Muscle Contraction Research Paper

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Function of the muscular system: There are three types of ways that the muscles move. The first one is an agonist. Agonist muscles cause a movement to occur through their own contraction. For example, the triceps brachii contracts during the up phase of a push-up (elbow extension). During the down phase of a push-up, the same triceps brachii actively controls elbow flexion while relaxing. It is still the agonist, because while resisting gravity during relaxing, the triceps brachii continues to be the prime mover, or controller, of the joint action. Agonists are also interchangeably referred to as "prime movers," since they are the muscles considered primarily responsible for generating a specific movement. This term typically describes skeletal …show more content…

The fixator is a movement in the muscle(s) that stabilises the origin of the agonist and the joint that the origin spans (moves over) in order to help the agonist function most effectively. In the bicep curl this would be the rotator cuff muscles, the ‘guardians of the shoulder joint’. The majority of fixator muscles are found working around the hip and shoulder joints. Types of contraction: The first type of muscle contraction is an isometric contraction. An isometric muscle contraction, or static exercise, is one in which the muscle fires but there is no movement at a joint. In this type of muscle contraction, there is no change in length of the muscle, and no movement at the joints but muscle fibres fire. An example of isometric exercise includes pushing against a wall. The second type of muscle contraction is a concentric contraction. A concentric muscle contraction is a type of muscle activation that increases tension on a muscle as it shortens. Concentric contractions are the most common types of muscle activation athletes perform in a gym when lifting …show more content…

An eccentric muscle contraction is a type of muscle activation that increases tension on a muscle as it lengthens. Eccentric contractions typically occur when a muscle opposes a stronger force, which causes the muscle to lengthen as it contracts. Fibre types: The first fibre type is a slow oxidative. Slow oxidative muscle, as the name suggests contract slowly, and they depend on aerobic metabolism for energy. These fibres take three times as long as fast fibres to reach peak contraction, hence the term 'slow twitch.' Slow fibres are specialized to maintain prolonged contraction, as we need for standing or sitting. Human postural muscles, along with the chicken leg, contain a lot of slow fibres. These slow fibres have relatively low force, or contraction strength, and high endurance. The second fibre type is a fast oxidative-glycolytic. Fast oxidative-glycolytic fibres, are fast twitch muscle fibres which have been converted via endurance training. These fibres are slightly larger in diameter, have more mitochondria as well as a greater blood supply and more endurance than typical fast twitch

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