Types of Muscle The human body is comprised of 324 muscles Muscle makes up 30-35% (in women) and 42-47% (in men) of

body mass.

Three types of muscle:

Skeletal muscle

Smooth muscle

Cardiac muscle

A. Skeletal (Striated) Muscle

Connects the various parts of the skeleton through one or more connective tissue tendons

During muscle contraction, skeletal muscle shortens and moves various parts of the skeleton

Through graded activation of the muscles, the speed and smoothness of the movement can be gradated

Activated through signals carried to the muscles via nerves (voluntary control)

Repeated activation of a skeletal muscle can lead to fatigue

Biomechanics: assessment of movement and the sequential pattern of muscle activation that move body segments

B. Smooth Muscle Located in the blood vessels, the respiratory

tract, the iris of the eye, the gastro-intestinal

tract

The contractions are slow and uniform

Functions to alter the activity of various body

parts to meet the needs of the body at that

time

Is fatigue resistant

Activation is involuntary

C. Cardiac Muscle Has characteristics of both skeletal and

smooth muscle

Functions to provide the contractile

activity of the heart

Contractile activity can be gradated (like

skeletal muscle)

Is very fatigue resistant

Activation of cardiac muscle is

involuntary (like smooth muscle)

a) Muscle b) muscle fibre bundle c) muscle fibre d) myofibril

Components of skeletal muscle

Muscle Fibres Cylinder-shaped cells that make up skeletal muscle

Each fibre is made up of a number of myofilaments

Diameter of fibre (0.05-0.10 mm)

Length of fibre (appr. 15 cm)

Surrounded by a connective tissue sheath called Sarcolemma

Many fibres are enclosed by connective tissue sheath Perimycium to

form bundle of fibres

Each fibre contains contractile machinery and cell organelles

Activated through impulses via motor end plate

Group of fibres activated via same nerve: motor unit

Each fibre has capillaries that supply nutrients and eliminate waste

Muscle Teamwork Agonist (prime mover):

- the muscle or group of muscles producing a desired effect

Antagonist:

- the muscle or group of muscles opposing the action

Synergist: - the muscles surrounding the joint being moved

Fixators:

- the muscle or group of muscles that steady joints closer to the body axis so that the desired action can occur

Bending or straightening of elbow requires the coordinated interplay of the biceps and triceps muscles

Contractile Machinery:

Tendons, origin, insertion In order for muscles to contract, they must be

attached to the bones to create movement

Tendons: strong fibrous tissues at the ends of each muscle that attach muscle to bone

Origin: the end of the muscle attached to the bone that does not move

Insertion: the point of attachment of the muscle on the bone that moves

Muscle Fibre Types

Slow twitch fibres:

Slow Oxidative (Type I)

Fast twitch fibres: Fast Glycolytic (Type IIb) Fast Oxidative Glyc. (Type IIb)

A. Slow Twitch Fibres Suited for repeated contractions during activities requiring a

force output of < 20-25% of max force output

Examples: lower power activities, endurance events

B) Fast Twitch Fibres Significantly greater force and speed generating capability than

slow twitch fibres

Well suited for activities involving high power

Examples: sprinting, jumping, throwing

The Muscle Biopsy Used to determine muscle fibre type

1. Injection of local anesthetic into the muscle being sampled

2. Incision of approximately 5-7mm is made in the skin and

fascia of the muscle

3. The piece of tissue (250-300mg) removed via the biopsy

needle is imbedded in OCT compound

4. The sample is frozen in isopentane cooled to –180C

Glycogen fibresLarge diameter

Oxidative fibres

Small diameter

Capillary blood vessels

Muscle Biopsy

The Histochemistry

The biopsy samples are first sectioned (8-10 μm thickness)

Sections are processed for myosin ATPase:

Fast twitch fibres – rich in myosin ATPase (alkaline labile)

Slow twitch fibres – low in myosin ATPase (acid labile) Sections are processed for other metabolic characteristics

Nerve-Muscle Interaction

Skeletal muscle activation is initiated through neural activation

NS can be divided into central (CNS) and peripheral (PNS)

The NS can be divided in terms of function: motor and sensory activity

Sensory: collects info from the various sensors located throughout the

body and transmits the info to the brain

Motor: conducts signals to activate muscle contraction

Activation of motor unit and its innervation systems

1. Spinal cord 2. Cytosome 3. Spinal nerve 4. Motor nerve 5. Sensory nerve 6. Muscle with muscle fibres

Motor Unit Motor nerves extend from the spinal cord to the muscle fibres Each fibre is activated through impulses delivered via motor end plate Motor unit: a group of fibres activated via the same nerve All muscle fibres of one particular motor unit are always of the same fibre

type Muscles needed to perform precise movements generally consist of a

large number of motor units and few muscle fibres Less precise movements are carried out by muscles composed of fewer

motor units with many fibres per unit

All-or-none Principle Whether or not a motor unit activates upon the

arrival of an impulse depends upon the so called all-or-none principle

An impulse of a certain magnitude (or strength) is required to cause the innervated fibres to contract

Every motor unit has a specific threshold that must be reached for such activation to occur

Intra-muscle Coordination The capacity to apply motor units simultaneously is

known as intra-muscle coordination Many highly trained power athletes, such as

weightlifters, wrestlers, and shot putters, are able to activate up to 85% of their available muscle fibres simultaneously (untrained: 60%)

Force deficit: the difference between assisted and voluntarily generated maximal force (trained: 10%, untrained: 20-35%)

Intra-muscle Coordination cont.

Trained athletes have not only a larger muscle mass than untrained individuals, but can also exploit a larger number of muscle fibres

Athletes are more restricted in further developing strength by improving intra-muscular coordination

Trained individuals can further increase strength only by increasing muscle diameter

Inter-muscle Coordination The interplay between muscles that generate movement

through contraction (agonists) and muscles responsible for opposing movement (antagonists) is called inter-muscle coordination

The greater the participation of muscles and muscle groups, the higher the importance of inter-muscle coordination

To benefit from strength training the individual muscle groups can be trained in relative isolation

Difficulties may occur if the athlete fails to develop all the relevant muscles in a balanced manner

Inter-muscle Coordination cont. High-level inter-muscle coordination greatly improves

strength performance and also enhances the flow, rhythm, and precision of movement

Trained athlete is able to translate strength potential to enhance inter-muscle coordination

Muscle’s Adaptation to Strength Training

Individual’s performance improvements occur through a process of biological adaptation, which is reflected in the body’s increased strength

Adaptation process proceeds at different time rates for different functional systems and physiological processes

Adaptation depends on intensity levels used in training and on athlete’s unique biological make-up

Enzymes adapt within hours, cardiovascular adaptation within 10 to 14 days

Discussion Questions

1) What are the 3 types of muscle found in the human body?

2) Skeletal muscle is made up of bundles of ________, each of which are made up of a number of ________.

3) What are the 3 types of muscle fibres? Give two characteristics of each type of fibre.

4) What are the main types of fibre contraction? Give real life examples of each.

6) Discuss the differences between inter- and intra-muscle coordination

Make a Table with muscles from pg. 44-45 in textMuscle Name Function Describe

movementsOrigin Insertion

Bicep

Brachii

Prime mover Flexes lower arms Coracoid Process

Head of Humerus

Radius

There will be some information that is not in your text. Do your best for now.

Key Terms Skeletal muscle

Smooth muscle Cardiac muscle Biomechanics Muscle fibres Myofilaments Motor unit Sarcomeres Cross bridge formation

Slow twitch fibres Fast twitch fibres Muscle biopsy Isometric contraction Isotonic contraction Isokinetic contraction Concentric contraction Eccentric contraction Plyocentric contraction