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Luke Halpin
As an expert swimmer, Luke Halpin developed muscular arms. |
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Luke Halpin's Upper Arm
Luke's upper arms featured huge shoulders, bulging biceps, and highly defined triceps. |
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Luke Halpin's Arms
Luke Halpin's arms are lean, proportional, and well-toned. They may not be comparable to the big bulky guns of bodybuilders, but don't be fooled. They are plenty strong to handle all the swimming and stunt work that Luke puts in as Sandy Ricks. Even in the first feature Flipper, Luke's arms can impress with their sharp definition.
Luke Halpin isn't at all shy about showing off his arms: not only is Luke often seen without a shirt, but the shirts he does wear often come with extremely short sleeves. As a result, Luke Halpin provides plenty of opportunities to see and examine his highly athletic arms.
When studying the gallery pictures, examine each part of his arms (shoulder, upper arm, and forearm). Note the density and definition of the individual muscles as well as how the muscles are separated.
Shoulders
The deltoid muscles (shoulders) are technically not a part of the arm. Yet in Luke's upper arm development, it is hard to ignore them - Luke's shoulders are huge.
Luke's deltoids
normally appear rounded and muscular. But viewed from the side, they can take on a distinctively triangular shape. In addition, they even display noticeable striations in some pictures. (For a more in-depth discussion of Luke's shoulders, see Luke Halpin's Shoulders)
Biceps
The biceps is perhaps the most celebrated muscle of all. For some people, a well-developed biceps virtually defines a person's entire body development.
Luke Halpin's biceps, however, do not conform to modern-day preferences which tend to focus on massive size. But what Luke's biceps may lack in sheer bulk is more than compensated by its density, low fat content, and sharp definition. Even the attaching tendon appears quite prominent. Luke's biceps muscle possesses a distinctive football shape that stands out quite clearly from the larger triceps muscle behind it. Even when relaxed, Luke's biceps display an impressive bulge that curves outward out of his upper arm.
Triceps
Luke's triceps are quite muscular due to their extremely low fat content. In certain pictures, one can clearly see the "horseshoe" configuration when Luke is leaning backward on his arms. This "horseshoe" is the defining characteristic of all highly toned and defined triceps muscles. In the "horseshoe," the individual heads of the triceps are sharply separated. This separation is especially visible in Flipper's New Adventure.
Luke Halpin's Arms in Flipper
The following graphic from Season 1, Ep 11, Second Time Around, illustrates Luke's upper arms as seen early in the TV series:
Luke Halpin's upper arms possess impressive definition and hardness. The shoulder muscle is also very prominent in these pictures.
Ep 72, Flipper's Island, offers a detailed look at Luke Halpin's inner bicep:
Luke Halpin kept his upper arms in great shape all throughout the TV series. Whether extended or bent, Luke's upper arms display impressive muscularity. This next example, from Season 3, Ep 78, Dolphins Don't Sleep, compares Luke's upper arm when it is bent and extended.
| Ep 78 - Dolphins Don't Sleep |
Arm Bent |
Arm Extended |
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Luke's forearms, as seen in the above example, are filled with strands of tight muscles which are well balanced with his impressive upper arms. Luke's strong grip is a result of having well-conditioned forearms.
Underwater Lifting
The frequent action scenes in Flipper make for plenty of work for Luke Halpin's arms. As an example of the arm work he's done during the TV series, here is a scene from
Season2, Ep 50, Flipper and the Shark Cage where Sandy must lift a shark cage in which his brother Bud is trapped:
| Season2, Ep 50, Flipper and the Shark Cage |
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Whether swimming, diving, or lifting, Luke's athletic arms are very impressive to watch, and definitely worth the time to examine and admire.
Gallery
The following gallery is a collection of pictures taken from throughout The Luke Halpin Gallery as illustrations of Luke Halpin's arm development. Luke's arms were already impressive as far back as the first feature film. Close study of these pictures will better acquaint the fan with the way Luke Halpin's arms grew over his many years in Flipper.
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