What is Muscle and Bone-Strengthening Activity?

This kind of activity, which includes resistance training and lifting weights, causes the body’s muscles and
bones to work or hold against an applied force or weight. These activities often involve relatively heavy objects,
such as weights, which are lifted multiple times to train various muscle and bone groups. Muscle and bone-
strengthening activity can also be done by using elastic bands or body weight for resistance (climbing a tree or
doing push-ups, for example).

Muscle-strengthening activity also has three components:

Intensity, or how much weight or force is used relative to how much a person is able to lift;

Frequency, or how often a person does muscle strengthening activity; and

Repetitions, or how many times a person lifts a weight (analogous to duration for aerobic activity). The effects
of muscle-strengthening activity are limited to the muscles doing the work. It’s important to work all the major
muscle groups of the body: the legs, hips, back, abdomen, chest, shoulders, and arms.
How can we strengthen our muscles and bones?
Muscle-strengthening activities make muscles and bones do more work than they are
accustomed to doing. That is, they overload the muscles. Resistance training, including weight
training, is a familiar example of muscle-strengthening activity. Other examples include
working with resistance bands, doing calisthenics that use body weight for resistance (such as
push-ups, pull-ups, and sit-ups), carrying heavy loads, and heavy gardening (such as digging or
hoeing).Muscle-strengthening activities count if they involve a moderate to high level of
intensity or effort and work the major muscle groups of the body: the legs, hips, back, chest,
abdomen, shoulders, and arms.
What factors can help the body to perform strengthening activity?
Your musculoskeletal system includes your bones, cartilage, ligaments, tendons and
connective tissues which are helpful in doing activities such as strengthening
exercises of resistance training. Your skeleton provides a framework for your muscles and other
soft tissues. Together, they support your body’s weight, maintain your posture and help you
move. The musculoskeletal system works to help you stand, sit, walk, run and move. Adult
bodies have 206 bones and more than 600 muscles, connected by ligaments , tendons and
soft tissues.
What are the parts of the musculoskeletal system?
The parts of the musculoskeletal system are:
Bones: Bones of all shapes and sizes support your body, protect organs and tissues, store calcium and fat and produce blood
cells. A bone’s hard outside shell surrounds a spongy center. Bones provide structure and form for your body . They work
with muscles, tendons, ligaments and other connective tissues to help you move.
 Cartilage: A type of connective tissue, cartilage cushions bones
inside your joints, along your spine and in your ribcage. Firm,
rubbery cartilage protects bones from rubbing against each other.
You also have cartilage in your nose, ears, pelvis and lungs.

Joints: Bones come together to form joints. Some joints

have a large range of motion, such as the ball-and-socket
shoulder joint. Other joints, like the knee, allow bones to
move back and forth but not rotate
Muscles: Each muscle is made of thousands of stretchy fibers. Your muscles allow you to move, sit upright and stay still.
Some muscles help you run, dance and lift. You use others to write your name, fasten a button, talk and swallow.
 Ligaments: Made of tough collagen fibers,
ligaments connect bones and help stabilize
joints.
Tendons: Tendons connect muscles to bones.
Made of fibrous tissue and collagen, tendons
are tough but not very stretchy
What is Muscle Strengthening Activity?

Muscle strengthening activities are exercises in which groups of muscles work or hold
against a force or some weight. Muscle strengthening activities help build good muscle
strength. When muscles do more work, it becomes stronger. Therefore, having strong and
healthy muscles enable us to perform everyday physical tasks. With strong and capable
muscles, we can rearrange the furniture in our living room and carry heavy grocery bags
from the market to our home. During muscle strengthening activity, muscle contraction
occurs. The repetitive contractions during exercise can cause damage to the muscle fibers.
Our body repairs these muscle fibers when they get damaged. The repair happens after
exercise while muscles are at rest. New muscle fibers are produced to replace or repair those
that were damaged. The muscles in our body then start to grow larger and stronger.
This stimulation and repair process is called muscle hypertrophy. It is important
to note that these muscle-strengthening activities—short high intensity exercises—
should be alternately scheduled in a week allowing rebuilding of muscles during rest
periods. Ideally, one to two days of rest lets our muscles rest and recover.
Types of Muscle Contractions

Isotonic contractions are more familiar to most of us. These contractions are literally
the same as “tone or tension,” when the muscle shortens and movement occurs. Bending
the knee, rotating the arms, and smiling are examples of isotonic contractions.
Isometric contractions are contractions in which muscles do not shorten. They tend to
slide, but the muscle is pitted against an immovable resistance. When you push against a
wall, the elbows bend but the triceps muscles do not shorten to straighten the elbow.
Thus, the muscles contract isometrically.
Isokinetic contractions are similar to isotonic contractions but the muscles are
exposed to fixed machine with variable degrees of resistance. Exercises like push-ups,
sit-ups, squats, and lifting weights are some examples of muscle strengthening activities
that you can do if you want to have strong and lean muscles. Remember that before you
start doing these activities, be sure to do dynamic warm-up to avoid injury.
 What are the things to consider in order to achieve my desired fitness goal through strengthening activities?
Components of Physical Training (Principles of Exercise Training)

1. Overload – refers to the amount of exercise that is needed to improve fitness level. Exercise must be observed in accordance to the
frequency, intensity, time, and type.
FITT Principle
a. Frequency – refers to the number of exercise sessions an individual performs per week at least 3-5 workouts. The frequency of an exercise
program depends on the current fitness level and the type of activity performed.
b. Intensity – indicates how hard or difficult the exercise can be performed. It is important to set a workload that is more challenging than what
one is used to.
c. Time– refers to the duration covered of each exercise session. It is influenced by theintensity and the type of activity performed.
d. Type– Mode of exercise or activity. The type of activity is influenced by the fitness goal and current fitness level

2. Progression –states that the body should experience a gradual increase in workload. If the principle of overload asks “How hard?” then the
principle of progression asks “How soon”?

3. Specificity – states that the body will adapt specifically to the workload it experienced. It implies that improvements in fitness level will be
limited to the activities that one is performing.

4. Principle of Individuality – states that no two persons are the same and their rate of adaptation to the same workload differs. This principle
emphasizes the need to create an exercise program that is individual-specific.

5. Reversibility – it is another way of stating the principle of disuse. If your energy systems are not utilized, they deteriorate to a level that
matches your level of activity
What is Bone Strengthening Activity?

Bone growth is stimulated by physical stress brought about by physical activity. As skeletal muscles contract, they
pull their attachment on bones causing physical stress. This consequently stimulates bone tissue, making it stronger
and thicker. Such bone strengthening activities can increase bone density throughout our skeletal system. This is
called bone hypertrophy.

There are several forms of muscles and bones resistance training programs and each one creates a unique
adaptation on the individual muscle fiber. Resistance training programs are commonly classified based on the goal
of the individual. The individual can choose from strength, endurance, hypertrophy or power program (Callo,
2016).

Strength programs – emphasizes in increasing the force production capability of the muscle.

Endurance program – is characterized by high repetitions because it emphasizes on the ability of muscle to resist
fatigue.

Hypertrophy program – emphasizes on increasing muscle size without being concerned with increasing strength.

Power program – trains the muscle to increase speed and explosiveness of movement.
What are other forms of muscle and bone strengthening activities?

Muscle-strengthening
 Games such as tug of war
 Resistance exercises using body weight or resistance bands
 Rope or tree climbing
 Climbing on playground equipment
 Some forms of yoga

Bone-strengthening

 Hopping
 Skipping
 jumping
 Jumping rope
 Running
 Sports that involve jumping or rapid changes in direction
Directions: Identify the muscles and bones
in the body that we commonly used to
perform daily activities. Use the
illustration as your guide to answer the
questions below.
Directions: Identify the muscles and bones in the body that we commonly used to perform daily activities.
Use the illustration as your guide to answer the questions below.

A. Give at least three (3) muscles involved when lifting and carrying heavy loads such as a box.

1. ______________ 2. _______________ 3. ________________

B. Give at least three (3) muscles involved when running.

1. ______________ 2. _______________ 3. ________________

C. Give at least three (3) muscles involved when you do push-ups.

1. ______________ 2. _______________ 3. ________________

D. Give at least three (3) muscles involved when you squat.

1. ______________ 2. _______________ 3. _______________

A. Give at least three (3) bones involved when lifting and carrying heavy loads such as a box.

1. ______________ 2. _______________ 3. ________________

B. Give at least three (3) bones involved when running.

1. ______________ 2. _______________ 3. ________________

C. Give at least three (3) bones involved when you do push-ups.

1. ______________ 2. _______________ 3. ________________

D. Give at least three (3) bones involved when you squat.

1. ______________ 2. _______________ 3. _______________

APPLICATION

Direction: Create your personal muscle and bone-strengthening program using the matrix below. Give at least 5 exercises.
Please specify if your program is for strength, endurance, hypertrophy, power.
Example: Type of Program:
Endurance Frequency : 4-5 times a week Exercise:
Dumbbell raises Load: 10 lbs.
Repetitions: 10-12Sets: 2-3
Rest interval: 60 seconds/set

EXERCISE LOAD REPETITIONS SETS REST INTERVAL

ASSESSMENT: Answer the following questions:

1. What types of physical activities are effective in developing muscle and bone strength?
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2. How should a person develop his or her muscles and bones to achieve a physically fit body?
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3. What types of physical activities are effective in developing muscle and bone strength?
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4. What are the specific health benefits of muscle and bone strengthening activities across life stages of an individual?
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