muscular system Flashcards
smooth muscle
- located on walls of internal structures; stomach, blood vessels, intestines
- involuntary movement
striated muscle
- generates force
- contracts to support respiration
- voluntary movement
cardiac muscles
- forms most of the heart
- involuntary movement
skeletal muscles
- primarily attached to bones
- contractions under direct control
- voluntary movement
three main functions served by contraction and relaxation of muscles?
- provide movement to walk, run, jump, breathe, digest, and excrete
- provide stabilisation of posture and internal organs
- generate heat to maintain body temperature
reciprocal inhibition
muscles work together to produce movement - as one muscle contracts, its opposite muscles relaxes
agonist
contracting muscles primarily involved in producing movement
agonist example
agonist involved in flexion of the leg at the knee joint is the hamstring
antagonist
muscle that relaxes and lengthens to allow the agonist to contract and helps control the action
antagonist example
when the tricep is flexed, the biceps are the antagonist
what do stabiliser muscles do?
acts to stabilise bones/body segments so agonist can work more efficiently
stabiliser example
torso muscles (rectus abdominus + erector spinae) help keep body stable during running action
types of muscle contractions: concentric
- SHORTEN: produces enough tension to overcome weight/effect of gravity
- muscles contract while completing movement
- isotonic –> normal contraction
types of muscle contractions: eccentric
- LENGTHEN: when a muscle lengthens as it contracts
- isotonic –> normal contraction
example of eccentric muscle contraction
pectorals during down phase of a push-up
