Biomechanics – Chapter 2

Reminders

 Agonist
- Prime mover
- Responsible for force

 Antagonist
- Opposite side of joint from prime mover
- Needs to relax for agonist function or there will be reduced ROM

 Synergistic/Assistive
- Muscle that help prime move
- Never produce as much force as prime mover

 Stabilizer/Fixator
- Muscle that will anchor bone in place for prime mover can function
- Shoulder = rhomboids/middle traps

 Levers
- Lever – a rigid or semirigid body that, when subjected to a force whose line of action does
not pass through its pivot point, exerts force on any object impeding its tendency to rotate
- Axis (joint)
- Force (muscle)
- Resistance
o Force and resistance vary in location
- 1st, 2nd, 3rd class levers

 Mechanical advantage
o The ratio of the moment arm through which an applied force acts to that through
which a resistive force acts
o For equilibrium, the produce of muscle fore and moment arm must be equal to the
product of the resistive force and moment arm
o Ration of force arm/resistive arm
o Concentric < 1 mechanical disadvantage (need more force than resistance force)
o Eccentric > 1 mechanical advantage
Levers

 I st class – figure 2.2

- Force and resistance are on opposite sides of axis (joint)

 2nd class – figure 2.3

- Force and resistance are on same side of axis
- Greater force arm (longer)
- Favors muscle force
 3rd class (most systems) – figure 2.4
- Force and resistance are on same side of axis
- Greater resistance arm
- Favors resistance
- Mechanical disadvantage
Factors that Influence Force Production Examples

Patella and Mechanical Advantage Example – figure 2.5

 Changes in tendon insertion with anatomical differences

o Greater insertion distance is greater force capacity
o Greater distance sacrifices velocity
 As the knee moves through ROM, the patella changes the force arm
 Patellar ligament changes force arm (pully that changes direction of force)
 Torque = F x distance (perpendicular)
o What is the distance from the joint to where the line of muscle force is intersected at
90o
o If torque changes, the mechanical advantage changes

Change in MA (moment arm) thru ROM of a Joint – figure 2.6 (perpendicular change thru ROM)

- Moment arm – arm of force through ROM

- Strongest when moment arm or distance perpendicular is the longest
-

Change in Moment Arm thru ROM – figure 2.7

Change in Joint Angle thru ROM – figure 2.8

-
Planes of Movement– figure 2.9

- Impact force
-

Human Strength & Power

 Strength
- Capacity to produce force

 Power
- Capacity for force and velocity (speed)

 Strength vs power in sport performance

- In athletics, mainly looking for power

Factors That Influence Strength and Power

1. Neural control
- Referring to recruitment (how many motor neurons can fire at the same time),
synchronization (motor units fire at the same time), and rate coding (how fast and how
often are motor neurons firing)
- More force, synchronization motor unit firing
- Comes through training, learn to recruit in a proper sequence

2. Muscle cross-sectional area

- Individual muscle fibers, the muscle the has the greatest cross-sectional area and diameter
would have the greatest force producing capacity
- Hypertrophy (individual fibers get bigger, improving cross-section, inc cross-bridge numbers
and strength - offseason), strength, then power (preseason) when it comes to periodization
of training
-
3. Arrangement of muscle fibers – figure 2.11
- Different muscles have different fibers running in different directions

o Pennate muscle
o Fibers inserting into tendon
o Uni, bi, and multipennate
o Stronger than other muscle designs
o Explains why muscles vary in force producing capacity
o Pennate favour force
o Fusiform favour velocity
o Pennate cross sectional area bigger (number of cross bridges greater)

o Angle of pennation
 Change angle through ROM
 Insertion changes

4. Muscle length

a. At rest

b. At full ROM

c. At contraction

5. Joint angle
- Joint angle changes so force production capacity changes
- Joint angle changes through ROM
- Reason force capacity changes through ROM because moment arm changes and muscle
fiber length changes

6. Muscle contraction velocity

- Non linear relationship
- How fast can we active sliding muscle theory (cross bridges)
 - Faster one contracts the lower the force production (beginner)
- Power athletes need to inc maximal force at greater velocity

7. Joint angular velocity

- Similar to muscle velocity
- Faster move through joint angle, less force you produce
- Isometric, concentric, eccentric contractions

8. Insertion angle & length from axis

- Insertion angle is the angle of the tendon into the bone
- Vary through ROM and force production

Other Factors

9. Pre-stretching
- Adds to concentric force production
- Pre-stretch like winding up
- Muscle tension inc
- Contractile proteins and cross bridges recoil after being stretched (more force production)
- Elastic band being stretched and the it fires or recoils (more force)
- Scar tissue doesn’t have elastin, so it cant pre stretch so there is less force and reduced ROM

10. Insertion angle

- As insertion angle of tendon to bone changes so does the distance perpendicular or length
of moment arm
- If distance perp goes up, the end result is torque goes up

11. Fiber type

- Fast, slow and intermediate
- Slow twitch, type 1, slow oxidative, red
o Slow is velocity of contraction, smaller diameter motor nerve
o Oxidative is the method of ATP production (aerobic)
o Red because of inc blood supply, O2, and hemoglobin
- FOG type 2a, intermediate
o Depending on training depends on if it goes to oxidative or glycolytic
o Intermediate sized motor neuron
o Slightly better blood supply than fast twitch but not as good as slow twitch
- FG type 2b
o Fast has the larger diameter of motor neuron, action potential is greater
 o Glycolytic means that glycolysis is major energy source
o Fast glycolysis because it goes glucose to pyruvate

12. Force velocity curve – figure 2.13

- More curve up and to the right
- Every muscle group at every joint will have its own curve

13. Strength-to – mass ration

- Most mass doesn’t mean strongest
- Mass should inc with strength, if not it can be detrimental to performance

14. Body size

- Body size inc faster than body strength
- The smaller athletes are stronger, less mass to worry about
- For power athletes, what is ideal body mass and composition for athlete
- Bigger not always better or desired

Concentric contraction

Eccentric contraction

Isometric contraction

Sources of Resistance to Muscle Contraction

1. Gravity

a. Application to RT
- Free weights
- Gravity in one direction, straight down

b. Weight Stack machines - cam based machines (accommodating resistance) – figure 2.14
- Machine is not source for athlete
- Neurological muscle control dec
 - Changes in resistance force arm
- Athletes don’t get a chance to work in their strong spots in ROM
- Accommodated is force arm of resistance to match strong and weak spots

2. Inertia
- Form of resistance
- Mass x acceleration
- Constant resistance that changes from beginning to end

3. Friction
- Harder work is to get weight moving against friction
- Coefficient of friction dec when its moving

4. Fluid resistance
- Swimming pool
- Fluid doesn’t have to be water could be air (discs subject to fluid resistance)

5. Elasticity
- Elastic bands
- As elastic tissue is stretched resistance goes up
- Rehab option

6. Negative work and power

- Negative work = eccentric loading, negative training

Joint Biomechanics – Concerns in RT

1. Back health
- Disc herniations in lumbar regions
- Greatest load or resistance is

a. Lifting belts & intrabdominal pressure (figure 2.15)

- Belts reserved for those lifting near max loads
- Load beyond capacity for maintenance of core
- Belt probably inc back health
 - Cautio of detraining abdominal core if you use it too much
- Slowly detrain from weight belt if they need to get off of it
o Work on core
o Don’t suddenly take it off
o Core is very weak and untrained
- General fitness needs healthy spine

b. Valsalva maneuver
- Squeeze
- Creates pressure to push against spine

c. Neutral spine

2. Shoulders
- Shoulders most mobile, which means they are the least stable
- Joint is shallow, which allows for circumduction
- Stability is from ligaments and tendons

3. Knees
- Knee subject to injury as there are long levers that attach to high forces
- More intended motion of knee is flexion and extension
- More injuries occur if there is a planted foot and rotation
- Knee wraps are only to be used during the lift
o Elasticity of tensor adds up to 10lbs to lift
o Restricts blood flow
o Inc venous return

Basic Guidelines for Reducing Injury Risk

 Warm-up

 Full ROM
- Minimizes potential risk

 Progressive overload

 Spotting
 - When necessary, over head or over face

 Variety
- Neuromuscular system working harder

 Caution of plyometrics
- Have to have certain level of neuromuscular control and fitness to do plyos

**pain during exercise

- For general fitness

o Pain in muscle belly is ok
o Pain in joints is bad

Terminology of Joint & Muscle Movements – Pages 26-27