MUSCULAR SYSTEM

Fundamentals of Sports
Biomechanics
(SPS 260)
 Chapter Outline

1. Behavioral Properties Of The Musculotendinous Unit

2. Structural Organization of Skeletal Muscle
3. Sliding Filament Theory
4. Fiber Types
5. Fiber Architecture
6. Types of Muscle Action
7. Factors Affecting Muscle Force Generation
 BEHAVIORAL PROPERTIES OF
THE MUSCULOTENDINOUS UNIT

Four behavioral properties of muscle tissue:

 Extensibility
 Elasticity
 Irritability
 The ability to develop tension

These properties are common to all muscle,

including the cardiac, smooth, & skeletal
muscle of human beings.
 Extensibility & Elasticity
The properties of extensibility & elasticity are
common to many biological tissues.

Extensibility – the ability to be stretched or to

increase in length.
Elasticity – the ability to return to normal length
after a stretch.

Muscle’s elasticity returns it to normal resting

length following a stretch & provides for the
smooth transmission of tension from muscle to
bone.
 Extensibility & Elasticity

2 major components of the elastic behavior of

muscle.
 Parallel elastic component (PEC)
 Passive elastic property of muscle derived from the muscle
membranes.
 Series elastic component (SEC)
 Passive elastic property of muscle derived from the tendons.
 Act as a spring to store elastic energy when a tensed muscle is
stretched.

 Contractile component
 Muscle property enabling tension development by stimulated
muscle fibers.
 Membranes & tendons are respectively parallel to & in series
(or in line) with the muscle fibers.
 Extensibility & Elasticity

The elasticity of human skeletal muscle is

believed to be due primarily to the SEC.
 When a tensed muscle is stretched, the SEC causes an
elastic recoil effect
 The stretch promotes subsequent forceful shortening of
the muscle
 This pattern if eccentric contraction followed
immediately by concentric contraction is known as the
stretch-shortening cycle.

This phenomenon contributes to effective

development of concentric muscular force in
many sport activities.
 Extensibility & Elasticity

The stretch-shortening cycle also promotes

storage & use of elastic energy (EE) during
running, particularly with the alternating
eccentric & concentric tension present in the
gastrocnemius.

Both SEC & PEC have a viscous property that

enable muscle to stretch & recoil in a time-
dependent fashion.
Extensibility & Elasticity
Stretch-Shortening Cycle

Parallel Elastic Component

Series Elastic
Component

Contractile Component
 Irritability & the Ability to Develop Tension

Irritability - The ability to respond to a

stimulus.

Stimuli affecting muscles are either:

 Electrochemical – action potential from the attaching
nerve.
 Mechanical – an external blow to a portion of a muscle.

The ability to develop tension is the one

behavioral characteristic unique to muscle
tissue.
Structural Organization of Skeletal Muscle

Approximately 434 muscles in the human body

(40-45% of the body weight of most adult).

About 75 muscle pairs are responsible for body

movements & posture, with the remainder
involved in activities such as eye control &
swallowing.
Structure of Skeletal Muscle
 Structure of Skeletal Muscle

Epimysium
 The outermost layer that surround the entire muscle.
Perimysium
 Connective tissue surround individual bundles of muscle
fibers (inward from the epimysium).
Fascicle
 Individual bundle of muscle fibers.
Endomysium
 Connective tissue surrounded for each muscle fiber
within the fasciculus.
 Structure of Skeletal Muscle
Sarcolemma
 The cell membrane surrounding the muscle fiber cell.
Myofibrils
 Numerous threadlike structure that contain the
contractile proteins (protein filaments)
 Myosin – thick filaments composed of the protein.
 Actin – thin filaments composed primarily of the protein.
Sarcoplasmic reticulum
 The storage sites for calcium, which plays an important
role in muscular contraction.
Sarcomeres
 Myofibrils further subdivided into individual segments.
Microstructure of muscle
 Sarcoplasm

sarcolemma
myofibrils

Triad of the reticulum

Terminal cisternae
A band
Tranverse tubule

I band
Sarcoplasmic reticulum

Z band

mitochondria
Nucleus

Waldrop
 Sliding Filament Theory

Actin & myosin myofilaments in a relaxed

muscle.
Myofilaments (A band) do not change length
during muscle contraction)
 Sliding Filament Theory

 During contraction, actin myofilaments at each end of

the sarcomere slide past the myosin myofilaments
toward each other.
 As a result, the Z disks are brought closer together, &
the sarcormere shortens
 Sliding Filament Theory

 As the actin myofilaments slide over the myosin myofilaments,

the H zones & the I band narrow.

 The A bands, which are equal to the length of the myosin

myofilaments, do not narrow, because the length of the myosin
myofilaments does not change.
 Sliding Filament Theory

In fully contracted muscle, the ends of the

actin myofilaments overlap & the H zone
disappears.
Sliding Filament Theory
 Motor Units

Composed a single motor neuron & all fibers

innervated by it.

Typically, there is only 1 end plate per fiber.

A single mammalian motor unit may contain

from less than 100 to nearly 2000 fibers,
depending on the type of movements the
muscle executes.
Motor Units
 Fiber Types

Fast twitch fiber (FT)

 A fiber that reaches peak tension relatively quickly.

Slow twitch fiber (ST)

 A fiber that reaches peak tension relatively slowly.
 Fiber Types

SKELETAL MUSCLE FIBER CHARACTERISTICS

CHARACTERISTIC TYPE 1 TYPE IIA TYPE IIB

SLOW- FAST-TWITCH FAST-TWITCH
TWITCH OXIDATIVE GLYCOLYTIC
OXIDATIVE GLYCOLYTIC (FG)
(SO) (FOG)

Contraction speed Slow Fast Fast

Fatigue rate Slow Intermediate fast

Diameter Small Intermediate Large

ATPase concentration Low High High

Mitochondrial concentration High High Low

Glycolytic enzyme Low Intermediate High

concentration
 Fiber Types

FT ST

Twitch
Tension

Time
 Fiber Architecture

 2 categories of muscle fiber

arrangement
 Parallel fiber arrangement

 Pattern of fibers within a muscle

in which the fibers are roughly
parallel to the longitudinal axis
of the muscle.
 E.g. sartorius, rectus abdominis,
biceps brachii.

 Pennate fiber arrangement

 Pattern of fibers within a muscle
with short fibers attaching to
one or more tendons (lie at an
angle).
 E.g. tibialis posterior, rectus
femoris, deltoids.
 SKELETAL MUSCLE FUNCTION

When an activated muscle develops tension, the

amount of tension present is constant
throughout the length of the muscle, & at the
sites of the musculotendinous attachments to
bone.

The tensile force developed by the muscle pulls

on the attached bones & create torque at the
joints crossed by the muscle.
 SKELETAL MUSCLE FUNCTION

Torque (Tm )
produced by a
muscle at the joint
center of rotation
is the product of
muscle force ( Fm )
& muscle moment
arm ( d⊥ ).
 SKELETAL MUSCLE FUNCTION

 The torque exerted by

the biceps brachii ( Fb )
must counteract the
torques created by the
force developed in the
triceps brachii ( Ft ), the
weight of the forearm &
hand (wtf ), & the
weight of the shot held
in the hand ( wts ).
 Recruitment of motor units

The CNS exerts an elaborate system of control

that enables:
 Matching of the speed & magnitude of muscle
contraction to the requirements of the movement so
that:
 Smooth, delicate, & precise movements can be executed.
Slow twitch (ST) motor units generally have low
thresholds & are relatively easy to activate.
Fast twitch (FT) motor units are supplied by
nerves more difficult to activate.
 Change in Muscle Length
with Tension Development

When muscular tension produces a torque

larger than the resistive torque at a joint, the
muscle shortens, causing a change in the angle
at the joint.

Type of contraction;
 Concentric
 Eccentric
 Isometric
Concentric Eccentric Isometric

Muscle shortens
Resulting joint movement is in the same
direction as the net torque generated by the
muscle.
A single muscle fiber is capable of shortening
to approximately one-half of its normal resting
length.
Concentric Eccentric Isometric

 When opposing joint torque exceeds that produced by

tension in a muscle, the muscle lengthens.
 When a muscle lengthens as it is being stimulated to
develop tension.
 The direction of joint motion is opposite that of the
net muscle torque.
 The eccentric tension acts as a braking mechanism to
control movement speed.
 E.g. without the presence of eccentric tension in
muscles, the forearms, hand, & weight would drop
uncontrolled because of the force of gravity.
Concentric Eccentric Isometric

 Muscle can also develop tension without shortening.

 Opposing torque at the joint crossed by the muscle is
equal to the torque produced by the muscle (with
zero net torque present),
 Muscle length remains unchanged & no movement occurs at the
joint.
Roles Assumed by Muscles

Agonist
Antagonist
Stabilizers
Neutralizer
Agonist Antagonist Stabilizers Neutralizer

Prime mover.
When a muscle contracts & causes movement of
a body segment at a joint.
E.g.
 During the elbow flexion phase of a forearm curl, the
brachialis & the biceps brachii act as the primary
agonist, with the brachioradialis, extensor carpi radialis
longus, & pronator teres serving as assistant agonist.
Agonist Antagonist Stabilizers Neutralizer

Muscle with actions opposite those of the

agonist act.
Opposers by developing eccentric tension at the
same time that the agonists are causing
movement.
Agonists & antagonists are typically positioned
on opposite sides of a joint.
E.g.
 During elbow flexion when the brachialis & the biceps
brachii are primary agonists, the triceps could act as
antagonists by developing resistive tension.
Agonist Antagonist Stabilizers Neutralizer

Stabilizing a portion of the body against a

particular force.
 The force may be internal, from tension in other
muscles, or external, such as the weight of an object
being lifted.
E.g.
 The rhomboids act as stabilizers by developing tension
to stabilize the scapulae against the pull of the tow rope
during water skiing, or on tug-of-war event.
Agonist Antagonist Stabilizers Neutralizer

 Neutralizers muscle prevent unwanted

accessory actions that normally occur when
agonists develop concentric tension.
 E.g.
 When the biceps brachii develops concentric
tension, it produces both flexion at the
elbow & supination of the forearm. If only
elbow flexion is desired, the pronator teres
act as a neutralizer to counteract the
supination of the forearm.
 Performance of human movements typically
involves the cooperative actions of many
muscle groups acting sequentially & in
concert.
 Factors Affecting Muscular Force Generation

The magnitude of the force generated by

muscle is also related to:
 Velocity of muscle shortening
 Length of the muscle when it is stimulated
 Period of time since the muscle received a stimulus

FACTORS AFFECTING
 Force-Velocity relationship
 Length-Tension Relationship
 Electromechanical Delay
Force-Velocity Relationship Length-Tension Relationship Electromechanical Delay (EMD)

The force-velocity relationship (FVR) for muscle

tissue. When the resistance (force) is negligible,
muscle contracts with maximal velocity.
 As the load progressively increases, concentric
contraction velocity slows to zero at isometric maximum.
 As the load increases further, the muscle lengthens
eccentrically.
FVR does NOT imply that it is impossible to
move a heavy resistance at a fast speed.
FVR also does NOT imply that it is impossible to
move a light load at a slow speed.
Force Velocity Graph
Force Velocity Graph
Force-Velocity Relationship Length-Tension Relationship Electromechanical Delay (EMD)

 The total tension present in a stretched muscle is the Active tens

ion
sum of the active tension provided by the muscle fibers
& the passive tension provided by the tendons & muscle  is from
the
membranes
interaction
 Total tension = active tension + passive tension
between
 Within the human body, force generation capability myosin
increases when the muscle is lightly stretched. and actin
 Parallel-fibered muscles produce maximum tensions active
tension.
at just over resting length. Passive ten
 Pennate-fibered muscles generate maximum tension sion
at between 120% & 130% of resting length.  is develop
 This phenomenon is due to the contribution of the in the
elastic components of muscle (primarily the SEC), muscle's
which add to the tension present in the muscle when complex
connective
the muscle is stretched.
tissue.
Length of Muscle Fibers
Length Tension Relationship
Length-Tension Relationship

At 1, the sarcomere is overly

contracted at rest
As seen in 2. This is the optimal
resting length for producing the
maximal tension.
At 3, there is little interaction
between the filaments. Very few
cross-bridges can form. Less
tension is produced
When the muscle length
increasing beyond the optimum,
the actin filaments
become pulled away from the
myosin filaments and from each
other
Force-Velocity Relationship Length-Tension Relationship Electromechanical Delay (EMD)

 When a muscle is stimulated, a brief period of time elapses

before the muscle begins to develop tension.

 EMD where the period of time is believed to be needed for the

contractile component of the muscle to stretch the SEC.
 During this time, muscle laxity is eliminated.
 Once the SEC is sufficiently stretched, tension development proceeds.

 Researchers have found shorter EMDs produced by muscles

with high percentages of FT fibers as compared to muscles
with high percentages of ST fibers.
Electromechanical Delay (EMD)
 Muscular Strength, Power & Endurance

Muscular Strength
 The maximum amount of force a muscle can produce in
a single effort

Muscular Power
 The product of muscular force and the velocity of muscle
shortening

Muscular Endurance
 The ability of a muscle to exert a sub-maximal force
repeatedly over time
 Common Muscle Injuries

Strains
Contusions
Cramps
Delayed-Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS)
 occurs after some period of time following
unaccustomed exercise.
 arises 24 – 72 hours after participation in a long or
strenuous bout of exercise.
 SUMMARY

Muscle is elastic , extensible & responds to

stimulation.
 Important, muscle is the only biological tissue capable of
developing tension.
Functional unit of the neuromuscular system is
the motor unit.
 Consist of a single motor neuron & all the fiber it
innervates.
Muscle fiber arrangements
 Parallel
 Pennate
 SUMMARY

Muscle responds to stimulation by developing

tension.
 Resulting action can be concentric, eccentric, or
isometric, for muscle shortening, lengthening, or
remaining unchanged in length.
CNS directs the recruitment of motor units such
that the speed & magnitude of muscle tension
development are well matched to the
requirements of the activity.
The End of Presentation
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