The Muscles Behind The Moment: From Becks To The Beatles
A celebration of legendary moments in time and the muscles that made them possible.
15 YEARS AGO: Peak David Beckham
Four years after getting sent off at the 1998 World Cup, Golden Balls earned his redemption, drilling in a bullet penalty versus Argentina at the 2002 World Cup in Japan and South Korea. Yet he — and England — wouldn’t have been there had he not curled in the most sumptuous of free-kicks against Greece eight months earlier.
“That famous free kick is the perfect example of skill and power,” explains physio Mike Aunger of Technique Physiotherapy & Sports Medicine, dissecting the muscles behind each historic moment. “There are multiple muscles involved in producing power but the rectus femoris, one of the four quadriceps muscles in the front of the thigh, is crucial. The adductor magnus on the inside of the thigh works to externally rotate the foot so he can strike the ball with his instep.
“At the same time the left leg requires strength and stability to provide the stable foundations that let Beckham produce the wicked whip and speed on the ball with his right foot. That demands strong muscles of the gluteus medius and minimus to stabilise the hips.”
The fact the England captain was able to control his nerves, harness the adrenaline flowing through his body and resist draining fatigue at the end of such an important match underlines why this free kick is one of the best in world football.
Want to bend it like Beckham? Aunger recommends the Bulgarian split squat and goblet squat as the perfect combo of leg exercises to build muscles that’ll help you follow in his famous footsteps in your next Sunday league outing.
60 YEARS AGO: The Beatles home at The Cavern Club opens
In January 1957 The Cavern Club in Liverpool opened its doors, becoming the home of rock music throughout the Swinging 60s with the Beatles leading from the front. Twelve years later the Beatles released Abbey Road, their 11th studio album featuring one of the most iconic covers of all time, with John, Paul, George and Ringo striding across the zebra crossing outside EMI Studios in London’s St John’s Wood.
But which muscles enabled them to lead this cultural revolution? “Ringo would have relied on tireless muscles of the core and back, specifically the rectus abdominis and latissimus dorsi, to keep the beat on the drums,” says Aunger. “The flexor digitorum profundus and superficialis muscles of the hand are vital for strumming and forming chords for the lead and bass guitar as well as the dexterous playing of the piano. And the muscles of the diaphragm and abs that make up the epigastrium over the stomach, would need to be on song for the Beatles to hit their vocal high notes.”
The same is true in order for their adoring fans to reach the glass-shattering high pitches that followed the famous Liverpudlians wherever they toured.
125 YEARS AGO: The Lord of the Rings author is born
It turns out Ringo Starr and legendary LOTR author J. R. R. Tolkien would have been cut from the same cloth. Or at least anatomically they were relying on the same key muscles for their craft. “The core and back muscles would have been tested from hour upon hour hunched over his typewriter to complete his legendary tome of hobbits, dwarves, elves and uruk-hai. It’s the same for anyone working at a desk.
“That’s why it’s good to regularly stretch at work,” says Aunger. While seated, arch your back and push your stomach forwards slightly to stretch your abs muscles, then sit upright and reach as high as possible while keeping your shoulders relaxed to release tension in your upper back. “Hold each stretch for 10 seconds and repeat every hour.”
Further reading: Muscles Behind The Moment: Andy Murray wins gold
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