Physiology of a chest lift

A big thanks to Lauren (not me, a different Lauren!) from the Bhuz forums for the great discussion about this very topic, which was what prompted this post to begin with!

Chest lifts involve a series of muscular engagements that seem entirely too tricky for the simple movements they create. I’ve seen a number of posts on a number of belly dance forums requesting advice on how to master chest lifts without relying excessively on actively inflating and deflating the lungs to achieve the move. Not only does inflating/deflating the lungs not give the most desirable effect, it can also result in the dainty dancer hyperventilating and passing out. That, needless to say, is NOT what we want!

One of the more common descriptions of the chest lift movement is to "push" the chest up using the upper abdominals. As discussed in the last post, this is impossible; muscles do not push. While we certainly want to maintain an engaged core in order to keep correct posture, attempting to push with the abdominals could actually result in a more strained chest lift What will happen when you engage your abs to "push" the chest is that the abs will contract, thereby making the muscles that are actually involved have to work harder to overcome the resistance of the rectus abdominis (the sheet of muscle that everyone wants to be a six-pack, a.k.a. "abs"). Let those abs relax, staying nice and supple to allow freedom of movement. The muscles at the front and bottom of your rib cage are similarly not going to be doing any of the work, so try to relax them as well.

So what muscles are we using to lift the chest? Here’s the best list of major muscle players that I can compile, along with sources. I’ll try to keep the list running from the most involved to the least involved muscles. Again, don’t quote me on this! This is what I can figure out from the resources available, and I could very well be wrong on one or more counts!

Serratus Posterior (superior and inferior): these muscles attach from the back end of the rib (near the spine) to the vertebrae above it. The contract upwards towards the vertebrae, causing the rib cage to lift and thus aiding in inspiration, and of course, chest lifts.

Levatores Costarum: assists in raising/elevating the rib cage. They join the spine-end of each rib to the vertebrae above it and contract upwards.

External Intercostal Muscles: elevate the ribs, expands the rib cage outwards. These muscles help with normal and forced inhalation.

Sternocleidomastoid: flexes the neck, raises the sternum and assists in forced inspiration. It was also my favourite muscle when I was studying anatomy, purely because I like how its name sounds when said aloud. While these muscles do help lift the sternum, try to keep them as relaxed as possible, otherwise they flare like crazy at the front of your neck. The effect less "bellydancer" and more "bodybuilder hefting a loaded bar for a biceps curl."*


If you've got more info on specific muscles engaged in chest lifts, please drop me a line. But please also send me a resource verifying the info, otherwise I'll have to dig that info myself!

More resources

List of Muscles of the Human Body. Yes, I know that it’s a Wikipedia entry and as an academic librarian type I should be cautious about referencing it, but the editor of their anatomy articles has very solid credentials and the info provided here is consistent with my print resources. Plus, that list of muscles is a fantastic resource.

Get Body Smart: Muscular system. This is a good interactive website with clickable muscle layers. Play around a bit on this site, it’s well worth the time.



* I've got a problem keeping the sternocleidomastoids relaxed. Mine are well developed and unusually agile for such a well-fastened muscle. Keeping them relaxed takes a lot of concentration.

More On Feet: Strength and Flexibility

The previous post dealt with feet, and so shall this one. Moving from the technical and aesthetic to the practical, I've dug up some resources on how to improve your foot's strength and flexibility.

But first, a photo of the feet of yours truly:



I have to say, I've always rather liked my feet! But I digress...

Foot muscles aren't exactly the focus of most strength training programs. Why would they be? They just sort of...exist, somewhere at the bottom of our legs. You can't see the plantar muscles rippling with power, not like you can with a well-toned set of quads. You stand on them, you walk around on them, you tiptoe on them in releve while drawing attention to your pistoning hips. Poor little neglected feet!

Strengthening your feet

Standing on the balls of your feet requires quite a lot of strength, and not just from your calf and leg muscles. Look back to the anatomy pictures linked in my previous post and gander at the network of muscles running around that bony framework and up the ankle. You want to be able to dance in releve for extended periods? Better start training that foot - your extensor muscles must pull your toes back while the pereonial tibial helps stabilize the ankle so you don't roll. You want to execute moves with a lovely balletic point? Start building up your flexors so you can strongly pull your toes and arch your foot. There's a lot more happening in those two moves with a cohort of smaller muscles too.

Plies, releves, and all sorts of movements requiring you to raise and lower your body using your feet are excellent for developing foot strength. Should you wish to work on more explosive power, you may wish to practice springing and hopping moves wherein you focus on using your feet and ankles (as opposed to your knees and thighs) to power the jumps.

If you would like a bit of extra assistance with your foot strengthening routine, you may wish to invest in a chunk of rubber tubing or rubber sheeting (such as a theraband) to give you some resistance training. These sorts of materials are available very cheaply from medical supply stores. An excellent set of foot strengthening exercises using a theraband are detailed in the following articls:

Theraband Exercises: Three for your Feet"

Developing flexibility

Proper flexibility will help prevent painful injuries. While you want your muscles to be nice and stable to minimize the potential for rolling, you also want them to be supple enough to allow your feet to bobble and roll properly without pulling muscles or tearing tendons.

It is very likely that your dance and exercise activities, along with many daily activities, provide most of the foot flexibility you need. If you think your muscles are a bit tight, though, this YouTube video will give you some ideas for additional stretches. You can practice these with tennis balls or any surface that allows you to deeply stretch your feet. The individual in the video is using a more specialized type of equipment for her foot stretches, but anything that allows you to do that sort of exercise is just fine.



I also managed to dig up a very entertaining medical article admonishing tight-fitting shoes and their impact on foot flexibility. The article dates back to 1898, thus reinforcing the notion that the more things change, the more they stay the same!

The Flexibility of the Human Foot

Recently, I've noticed a reduction in the flexibility of my right big toe. For reasons that the folks at a local rehab and therapy clinic could not determine, my mobility in my right big toe is about 10 degrees less than in my left big toe. This makes training for Turkish drops rather difficult, as I simply can't bend my big toe far enough to make it all the way to the floor without snapping the wretched thing off. The occupational therapist who was examining my feet understood why I wanted to regain some flexibility in that joint, so he gave me this nifty looking contraption:



Because foot muscles and tendons are very, very tight and strong, I need to keep my toe in that flexed position for a very long time. Actually, I need to keep it like that for hours. This means I have to wear the splint to bed. Sexy! It doesn't really feel like it's doing anything when I'm wearing it, but we will see what the results are like in a few weeks. I can sleep through anything, so I'm certainly willing to give it a try.

More foot injuries, specifically for dancers!

I provided links to info about foot injuries in my last post, but I am a sucker for this sort of information. I came across a particularly good article that is geared towards us prancers, and it would be a shame not to share this gem:

Common Dance Injuries: The Foot and Ankle

Dancing Body Bits ‘n’ Parts: The Foot

While checking out the Body Worlds exhibit (which is brilliant, highly educational, and a must-see for anyone interested in how their body works), I became absolutely fascinated with feet. The structure and working of feet have always been interesting to me, but being able to see that incredible tangle of nerves, tendons, ligaments, bones, and muscles up close and in such detail was positively inspiring. It provides a wonderful kick-off to what I plan on being a regular Healthy Belly feature: in-depth examination of the more visible body-bits integral to dancing well. So let us begin with the bottom-most bit: the foot.

Let us take a moment to appreciate the foot. People often malign their feet for being too coarse, too short, too wide, or too calloused. We curse them when they hurt, whine about our blisters, fret over the state of our toenails, and worry about developing bunions. Meanwhile, these beautiful appendages put up with an absurd amount of abuse as they get pounded, stretched, flexed, and twisted during our daily rounds – never mind during dance!


Basic Foot Anatomy

The following information is from The Podiatry Channel

Quick Facts:

- The foot has 26 bones, which is one quarter of the bones in your entire body.

- The foot has 33 joints, making it a structure that is extremely flexible in multiple directions. This degree of flexibility also means that the foot can be a bit unstable, as anyone who has twisted their ankle while walking normally down the street can attest.

- Your foot as over 100 muscles, tendons (which connect muscle to bone), and ligaments (which connect bones to bones).

- Your foot has three structural parts: the forefoot, the midfoot, and the hindfoot.

The Podiatry Channel’s page on foot anatomy is a great resource for basic foot anatomy. I’d highly recommend studying their gorgeous images of foot anatomy and getting acquainted with the bits of your feet. I’ve always had a soft spot for the Achilles’ Tendon – it’s huge, and has a sort of industrial, built-of-steel type elegance to it.


Foot conditions and injuries

While a belly dancer’s foot doesn’t usually endure the sort of potentially disfiguring strain that ballet dancers’ feet undergo, our tootsies still put up with a lot. Dancing barefoot on hard studio floors, scarred stages, and treacherous restaurant tiles takes its toll. Many of you have likely experienced some of these common foot conditions and injuries:

Calluses - Those thick pads of built-up dead and toughened skin are designed to protect areas that experience high friction and pressure. If they are allowed to get too dry or thick, however, they can crack painfully, with cracks running deep enough to draw blood. This opens us up to the possibility of infection. Also, they aren’t terribly pretty. There are lots of ways you can deal with sore, cracked, or just plain ugly calluses without spending a fortune. For hints, check out Corns and Calluses: 20 Ways to Soothe and Smooth

Bunions - This foot deformity is the bane of many a dancer’s existence. Happily, we belly dancers often have the option of dancing barefoot, although heeled performance shoes are sometimes necessary - restaurant floors can harbor nasty, gooey, and sharp surprised for unshod feet. Still, they can hurt. The link above will give you excellent info on what causes bunions (blame your parents, not your shoes!) , and how they can be treated. I am going in to be fitted with orthotics in about a week

Foot Sprain - Sprains are usually more associated with non-dance activities, but they’re common enough to make them of interest to dancers. We are kind of useless without our feet. The article I’ve linked to contains symptom and treatment info, and provides a nice breakdown as to where foot sprains usually occur.


Pretty, pretty feet!

Pedicures are luxurious. Pedicures are relaxing. Pedicures are also ridiculously expensive, especially if we are going to then go out and ruin our lovely polish with a good night’s dancing. We could just let foot grooming slide, of course, but our feet are as much on display when dancing as our hands or our hair. It behooves us to doll them up as much as we would any other part of ourselves.

Fortunately for us, there are lots of websites with hints for giving yourself a marvelous home pedicure. One of the best I’ve found is RealSimple’s Easy At-Home Pedicure Shortcuts. It has three different kinds of pedicures: the two minute, the five minute, and the thirty-five minute. Top it off with a pretty shade of polish that coordinates with your costume, or workout togs, or whatever, and you’ll have indulged in a bit of bodily appreciation worthy of your feet!

Now if I could only muster up the discipline to stay still long enough for the polish to dry…