[extropy-chat] HISTORY: Solved & Unsolved Riddles

[Natasha Vita-More]

At 03:58 AM 11/14/03 -0500, Harvey  wrote:

>Spike wrote,
> > To expand on this thought just a bit, I
> > might conjecture about two muscle systems
> > in the human body that appear out of scale:
> > the gluteus maximus and the pectorals.

Humm.

>  > You almost need to devise some oddball exercise
> > machine to even challenge those powerful muscles
> > to any real degree.

Ahha?

>Not really.  Think about evolving on all fours while trying to outrun, out
>climb or out swim hungry predators.  These are the exact muscles you would
>maximize.  The glutes pull our hip joints back to provide thrust with our
>legs.

Oh, uhhum.

>  The pecs pull our shoulder joints back to provide thrust with our
>arms.

Yes.

>  Those with the largest glutes and pecs escaped predators more often.
>This is a simply a matter of speed provided by the larger muscles.  Sexual
>attraction to these muscles probably evolved as a secondary trait, just as
>attraction to symmetrical, healthy, brightly-colored, similar-looking mates
>did.

Good points Harvey. When I work out, I enjoy 2 body parts the best:  delts 
and glutes.

Natasha