Mastering Muscles and Movement: A Brain-Friendly System for Learning Musculoskeletal Anatomy and Basic Kinesiology

I found this book to study up on muscle anatomy for being a certified personal trainer. The author does a great job simplifying and organizing muscles by basic anatomical movement of joints, one at a time. The graphics really help to understand and memorize origins, insertions and direction of muscle movement. This is vastly superior to medical anatomy books which have muscles partially covered and juxtaposed to other structures. To that end, I wish the author would produce a second book or video series showing how the muscles are related to one another, and demonstrate muscle actions during basic exercises and movements, both simple (single joint) and compound.

There are excellent books and atlases which go into more detail in their discussion (e.g. Muscolino’s Manual of the Muscular System); with perhaps more “fine-art” illustrations (Thieme’s Atlas of the Musculoskeletal System). But this book presents the standard info really in the clearest, simplest, most systematic, concise, organized, way. Many figures; tons of information organized in tables, organized by body regions with very clear illustrations emphasizing origins & insertions. Also, very easy to navigate through this book thanks to the great indexes of muscles individually and by groups. The author really seems to have invested extremely large amounts of thought on the organization and layout to best present the material in a “brain-friendly” manner which is easier to absorb and wrap one’s head around. To lovers or students of the musculoskeletal system and kinesiology this is really a good investment of your money and time.

The most comprehensive book. I wish I had this years ago when I began massage school. Helps with refresher work & info when doing deeper dive study in Anatomy.