Anatomical, Mechanical and Physiological Bases of Movement (Skeletal System, Muscular

System, Components of Fitness)

The Skeletal System
The skeleton is made out of 206 bones of different sizes and shapes. It serves as the framework that holds the
whole body together.
Types of Bones
The types of bones are classified on the basis of their form:
▪ Long bones - leg and arm bones
It has a long, thin shape. Examples include the bones of the arms and legs (excluding the wrists, ankles
and kneecaps). With the help of muscles, long bones work as levers to permit movement.

▪ Short bones – wrist and ankle bones

It has a squat, cubed shape. Examples include the bones that make up the wrists and the ankles. Short
bones provide stability and support as well as some limited motion.

▪ Flat bones – skull, shoulder blade, ribs, sternum and patella

It has a flattened, broad surface. Examples include ribs, shoulder blades, breast bone and skull bones.
Flat bones serve as points of attachment for muscles and often protect internal organs.

▪ Irregular – bones of the spinal column

It has a shape that does not conform to the above three types. Examples include the bones of the spine
(vertebrae).
Bones in the Body
▪ Skull – The bones that form the head. The skull is made up of cranial bones (bones that surround and
protect the brain) and facial bones (bones that form the eye sockets, nose, cheeks, jaw, and other parts of
the face). Also called cranium.

▪ Mandible – forms the lower jaw and the only moveable joint in the head that provide the chewing
motion.
▪ Zygomatic – are the cheek bones.

▪ Nasal – forms the bridge of the nose

▪ Ribs – The ribs are thin, flat curved bones that form a protective cage around the organs in the upper
body. They comprised 24 bones arranged in 12 pairs that form a kind of cage that encloses the upper
body. They give the chest its familiar shape to protect the heart and lungs from injuries and shocks. The
ribs also protects parts of the stomach, spleen, and kidneys, during respiration, the muscles in between
the ribs lift the rib cage up to allow the lungs to expand when you inhale. Then, the rib cage moves
down again, squeezing the air out of your lungs when you exhale.

▪ Sternum – The long flat bone that forms the center front of the chest wall. The sternum is attached to
the collarbone and the first seven ribs. Also called the breastbone.

▪ Vertebral Column – The vertebral column also called the backbone or spinal column consist of series
of 33 irregularly shaped bones called vertebrae.
▪ Humerus – is the longest bone in the upper extremity.

▪ Clavicle – is also known as the collar bone. It is the bone that connects the breastplate (sternum) to the
shoulder.

▪ Scapula – commonly called the shoulder blade. It overlays the second through the seventh ribs and
serve as attachment for several muscles.

▪ Patella – is a large triangular sesamoid bone between the femur and the tibia. The patella protects the
knee joint and strengthens the tendons that forms the knee.

▪ Femur – is the longest, largest, and strongest bone in the body.

 ▪ Tibia – is second longest bone in your body. It plays an important role in how you stand, move and keep
your balance. The tibia connects to the femur to form the knee joint. The tibia is larger that the fibula
because it bears the weight while the fibula serves as an area for muscle attachment.
▪ Fibula –is a long bone in the lower extremity that is positioned on the lateral side of the tibia. The fibula
is much smaller and thinner than the tibia.

Muscular System
The Muscles
You have about 650 muscles in your body. While bones give the body structure and support, they cannot move
by themselves. Muscles are need for all body movements like walking, running, talking, breathing and others.
The three functions of muscles are movement, maintenance of posture, production of body heat and muscles
help give our body its shape.
3 Types of Muscles
There are three types of muscle
▪ Skeletal Muscles – are connected to the bones. A skeletal muscle fiber is long, cylindrical,
multinucleated and contains an alternation light and dark striations. They are also called voluntary
muscles because the movements they produce are under your control that maybe rapid or forceful.
Contraction stabilizes the joint.

▪ Smooth Muscles – are long and spindle-shaped with no striation. It is located in the walls of tubular
structures and hollow organs such as the digestive tract, the blood vessels and other internal organs
except the heart.

▪ Cardiac Muscles – are involuntary muscles found only in the heart that works nonstop for life. Its
contraction occurs involuntarily and is rhythmic and automatic. When the body is at rest the heart
generally beats about 60 to 70 times in a minute.
Muscle Contraction
Skeletal muscle is attached to the bone by long ropy strands called tendon. The skeletal muscles contract or
shorten, to move the bones. A muscle only pulls in one direction. It needs another muscle to pull in the muscle
in the opposite direction in order to return a bone to its original position. When you straighten the arm the
triceps contracts pulling the biceps back to a relax position.
▪ Isotonic – a muscular contraction in which the length of the muscle changes.
o eccentric: an isotonic contraction where the muscle lengthens.
o concentric: an isotonic contraction where the muscle shortens.
▪ Isometric – a muscular contraction in which the length of the muscle does not change.
Skeletal Muscles
Muscles of the neck
▪ Sternocleidomastoids - are large muscles extending diagonally down sides of the neck. Possible
movements are flexion, extension and rotation (twist) of the head.
Muscles of the Upper Extremities
▪ Trapezius – is a large triangular muscles located at the upper surface of the back that moves the
shoulder and extends the head.
▪ Deltoid – used as an injection site. It is a thick triangular muscle that covers the shoulder joint that
causes the upper arm to abduct.
▪ Pectoralis major – is located at the anterior part of the chest that flexes the upper arm and helps and
helps to abduct the upper arm.
▪ Biceps Brachii – is the muscle located at the upper arm to the radius that helps to flex the lower arm.
▪ Triceps Brachii – is found at the posterior arm to the ulna that helps extend the lower arm.
Muscles of the Trunk
▪ Diaphragm – is a dome-shaped muscle separating the thoracic and abdominal cavities. This helps to
control breathing.
▪ Rectus Abdominis – is an abdominal muscle that extends from the ribs to the pelvis that compresses the
abdomen.
Muscles of the Lower Extremities
▪ Gluteus Maximus – it is the largest muscle in your body. It is the buttocks muscle that stretches the
femur and rotates it outward.
▪ Gastrocnemius – is the calf muscle flexes the lower muscles that points the toes. The gastrocnemius
muscle is a complex muscle that is fundamentally involved in walking and posture. It affects the entire
lower limb and the movement of the hip and the lumbar area.
▪ Quadriceps – are a group of muscles at the front of your thigh.
▪ Hamstrings – are tendons (strong bands of tissue) at the back of the thighs that attach the large thigh
muscle to the bone.
Role of Muscles
Muscles have various role in a given movement which is dependent on the requirement of that movement.
 ▪ Agonist muscles are the prime movers or the muscles that are contracting during an exercise.
For example, if we bend our arm at the elbow and flex our bicep, then the muscle on the front of your
upper arm will contract and thicken. During this action, your biceps muscle is the agonist.

▪ Antagonist muscles are muscles that oppose our agonist muscles. If our agonist muscles are working
then our antagonist muscles will usually be “resting” or stretching. In the example of biceps curl, if we
perform a proper form, our triceps will be stretching and elongating as we curl the weight up and flex
our biceps.

Physical Fitness
Physical fitness is an important part of health, and this means that your heart, lungs, skeleton and muscles all
work together smoothly to carry out your daily activities.
Generally, physical fitness is defined as the ability of an individual to perform regular day-to-day activities
without undue fatigue and still have the energy to enjoy the leisure and to meet emergencies.
Basic Fitness Components
There are two basic fitness components. These are the health-related and skill-related components.
▪ The health-related fitness component pertains to the total functioning of the body.
▪ The skill-related fitness component refers to the quality of movement of one’s skills.
Components of Health-Related Fitness
▪ Cardio-respiratory Endurance – The ability of the heart and the lungs to function efficiently and
effectively over a prolonged period of time.
Ex. 3 min-Step Test

▪ Muscular Strength – how much force your muscles can exert or how heavy weights they can lift.
Ex. Bent Knee Curl-ups, Push–ups /Bent-Knee Arm Push-up

▪ Muscular Endurance – the ability of your muscles to sustain exercise for a period of time.
Ex. Flexed Arm Hang

▪ Flexibility – the ability to move muscles and joints through a full range of motion.
Ex. Zipper Test, Sit and Reach
 ▪ Body Composition – your body’s ratio of fat mass to fat-free mass like muscle and bone.
Ex. Skinfold Test, BMI
Body Mass Index - is the weight in kilograms divided by the square of height in meters.

Somatotypes
▪ Ectomorphs are long and lean, with little body fat, and little muscle. They have a hard time gaining
weight. Fashion models and basketball players fit this category. While most of us love to hate these
genetically-blessed individuals, some male ectomorphs may not be thrilled with their narrow-chested
frames, and some female ectomorphs long for more womanly curves.

▪ Endomorphs, on the other hand, have lots of body fat, lots of muscle, and gain weight easily. "Football
lineman tend to be endomorphs -- they're heavier and rounder individuals," says Colby. "And they don't
have to necessarily be overweight. Both Oprah Winfrey and Marilyn Monroe are classic examples of
endomorphs."

▪ Mesomorphs are athletic, solid, and strong. "They're not overweight and not underweight," says Colby,
"and they can eat what they want without worrying too much about it." They both gain and lose weight
without too much effort.
Components of Skill-Related Fitness
▪ Agility – ability to change and control the direction and position of the body while maintaining a
constant, rapid motion.
 Ex. changing directions to hit a tennis ball, shuttle run, hexagon test

▪ Balance – ability to control or stabilize the body when a person is standing still or moving.
Ex. Stork Balance Test

▪ Coordination - ability to use the senses together with body parts during movement.
Ex. wand juggling

▪ Speed – It is the ability of the body to perform any movements in the shortest possible time.
Ex. 50-meter sprint

▪ Reaction time – is the ability to reach or respond quickly to what you hear, see, or feel.
Ex. Ruler Drop

▪ Power – is the ability to use muscle strength quickly. Combination of both speed and muscular strength.
Ex. Vertical Jump, Standing Long Jump
FITT Principle
▪ Frequency – this refers to how often you train.
▪ Intensity – this refers to how hard you work during a training session.
▪ Time – refers to the duration of the training session.
▪ Type – this refers to the form of exercise you undertake.
References:
https://open.oregonstate.education/aandp/chapter/6-2-bone-classification/
https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/conditionsandtreatments/bones
https://training.seer.cancer.gov/anatomy/skeletal/
https://www.cancer.gov/publications/dictionaries/cancer-terms/def/skull
https://med.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Anatomy_and_Physiology/Book%3A_Anatomy_and_Physiology_(Bou
ndless)/9%3A_Muscular_System/9.3%3A_Control_of_Muscle_Tension/9.3E%3A_Types_of_Muscle_Contract
ions%3A_Isotonic_and_Isometric
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK532946/
https://parkwoodacademy.e-act.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2020/03/Skeletal-System-Revision-Guide.pdf
https://med.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Anatomy_and_Physiology/Book%3A_Anatomy_and_Physiology_(Bou
ndless)/9%3A_Muscular_System/9.6%3A_Overview_of_the_Muscular_System/9.6C%3A_How_Skeletal_Mus
cles_Produce_Movements
https://www.uh.edu/fitness/comm_educators/3_somatotypesNEW.htm
https://www.mtnbrook.k12.al.us/cms/lib/AL01901445/Centricity/Domain/175/Fitness%20Components.pdf
https://sportscienceinsider.com/fitt-principle/
PNU (2013). MAPEH (Music, Arts, Physical Education and Health): A reviewer for the licensure examination
for teachers. FCA Printhouse.