Now it’s time to take a look at the muscles in the Upper Body Area and then see how toning works in relation to them. These muscle groups in the upper back, shoulders, chest and arms are:   

Upper Body Muscle Group 

This group contains the trapezius and rhomboids. The trapezius muscle, shaped like a triangle, extends from the middle of your back up, covering the shoulder blades and on to your neck. They help with shoulder blade and backward head movements.

Toning the trapezius tones your shoulders, strengthening the back and neck against positional pain (like from lying down too long, sitting in the same place too long, etc.) The rhomboids, smaller muscles in the mid-back that help move the shoulder blades, reach upwards, just under the neck’s base. Toning them will help with good posture.

Shoulder Muscle Group 

This group of muscles includes the deltoids and rotators. The deltoids, thick triangular muscles covering shoulder joints, can be divided up into three areas; the anterior or front, lateral or side, and posterior or rear. Working these areas will help with shoulder range-of-motion, function and defined appearance or shape. The rotators or rotator cuffs are a group of muscles under the shoulder that position the arm. Toning them draws them in, under the arm.   

Chest Muscle Group 

This group contains the pectorals or pecs, four flat muscles, two on each side chest-front. They assist with upper arm and shoulder movements. While big fan-shaped pectoralis major muscles atop the lower pecs pull the arms across the chest, lower pectoralis minor muscles press the shoulders down. Working and toning this muscles group in men helps increase and define or sculpt the chest. In women, working and toning these helps provide support and lift for the bust.

Arm Muscles 

This group includes the biceps, triceps and forearm muscles.  Biceps are large muscles in the upper arm that contract to bend the elbows. Workouts and toning can help define and give shape to biceps. Triceps, the large muscles that travel along the back of the upper arm, work opposite the biceps to straighten out the elbow. Toning these can help eliminate excess downward “flab” or loose skin that shows when an arm is extended outwards. And forearm muscles, between the wrist and the elbow, help with multiple wrist hand and finger movements. Toning them is said to help with wrist afflictions and susceptibilities like Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.

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