Structure of Muscles

1
Structure of Muscles

• Three types of muscles
• Skeletal attached to the bone and make movement
  possible (voluntary)
• Contraction of the muscle group thus causes
  movement
• Cardiac heart (involuntary)
• Smooth walls of your internal organsstomach,
  blood vessels, etc (involuntary)

2
Strength Building Exercises

• Isometric (static) exercises in which muscles
  contract, but the body parts do not move (ex
  pressing against a wall)
• Isotonic (dynamic) exercises in which the
  muscles contract and so do the body parts (ex
  leg curl, push-up, curl-up, lat-pull, etc.)
• Isokinetic exercises done with a special
  apparatus that control the speed of the movement
  of a body part so that it remains constant, even
  when you try to move faster (for rehabilitation
  purposes)

3
Muscle Fibers

• Muscle fibers are muscle cells, which are long,
  thin, and cylinder-shaped
• The strength and endurance of skeletal muscle
  depends on whether the muscles are made of slow,
  fast, or intermediate fibers and how much
  exercise they get
• Slow-twitch contract at a slow rate and have
  good endurance
• Fast-twitch contract at a fast rate and used for
  strength activities
• Intermediate have characteristics of both slow
  and fast-twitch (endurance and strength)
• The types of fibers in our muscles are determined
  by our genes however, we can increase the
  strength and endurance of our muscles by proper
  training

4
Different Forms of Weight Training

• Weight Training non-competitive form of exercise
  done to increase strength and endurance
• Resistance Training involves the lifting of
  weights to build strength and endurance
  w/machines (safer)
• Circuit Weight Training same as weight training
  except it is usually done to develop aerobic
  training as well as strength and muscular
  endurance
• Weight Lifting Olympic sport involving the use
  of free weights. Athletes attempt to lift a
  maximum load (the snatch and the clean and jerk)
• Power Lifting competitive sport using free
  weights, athletes attempt to lift a maximum load
  (squat, bench press and deadlift)
• Body Building sport can also be done for
  competition, athletes are primarily concerned
  about how large and well-defined their muscles are

5
Muscle Fitness Assessment

• One Repetition Maximum (1RM)
• The amount of weight/resistance that can be
  overcome in one repetition
• considered to be the best test for muscular
  strength
• Ex Bench press, Leg press, Vertical Leap, etc
• Calisthenics
• Exercises done using all or part of your body
  weight for resistance
• Typically used for muscular endurance
  self-assessment
• Ex Curl-ups, Push-ups, etc.

6
Absolute Versus Relative Strength

• Absolute Strength
• Measured by how much weigh or resistance you can
  overcome regardless of your body size
• Relative Strength
• Strength adjusted for your size
• Can be found dividing your strength by your body
  weight to give you an estimate

7
Health and Wellness Benefits

• Strength the amount of force a muscle exerts
• Health and Wellness Benefits
• Helps you jump and lift
• Helps you work and play with less fatigue
• Prevents muscle injuries and soreness
• Muscles burn more calories than fat does
• Helps maintain good posture

8
Myths and Misconceptions

• No pain, no gain!
• FALSE! Pain is your bodies way of telling you it
  is hurting.
• Body Dysmorphia
• Term used when people become obsessed about with
  building muscle
• Obsessive-compulsive disorder, and can be very
  dangerous
• Some people think that only males need to be
  concerned about their strength
• FALSE!...both males and females need strength to
  be healthy, to avoid injury, to look good, and to
  be able to help themselves or others in an
  emergency
• Some women fear that strength training will cause
  their bodies to look masculine
• Falsehormones in womens bodies prevent them
  from developing large bulky muscles
• Both men and women look more attractive with
  strong muscles because they are more likely to
  have good posture and firm bodies

9
Fitness Principles and Strength

• Overload increase the load so that the muscle
  can contract harder than normal
• Progression gradually increase resistance
• Specificity specifically overload the muscles
  you want to strengthen and do exercises that
  closely resemble the movement that you want to
  use
• Principle of Rest and Recovery you need to allow
  your muscles to recover after training (about 48
  hours to rebuild)

10
Resistance Training Guidelines

• Do not hold your breath when you lift
• Always be sure to use spotters when working with
  free weights
• Avoid maximal lifts, start with a moderate
  program
• Avoid overhead lifts with free weights (use
  machines instead)
• Learn proper form, avoid positions that cause
  your lower back to bend wrong or your wrists to
  bend backwards
• Avoid plyometrics until you are old enough (power
  moves too)
• Never use weights carelessly
• Concentrate on your technique and what youre
  doing

11
Resistance Training Guidelines Continued

• Use resistance that you can lift 7-10 reps, your
  muscles may be able to lift more, but your bones
  are not
• Do not compete when lifting weights, genetic
  differences largely determine how strong a person
  can be
• Consider other forms of resistance such as
  calisthenics, elastic bands, or isometrics
• Do not try to become muscle-bound to have
  tight, bulky muscles that prevent individuals
  from moving freely, it is not strength training,
  but rather incorrect strength training
  (neglecting muscle groups)