Muscular System

Question 1

What is the muscular system?

Answer 1

Enables movement, maintains posture, and produces heat.

Question 2

What is the role of the muscular system?

Answer 2

Balance, posture, movement, heat generation, respiration and digestion.

Question 3

How many muscles make up the muscular system?

Answer 3

Over 650.

Question 4

How many types of muscles are in the human body?

Answer 4

3

Question 5

What are the 3 types of muscles in the human body?

Answer 5

1. Skeletal muscle
2. Cardiac muscle
3. Smooth muscle

Question 6

What are the characteristics and functions of the skeletal muscle?

Answer 6

• Primarily attached to bones.
• Contraction is under direct control, so movement is said to be voluntary.

Question 7

What are the characteristics and functions of the cardiac muscle?

Answer 7

• Only found in the heart.
• Forms most of the heart.
• Involuntary (don’t think about it/don’t have control over it)

Question 8

What are the characteristics and functions of the smooth muscle?

Answer 8

• Movement is usually involuntary.
• Located on the walls of our internal structures.
  —— Stomach, blood vessels, intestines

Question 9

What are the 4 functions of muscle tissues?

Answer 9

1. Contractibility
2. Extensibility
3. Excitability
4. Elasticity

Question 10

What is contractability?

Answer 10

The capability or quality of shrinking or contracting, especially by muscle fibres.

Question 11

What is extensibility?

Answer 11

The ability of a muscle to be stretched.

Question 12

What is excitability?

Answer 12

The ability to respond to a stimulus, which may be delivered from a motor neuron or hormone.

Question 13

What is elasticity?

Answer 13

The ability to stretch a muscle to reach its full range of movement without restriction.

Question 14

What is the structure of voluntary muscles?

Answer 14

A voluntary muscle can be controlled by the mind. Skeletal muscle is made up of hundreds of fibres that are wrapped in a covering. An individual’s skeletal muscle structure is hereditary and helps to determine the type of sports and activities they are best suited for.

Question 15

How many types of fibres make up skeletal muscles’ composition?

Answer 15

2

Question 16

What are the 2 main types of fibres that make up skeletal muscles’ composition?

Answer 16

1. Slow-twitch (red fibres)
2. Fast-twitch (white fibres)

Question 17

What do short-twitch (red fibres) fibres do?

Answer 17

Contract slowly, produce less force, fatigue slowly and are suited to aerobic (distance) events or activities.
- Contain a large number of capillaries + produce a large amount of ATP slowly
AEROBIC = work with oxygen

Question 18

Examples of slow-twitch fibres:

Answer 18

Triathlon, cycling road race, race walking, 1500m swimming.

Question 19

What do fast-twitch (white fibres) fibres do?

Answer 19

Contract quickly, produce a great deal of force, fatigue quickly and are suited to anaerobic (speed/power) events or activities.
- Contain few capillaries + rapidly generate ATP anaerobically
ANAEROBIC = work in the absence of oxygen

Question 20

Examples of fast-twitch fibres:

Answer 20

Javelin, 1km cycling time trial, weightlifting, shot put, 100m sprint, high jump.

Question 21

How many slow-twitch & fast-twitch fibres are found in the average person?

Answer 21

50% slow-twitch and 50% fast-twitch.

Question 22

How many fast-twitch fibres are approximately found in Olympic sprinters?

Answer 22

Olympic sprinters have been shown to possess about 80% fast-twitch fibres.

Question 23

How many slow-twitch fibres are approximately found in marathon runners?

Answer 23

People who excel in marathons tend to have 80% slow-twitch fibres.