Delavier was trained in the French academic style, and his book covers a wide variety of strength training exercises. The écorché drawings—detailed illustrations of muscles in action—offer both insight and perspective. At first, the complexity of the drawings felt overwhelming, but as I gained more experience, I began to appreciate them. Now, I find them incredibly useful for understanding how muscles appear under different conditions.
In the life drawing room, poses are often more static compared to the dynamic exercises in the book. However, I think the exaggerated forms help us see how muscles connect and interact, like threads woven into a moving sculpture. They also teach us how to emphasize movement and energy in our figure drawings, making them feel more alive.
Delavier, Frédéric. Strength Training Anatomy. 3rd ed. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics, 2010.