Got a great guest article here from my good friend, Dr. Kareem
Samhouri regarding the nervous system and how it relates to
building muscle.

Very interesting stuff!

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One muscle is made up of tens of thousands little muscle
fibers -- how many muscle fibers do you actually reach when
you work out?

Sadly, most people only hit a fraction of their neurological
potential to stimulate muscle while working out, which means
every exercise feels incredibly intense, results take longer to
attain, and injury is much more likely to occur.

Instead, if we utilize 'shortcuts,' or 'hidden pathways' in our
nervous systems to 'activate' more muscle, we shorten each
workout, distribute the force/strain more equally, and reduce
our risk of injury. Here are some fundamental 'neuro'
techniques I use in any muscle building workout I write:

Work the nerve, not the muscle.

By focusing on the entire distribution of a nerve, and all
related nerves for a popular exercise, you are giving yourself
an unfair advantage. Let's take a biceps curl for example:

Action of exercise: elbow flexion

Muscle(s) involved:

• Primary mover: biceps brachii
  other actions of this muscle: supination (turning palm up)
  nerve: musculocutaneous nerve (comes off C5-C6 nerve roots)
  
  
• Secondary mover(s): brachialis, brachioradialis, pronator teres
  other actions of these muscles: hammer/reverse-curl position
  elbow flexion, turn palm up/down at wrist joint

Nerves: musculocutaneous nerve (comes off C5-C6 nerve root),
median nerve (comes off C5-C6 nerve roots), radial nerve (comes
off C7-C8 nerve roots)

Nerve Pathways to consider, rather than muscles alone: C5-C8

Muscles that receive signal from these nerve roots, which means
activation of any one of these muscles causes increased nerve
excitation at the base, or root:

• C5-C6: pecs, shoulder retractors, rotator cuff muscles, elbow
  flexors, wrist flexors, finger flexors, wrist/forearm rotators
  
  
• C7-C8: lats, delts, part of rotator cuff, triceps/elbow extensors,
  wrist/forearm extensors, finger extensors, partial wrist flexor,
  turn palm up, grip strength
  

Take-Home Lesson for Building Biceps Strength: Work
many movements, not just one.

In order to build maximal excitement to the nerve and related
nerves for performing a biceps curl, you will benefit from
working all muscles on both sides of your upper body, with
specific emphasis on proper shoulder blade posture, back
posture, muscle recruitment, and elbow/wrist/hand strength
during all phases of a biceps curl.

By choosing to work all of the muscle groups mentioned above
on the same workout, and by working "proximally" (closer to
your heart -- i.e. your back muscles) to "distally" (further from
your heart -- i.e. your hands), you are gradually recruiting
increased excitation of the nerve, beginning at its root.

This is the best way to improve electricity -- if you think about
it, for an electrical current to flow, it has to be strong
from its point of origin or the current will get cut off.

When working to build muscle, stimulate more muscle, and
increase the 'metabolic effect' of every exercise you do, it's
important to think about working 'muscle pairs' together.

The most practical and functional way to think about
determining muscle pairs is by:

• Thinking of 'shared electricity' -- nerve signal coming from
  same or related nerve roots.
  
  
• Pre-setting posture -- often times, if you line up your
  joints before doing an exercise, you've already chosen the
  right muscles. Take note of which muscles are helping
  you assume the proper posture for the next step.
  
  
• Working the muscles that helped you get in the right
  posture for an exercise, but work from your back out to
  your arms, instead of arms first, for example. (proximal
  to distal rule)

Building muscle isn't just about getting huge -- it's about using
your muscle to consume calories for you, supporting your joints
for improved health, reducing strain on your heart, improving
nervous system communication across your body, improving
coordination, and feeling 'strong' in more ways than just lifting
by constantly testing and pushing your limits -- getting lean
isn't only about the way you look. When you work out correctly,
and you push your body to perform, you create better and
longer lasting health.

Compete with yourself for your best body ever. You'll feel
amazing, start to finish.

Have a great day,

Kareem

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One last thing...keep an eye out for something VERY cool related
to this coming at you tomorrow...

Nick Nilsson
The "Mad Scientist of Muscle"



P.S. If you know anybody else who might benefit from this
information, feel free to forward this email to them!