HOW EXERCISE AFFECTS OUR MUSCLES

All our movements happen as a result of the

shortening (contracting) and lengthening
(extending) of muscles.
Our muscles:
 Enable us to move our body parts
 Give us our own individual shape
 Protect and keep in place our abdominal
organs
 Enable us to maintain a good posture
 Help in the circulation of our blood
 Generate body heat when they contract

There are over 600 skeletal muscles in the

body – 150 in the head and neck.
1. Skeletal Muscles
 These are voluntary muscles and are under
our control
 They work as we instruct them too
 We use them in everyday sporting activities
e.g. Walking, running and jumping
2. Smooth Muscles
 These are involuntary muscles which work
automatically
 These are not under our conscious control
 They work our internal organs such as the
stomach, gut and bladder
3. Cardiac Muscle
 Cardiac or heart muscle is a special type of
involuntary muscle
 It is found only in the heart
 It contracts regularly, continuously,
automatically and without tiring
There are three main types of muscular
contraction:
 Isotonic and concentric
 Isotonic and eccentric
 isometric
 Isotonic contraction with muscles working
concentrically
 Our muscles shorten as they contract
 The ends of the move closer together
 Our biceps work in this way when we do a
pull-up
 Isotonic contraction with muscles working
eccentrically
 Our muscles lengthen as they contract under
tension
 The ends of the muscle move further apart
 Our biceps work in this way when we lower
our body from a pull-up position
 Isometric contraction
 Our muscles stay the same length as they
contract
 There is no movement, so the ends of the
muscles stay the same distance apart
 Our shoulder muscles work in this way when
we pull in a tug-of-war
 There is an increased flow of blood to the
working muscles
 Muscles take up more of the oxygen from the
blood
 The muscles contract more often and more
quickly
 More of the muscle fibres contract
 There is a rise in temperature in the muscles
 Our stores adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and
creatine phosphate (CP) in the muscles are
used up
 Waste products such as carbon dioxide and
lactic acid build up in the muscles
 These waste products may lead to tiredness
and cramp (muscle fatigue)
 Our store of muscle glucose are used up
 Our ability to carry on will be affected
 Overuse of muscles can lead to soreness and
strains
 When we play sport we move our limbs in
many different directions.
 Flexion – our limbs bend at a joint
 Extension – our limbs straighten at a joint
 Abduction – our limbs are moved away from a
line down the middle of the body
 Adduction – our limbs are moved towards a
line down the middle of the body
 Rotation – this is a circular movement (part of
the body turns whilst the rest remains still)
 Circumduction – the end of a bone moves in a
circle, for example swinging your arm in a
circle at the shoulder