Chapter 4 - Improving Muscular Strength and Endurance Flashcards
Muscular strength
The ability of a muscle to generate maximal force. It is the amount of weight than an individual can lift in one maximal effort.
Muscular endurance
The ability to generate force over and over again.
Strength training benefits
- Incidence of low back pain is reduced
- Increases resting metabolic rate
Resting Metabolic Rate
Also called Resting Energy Expenditure; includes the energy required to drive the heart and respiratory muscles.
Fascia
Dense but thin layer of connective tissue that surrounds the muscle.
Tendons
Fibrous connective tissue that attaches muscle to bone.
Skeletal muscle exercise is classified into three major categories:
isotonic, isometric, and isokinetic
Isotonic Exercise
Type of exercise in which there is movement of a body part. Most exercise or sports skills are isotonic exercise, also called dynamic exercise.
Isometric Exercise
Type of exercise in which muscular tension is developed, but the body part does not move. Also called static exercise.
Isokinetic Exercise
Type of exercise that can include concentric or eccentric muscle actions performed at a constant speed using a specialized machine.
Concentric Muscle Action
Causes movement of the body part against resistance or gravity; also called positive work since it can be performed during isotonic or isokinetic exercise and shortens the muscle.
Ex. the upward movement of the arm during a bicep curl.
Eccentric Muscle Action
Controls movement with resistance and gravity; it occurs when muscle lengthens and is called negative work. The downward lowering phase of the bicep curl is controlled as biceps muscle lengthens.
Range of Motion
The amount of movement possible at a joint
Slow-Twitch Fibers
Type I Fibers contract slowly and produce low force. They are highly resistant to fatigue and can produce large quantities of ATP aerobically.
Fast-Twitch Fibers
Type IIx Fibers contract rapidly and generate great amounts of force but fatigue quickly. They have a lot aerobic capacity but can produce ATP anaerobically for a short period of time.
Fiber Recruitment
Process of involving more muscle fibers to increase muscular force.
Muscular Strength can be assessed by…
One-repetition maximum (1 RM) test, which measures the maximum amount of weight that can be lifted at one time
Muscular Endurance can be assessed by…
Push-Up and Sit-Up or Curl-Up Test
Hypertrophy
Increase in muscle fiber size (more likely)
Hyperplasia
Increase in the number of muscle fibers.
Valsalva maneuver
Trying to exhale against a closed airway during an intense muscle contraction; can reduce blood flow to the brain and cause dizziness and fainting.
Set
Number of repetitions performed consecutively without resting.
How much muscular exercise is needed for optimal strength gains?
2 to 3 days per week.
Three stages to developing an individualized exercise prescription
- Starter Phase
- Slow Progression Phase
- Maintenance Phase
Starter Phase
Build strength gradually without developing undue muscular soreness or injury. Best done twice a week.
Slow Progression Phase
4 to 20 weeks; increases frequency of training from 2 to 3 days per week, increasing the amount of weight lifted (decreasing repetitions), and increasing the number of sets from 2 to 3.
Maintenance Phase
Lifelong weight-training effort. One workout per week can be enough for this.
