to go full range of motion but to be honest there's lots of kids you see in the gym curling with less than ideal range.

Get a referral to a physio initially to ascertain the extent of atrophy and any damage to connective tissues, as them for some basic strengthening exercises. After a couple of weeks there's no reason you can't hit the gym and stimulate some growth in the muscle. Rows and pulldowns might be particularly useful for you in the early stages just be aware that initially you'll obviously be needing to go light.
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Yeah, that's very true, Dan. It's purely down to the disproportion of my arm in comparison to my strong arm, and the rest of my body. I'm not so bothered about the movement, it has very little affect on day to day life to be honest. That's why I'm keen to work with what I've got, so to speak, and avoid any surgery.

Thank's for the excellent advice. It's also been kind of reassuring, which I suppose is what I was also seeking. The next step is definitely to get a referral to see the physio and see what they can do for me.

Thanks

:)
 
An isometric contraction could help with strength. However for hypertrophy you'll really need a concetric & eccentric contraction with a good range of motion.

If it's a deformity as opposed to just a joint problem then tendons & ligaments might not have grown properly or to the right size.

As already said, bodybuilders do have brains and probably no more about anatomy and succesfully building muscle than you might think.

I was listening to a radio presenter talk about her knewly bought shake weight. With other users telling her she needs to stick at it for 6/8 weeks to see results. [facepalm@shakeweight & general public]
 
J-FRO said:
Yeah to be honest, it's going to sound horrible but because you are unable to to fully stretch your arm I doubt you will be able to any serious muscle building with it. You need to be able to completely extend and contract the muscle in order to "make it bigger". That's obviously because weight lifting tears muscle strands and your body through hypertrophy and protein synthesis builds on this to make you stronger as such.

Depending on the angle at which you can bend your arm, you may be able to do some exercises to generate some muscle growth, but it wont be the same as what you are able to achieve on your other arm because you can't extend it in the same way.
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Hypertrophy, the act of microtrauma and resulting muscle growth, doesn't depend on using the full range of motion. Specifically in the case of the OP, isometrics, eccentrics and partial reps would be adequate and effective, they may even increase the natural range of motion. I've seen some fellas with terrible technique and ROM get rather large.

You could argue that using the full range may not be quite as effective for hypertrophy, so just use additional sets. Powerplate used effectively could be awesome.

Ant
 
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BennyC said:
I was listening to a radio presenter talk about her knewly bought shake weight. With other users telling her she needs to stick at it for 6/8 weeks to see results. [facepalm@shakeweight & general public]
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... it clearly depends on her goal.
If she wishes to give an amazing handjob, then the shakeweight will surely help?
 
Supercow said:
... it clearly depends on her goal.
If she wishes to give an amazing handjob, then the shakeweight will surely help?
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To be honest they'd probably sell more if they marketed it as 'FISTS OF FURY -HJ TRAINER'. As every man would be out buying one for his mrs!:D
 
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