Biceps, Triceps, Quadriceps: Meaning and Difference

One day after swimming front crawl — which works the triceps nicely — it all became clear. The triceps muscle has a curious shape at the top because it has three heads or points of origin. Its name literally comes from Latin: tri-ceps, meaning “three-headed.”

The biceps — from bi-ceps, meaning “two-headed” — is a two-headed muscle attached with a long and short connection at the top of the arm.

The quadriceps, from quadri-ceps or “four-headed,” is a group of four muscles on the front of the thigh that work together to extend your knee, though they're a little harder to see.

So the difference between the biceps, triceps, and quadriceps lies in the number of heads or attachments each has — two, three, and four, respectively — and in where what part of the anatomy they’re found: the upper arm and the upper leg.

Beyond this concept finally clicking for me, it was fun to emulate some of the anatomical graphical style of Leonardo Da Vinci — perhaps the ultimate at sketchplanations? — which I have long admired. For inspiration, this is a cracking collection: Leonardo Da Vinci the Graphic Works .

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