Learn Muscles in 60 Days

Welcome & Introduction to the Course

Welcome to the Learn Muscles in 60 Days course. This course was created for massage therapy students who need to learn the muscles of the body for school or the MBLEx (massage licensing exam). It covers essential information that massage therapists need to learn and retain throughout their career. Learn Muscles in 60 Days focuses on presenting relevant and useful information in an organized and concise way. This course integrates proven learning strategies into the design of the course to enhance your learning journey. Because of the volume of information, learning all of the muscles of the body has traditionally been an overwhelming and difficult task for many students. Learn Muscles in 60 Days uses microlearning strategies to present this information in bite-sized lessons to enhance retention and eliminate feeling overwhelmed. This course includes:

This course is also useful for currently practicing massage therapists who need a refresher course, as well as students and practitioners of related professions such as yoga instructors, personal trainers, athletic trainers, nursing students, and physical and occupational therapy students.

How to get the most out of this course

People who get the most out of this course are those who follow the step-by-step plan and consistently complete the lessons. This course presents information about the muscles of the body in 60 lessons. Two new muscles are introduced each lesson (occasionally there will be 3 muscles). If you’re not in a hurry to learn the muscles, you are always free to go through the course at a slower pace (e.g. 1 lesson every other day). Choose a pace that works for you, but try to avoid going through the course too quickly.

While this course is a comprehensive resource that can help you learn the muscles of the body, it is intended to serve as a supplement to your current study materials. It is a good companion resource to accompany your anatomy textbooks, school notes, Clay Maniken practice, or other online resources that you find useful. This course is not intended to be an exhaustive anatomy and kinesiology resource that replaces your textbooks.

*There are numerous anatomy resources and references that a massage student may use when learning the anatomy of the muscular system. Various anatomy sources present the origins, insertions, actions, innervations, and other muscle details slightly differently. They may use different wording or present the OIA at a different level of detail. Also, there are slight anatomical variations from person to person. The origins, insertions and actions of muscles presented throughout this course are written at an appropriate level of detail for massage therapy students and graduates preparing for the MBLEx.

Taking the quizzes

Taking quizzes is an effective way to assess your comprehension and recall of lesson content. Be sure to take the quiz at the end of each lesson, and then review your results. Spend a few minutes looking back over the lesson to review anything that you missed. You can retake the lesson quizzes as many times as you want.

Spaced Review

You will also see a Spaced Review section at the end of each lesson (beginning in lesson 2), which lists the recommended previous lessons to review on that day. Reviewing these lessons and retaking the quizzes at the recommended times is an important element of this course. These review sessions further reinforce what you previously learned and boost your long-term retention.

Making muscle flashcards

Making flashcards is a great way to learn the muscles of the body. The process of making each flashcard by hand utilizes different regions of your brain to enhance the learning process. Plus they are an effective and convenient tool to review the muscles before tests or whenever you have a few minutes. There are plenty of pre-made muscle flashcards (physical and digital versions), and those can be useful too. But the act of making your own flashcards will help you learn this information better.

Tips for making muscle flashcards

• Use 3×5 index cards. You can use different colored cards for different areas of the body (e.g. blue for muscles of the forearm, wrist and hand.)
• Include only 1 muscle per card
• Draw as much relevant detail as you can
• Include your own mnemonics, mental triggers, palpation tips, etc.
• Make separate flashcards for muscle groups (e.g. hip flexors)
• See this article on making flashcards

Additional Resources

The following is a list of resources on MBLExGuide that you may find helpful when learning the muscles of the body.

• Muscle OIA tables:
  • Muscles of the upper extremity
  • Muscles of the lower extremity
  • Muscles of the trunk
  • Muscles of the head and neck
• Articles you may find helpful:
  • Anatomy memorization tricks
  • Muscle fundamentals