Level 2 Anatomy and Physiology

Unit 2 – Muscles of the body

Lesson 2.1 – An introduction to muscles

Level 2 Anatomy and Physiology
Lesson 2.1 An introduction to muscles

Step 1 – Unit aims

When you have completed this unit you’ll be able to:

 Explain what muscles are, and what causes them to contract

 Summarise the differences between concentric and eccentric contractions,
and between isotonic and isometric contractions
 List the three types of muscle tissue
 Identify the locations and functions of some of the muscles of the body
 Explain what is meant by muscular strength, speed of contraction,
endurance and tone
 Explain what is meant by the terms agonist, antagonist, neutraliser and
stabiliser
 And note some of the effects of exercise on muscles

Step 2 - Introduction

The aim of this unit is to provide you with the underpinning knowledge in the
subject of muscles of the body.

Human beings are versatile 'all-rounders' compared with animals and other forms
of life. We tend not to specialise in specific activities, so we can't swim as well as
fish, run as fast as cheetahs, or jump as far as kangaroos. However, we can do all
of these things well enough for our own purposes. In addition we can walk, hop,
climb, punch, kick, lift weights, dive, swing, throw objects, manipulate implements
and carry out all manner of other actions.

Our great adaptability and physical resourcefulness owes a great deal to the
complexity and refinement of our muscle and nervous systems.

There are nearly 700 muscles in the human body, including over 430 skeletal
muscles arranged in pairs on either side of the body. However, most vigorous
movements are executed by around only 80 pairs of muscles.

In principle, the way that muscles work is very simple: nerve impulses from the
brain cause the fibres of the muscle to contract. The bones they are attached to (in
the case of skeletal muscles) are then caused to move. Muscles are only able to
do one of two things - contract or relax.

Step 3 - Introduction

In this unit we will examine:

 The nature of muscles - what they are and how they work, and the different
kinds of muscle tissue
 How muscles contract
 The characteristics that muscles have and their role in the operation of the
human body
 And the effect of exercise on muscles

May 2015 © Future Fit Training, 2015 Page 1 of 3

Level 2 Anatomy and Physiology
Lesson 2.1 An introduction to muscles

We will also look at some of the individual muscles and review their functions.

Step 4 – The nature of muscles

One way to look at the body is to imagine it is a robot. If you were designing a
robot you would probably fit it with a central computer and have electrical signals
sent along wires from the computer to little motors. The little motors could operate
rods, pistons and claws, which could make movements, lift objects and so on.

In the body, the central computer is the brain, and electrical signals are sent along
nerves to motors called muscles. The muscles operate bones, such as those in
the arms and hands, to make movements, lift objects and so on.

Step 5 – The nature of muscles

Muscle tissue has five principle characteristics that enable it to carry out its
functions:

Before we discuss muscles any further, let's think about how they get the stimuli
they need to work; these are generated in the body's nervous system.

Contractility - The ability to contract, thus generating force to do work.

Elasticity – After being stretched, muscles will return to their normal length.
Extensibility – Muscle fibres can be stretched beyond their normal length.
Conductivity – The ability of a muscle cell to conduct electrical impulses.
Excitability - Muscle cells are able to respond to a stimulus.

Step 6 – The nervous system

The nervous system is a vast network of specialised cells that transmit nerve
impulses, via the spinal column, between the brain and other parts of the body,
including the muscles. Over 12 billion nerve cells (neurons) in the brain
communicate with millions of others in the body by electrical signals carried
chemically.

Step 7 – The nervous system

Taking a very simplistic view, we can think of the brain as having two
compartments, one controlling conscious actions and the other taking care of all
the 'automatic' responses, like breathing, digesting food and pumping blood. In
fact the nervous system of the body has two divisions:

 The somatic nervous system enables us to have voluntary control over

movement through our skeletal muscles
 And the autonomic nervous system controls the involuntary actions of
cardiac muscle, smooth muscle and glands

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Level 2 Anatomy and Physiology
Lesson 2.1 An introduction to muscles

Step 8 – The nervous system

Sometimes movements occur in direct response to an outside stimulus. These

involuntary responses are called reflexes. For example:

 When a light is shone into the eye, the pupil of the eye will contract
 And in the so-called knee-jerk reaction, a tap on the knee causes a jerking
action of the leg

Step 9 – Summary

Muscles are remarkable in that they are excitable, contractible, extensible,

conductible and elastic.

The stimuli needed for muscles to contract are generated in the body's nervous
system. This is a vast network of specialised cells that transmit nerve impulses, via
the spinal column, between the brain and other parts of the body, including the
muscles. It has two divisions:

 The 'somatic nervous system', which enables us to have voluntary control

over movement through our skeletal muscles
 And the 'autonomic nervous system', which controls the involuntary actions
of cardiac muscle, smooth muscle and glands

May 2015 © Future Fit Training, 2015 Page 3 of 3