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This activity is provided by the Texas Board of Physical Therapy Examiners Accredited Provider 2309052TX and meets continuing competence requirements for physical therapist and physical therapist assistant licensure renewal in Texas.

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Chartered Institute for Management in Sport and Physical Activity

Functional anatomy of the scapula, shoulder, and elbow. Joint actions, muscles, exercises, and planes of motion for the upper body. Detailed analysis of the pectoralis major, latissimus dorsi, teres major, deltoids, rotator cuff, and scapular muscles.

Lesson 12: Functional Anatomy by Joint Action and Exercise of the Upper Body

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Brookbush Institute

I have almost completed my CPT certification and am half-way through the Human Movement certification to inform my massage practice. The different modalities of reading, watching audiovisual materials, and attending live or recorded webinars have been important to my learning style and for review.

Brookbush Institute has the most detailed, specific and effective tools for online learning for movement and/or bodywork professionals. I love the combination of the videos as well as the text available online.

I recently completed the CPT course. It was demanding yet practical. I would highly recommend it for anyone wanting an education about human movement.

I have my personal trainer certificate through here and am almost finished my human movement specialist certification. Overall, the education that Brookbush has packaged together for clinicians and trainers is invaluable. I am a physio assistant so coming from more of a rehab background I appreciate that this education has been beneficial both as a trainer and in a rehab setting. I love that I have been able to do all learning at my own pace and able to work around my schedule. Thank you for setting up this platform! Highly recommend :)

I have been a massage therapist for 10 yrs and I feel like all the “pieces” I’ve learned throughout the yrs have been put into place and can see the full picture. I am also a member to tons of great content since I love to learn! I plan to get my CPT through them as well.

I have been following Brent Brookbush for nearly a decade- back when I was a personal Trainer and now as a Physical Therapist. BBI is an incredible resource for any movement nerds and corrective exercise specialists! The information is thorough with multiple real world applications. I am looking forward to an in-person Manual Therapist course the second they do one a little bit closer to Virginia ;)

I have taken both the Human Movement Specialist and Certified Personal Trainer certificate programs and have found the value in understanding the how and ways the body moves and functions and from evidence, non-biased, outcome, conceptual, theoretical, and practical approach to helping my clients/patients look better, feel better, and move better.

Over the last years I've returned time and again to Brookbush Institute for stellar coursework as I've worked toward a Human Movement Specialist certification. (I'm currently ACE CPT, and in training with Anatomy Trains for Structural Integration Manual Therapy.) Every Brookbush Institute module is fantastic and each one includes detailed informational videos, written descriptions of how to-do, and, more importantly, why to-do!

I am a 70 yr old chiropractor and no other healthcare provider was able to come up with an exercise protocol particular to my structural and balances and muscle deficits and keep me in the game. And as for continuing education on human skeletal movement, the website is phenomenal full of great exercises for particular mechanical dysfunction.

The H.M.S. is the most valuable certificate I have earned and was a fraction of the the cost of my others. Define the best bang for your buck!

Brookbush is the most efficient Personal Training Certification I have ever come across. All the lessons are well thought out and very straight to the point.

I am getting my Master's degree in Kinesiology, and I would like to say that I have benefited greatly from the rich, comprehensive, well-documented scientific content of Brookbush Institute that links theory to practical applications. Proudly I've got my CPT certificate, and I am on my way to get my HMS certificate.

Having courses count towards different certifications makes it so users can transition seamlessly from one certification to another. In my case, going from earning the BI CPT to earning the BI HMS was an easy decision and I am proud to have earned both certifications. I have also had the pleasure of going to a Live HMS workshop that was well taught by Instructor Boettcher and that was excellent to see how the methods and techniques are implemented.



I have been a member of BBI for years and every course I have taken has been incredibly informative. I learn more from these courses than I do at local CEU courses for my PTA license. I also earned my CPT and HMS certifications through the platform. It was so convenient and the content was top notch! Forever member.

We learn principles in academia, we learn cool new modalities via whatever specialty certification, but BBI really concentrates on the nuances of passive treatment and they do a fantastic job. The format in which BBI instructs soft tissue specialists (DPTs, Chiros, ATs) like myself feels like almost like an apprenticeship. You get a thoroughly detailed explanation of the “why’s”, and a visual comprehension of how to apply. Personally, I believe application is where the good and the great are distinguished.

Brookbush has been incredibly helpful since I was in massage school and now as I’m in my career! I run my own practice and it gives me the resources I need to not only improve what I already know, but also help me navigate better, more efficient ways of treatment.

Totally loving the convenience and affordability of this program with my crazy lifestyle! I feel like I am getting a quality education without a massive cost! My favorite part is the videos I can watch in the courses. I learn so much better that way. Once I really spent more time on the site, I figured out how to maneuver around a lot better! I enjoy the sense of humor, as well as the easy explanation, and short tests. And if I am really tired, I can have the computer read me the lessons. 😁

Challenging concepts are explained in very understandable terms without dumbing down the material, and I find this program to be superior in quality to other personal training programs.

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This course includes tables of all joint actions permitted at each of the large joints of the upper body, along with the muscle groups that contribute to those joint actions. Note, these are the muscle groups responsible for producing these joint actions concentrically. Examples of concentric actions during exercise include, from the starting position to the bar near the chest during a lat pull-down, or from the floor back to the starting position during shoulder-width push-ups.

The course includes the functional anatomy of the scapula (scapulothoracic joint), shoulder joint (glenohumeral joint), and elbow joint (humeroulnar joint). Examples include the serratus anterior, upper trapezius, and lower trapezius contributing to upward rotation; the latissimus dorsi, posterior deltoid, teres major, and long head of the triceps brachii contributing to shoulder extension; or the anterior deltoid, the clavicular head of the pectoralis major, coracobrachialis and biceps brachii contributing to shoulder flexion.

Additionally, this course includes a learning activity to test your knowledge of functional anatomy. You will be asked to analyze compound movements and exercises commonly included in an upper-body workout plan or strength training routine. The exercises include single joint exercises like the reverse fly and chest fly, and compound movements like the close grip row (seated row), chest press (bench press or dumbbell press), lat pull down (pull-up), overhead press (military press), and close grip push-ups. Note, you will be asked to analyze the concentric phase (not necessarily the first phase to follow from the starting position)

Sports medicine professionals (personal trainers, fitness instructors, physical therapists, massage therapists, chiropractors, occupational therapists, athletic trainers, etc.) must master functional anatomy to analyze human movement, and develop sophisticated exercise programs and therapeutic (rehabilitation) interventions. Further, this course is essential knowledge for future courses discussing advanced human movement science like patterns of shoulder joint dysfunction (e.g. altered rotator cuff recruitment), the synergistic function of muscles (e.g. contribution of core muscles to upper body motions), the role of upper body muscles in injury (e.g. upper arm or shoulder impingement pain, pectoralis major tear, rotator cuff rupture – you don’t always need surgery, etc.), and sports performance (e.g. best upper body exercises for building strength, increasing muscle mass, and improving sports performance).

A posterior view of the upper body showing the latissimus dorsi, teres major, trapezius, deltoids, and obliques

Course Description: Functional Anatomy by Joint Action and Exercise of the Upper Body

Functional Anatomy by Joint Action and Exercise of the Upper Body

Functional Anatomy by Joint Action and Exercise of the Upper Body Course Study Guide

Study Guide: Functional Anatomy by Joint Action and Exercise of the Upper Body

Functional Anatomy of the Scapula

Functional Anatomy of the Shoulder

Functional Anatomy of the Elbow

Fill out the plane of motion, joints that are involved, joint actions, and muscles in the following exercises:

Common Upper Body Exercises: Activity

Common Upper Body Exercises: Answer Key

Carolyn Richardson, Paul Hodges, Julie Hides. Therapeutic Exercise for Lumbo Pelvic Stabilization – A Motor Control Approach for the Treatment and Prevention of Low Back Pain: 2nd Edition (c) Elsevier Limited, 2004

John V. Basmajian, Carlo J. De Luca. Muscles Alive: Their Function Revealed by ElectroMyography. 1985

Bibliography

Questions, comments, and criticisms are welcomed and encouraged