Muscular proportion and symmetry are created by intelligent exercise choices and not simply by chance.

That’s why Dr Nick Evans, a highly regarded authority on strength training, nutrition and weight training injuries, believes that knowledge of anatomy is the key to success for any serious bodybuilder.

He asserts that by taking the guesswork out of bodybuilding anatomy, efforts at the gym will be more productive and efficient, producing maximum results in minimum time.

“In order to change the way you look, you must modify your anatomy. You should skillfully use weights to sculpt your body, not just to pack on pounds of flesh indiscriminately. The real secret is that to change anatomy, you must first know anatomy.”

Nick, an orthopedic surgeon specialising in sport injury, is an expert on musculoskeletal anatomy and has written for numerous scientific publications.

He is also the author of Bodybuilding Anatomy and Men’s Body Sculpting, and was a regular columnist for MuscleMag International and Oxygen.

He points to several examples of knowledge of anatomy being beneficial to a bodybuilder.

“When you know shoulder anatomy, you’ll realise that each of the three sections of the deltoid muscle demands a different exercise,” he reveals.

In regards to the back, he points out that “Three slabs of muscle cover your back. If you train only the lats, your back workout is incomplete.

To add thickness across your upper back, you need to target the trapezius.” Meanwhile, to create a foundation of strength in the lower back, bodybuilders must work the erector spinae muscles.

He explains that the triceps make up two-thirds of the muscle mass in the upper arm and that there are 10 ropelike muscles in the forearms that are on display when people wear short-sleeved shirts.

Each zone of the abdominals — the upper abs, the lower abs, and the obliques — also benefit from a varied set of exercises.

Nick stresses that it is also important for bodybuilders to learn how to adjust their grip, where to position their feet, how to position their bodies and how to manipulate exercise trajectory and range of motion in order to emphasise different sections of the targeted muscle.

“With no guidance, surely you’re doomed to circulate around the gym, stuck in a holding pattern” he warns.