Flexing can you gain muscle

There used to be no muscle behind my arm until I learned how to flex my tricep correctly. This brings up the next benefit — flexing burns fat! As I discussed in Target Where You Burn Fat , in order to burn fat more efficiently in targeted areas, you need to contract the muscle under the fat to increase blood flow. The better you are at flexing, the better your body becomes at spot-reduction fat loss. Once you know how to use the correct muscles during an exercise, your risk for injury decreases.

Many injuries occur because people are using incorrect muscles when lifting. Your form could look fine, but if the wrong muscles are engaging, you are putting strain on areas of your body that they are not meant for. The group that had simply flexed as their training for 12 weeks had increased thickness of their biceps and triceps.

One group were then asked to think about flexing their muscles for 10 minutes a day through the cast, while the other half were asked to be do nothing. Miraculously, when the casts were removed, the group that thought about flexing had twice as strong wrist muscles compared to the group who did nothing. In summary, does flexing build muscle? It certainly appears so based on the scientific literature. While probably not going to replace the weight room, it certainly does provide muscular and neurological benefits.

Half the group were asked to think about flexing their muscles for 10 minutes a day, five days a week, and the other half were asked to do nothing. When the casts were removed, it was found that simply thinking about flexing, attenuated loss of muscle strength in individuals by about 50 percent, meaning the muscles of the group that thought about flexing were nearly twice as strong as they were at the outset of the study period.

Although the study was small, it suggests that neurological mechanisms may contribute to muscle weakness induced by disuse.

There are several flexing muscles exercises you can try at home or at the gym, some of which are described by the U. Department of Veterans Affairs' Move! Program :. Fitness Training How To Gain muscle. Aubrey Bailey is a Doctor of Physical Therapy with an additional degree in psychology and board certification in hand therapy.

Bailey is also an Anatomy and Physiology professor. Caroline Haley. Caroline is a freelance writer based in New York City. She has written health, nutrition and wellness content for Boots Pharmacy, Meredith Corporation in collaboration with Pfizer and Livestrong.

Her writing — on topics such as fitness and women's empowerment — has also appeared in Grok Nation, L. Related Articles. Thank you for signing up. Your information has been successfully processed! I want content for Muscle and Fitness Promotions. Muscle and Fitness Hers Promotions.