Muscle Tissue

Muscle Tissue
Muscular tissue is a specialized tissue in animals which applies forces to

different parts of the body. Muscle tissue is composed of cells that have the
special ability to shorten or contract in order to produce movement of the
body parts. The tissue is highly cellular and is well supplied with blood
vessels. The cells are long and slender so they are sometimes called muscle
fibers, and these are usually arranged in bundles or layers that are
surrounded by connective tissue. Actin and myosin are contractile proteins in
muscle tissue. The five functional characteristics of muscle tissue are:
 Irritability - ability to respond to a stimulus.

 Conductivity - ability to transmit impulses.
 Extensibility - ability to stretch.
 Elasticity - ability to resume former length when the stretching force
is removed.
 Contractibility - ability to shorten.
Types of Muscle Tissues

Muscle tissues are categorized into skeletal muscle tissue, smooth muscle
tissue, and cardiac muscle tissue.
Skeletal Muscle
This type of muscle is attached to bone and is responsible for skeletal
movements. The peripheral portion of the central nervous system (CNS)
controls the skeletal muscles. These muscles are under conscious, or
voluntary, control. The basic unit is the muscle fiber with many nuclei. These
muscle fibers are striated (having transverse streaks) and each acts
independently of neighboring muscle fibers. The main general functions of
skeletal muscle are: movement, heat production and posture.
Smooth Muscle
Type of muscle found in the walls of the hollow internal organs such as blood
vessel, the gastrointestinal tract, bladder, and uterus, is under control of the
autonomic nervous system. Smooth muscle cannot be controlled consciously
and thus acts involuntarily. The smooth muscle cell is spindle-shaped and
has one central nucleus. Smooth muscle contracts slowly and rhythmically.
Cardiac Muscle
Type of muscle found in the walls of the heart, it is also under control of the
autonomic nervous system. The cardiac muscle has one central nucleus, like
smooth muscle, but it also is striated, like skeletal muscle. The cardiac
muscle cell is rectangular in shape. The contraction of cardiac muscle is
involuntary, strong, and rhythmical.
Muscular Strength and Endurance

Muscular strength and endurance are different terms.
Muscular strength refers to the amount of force a muscle can produce with a
single maximal effort. The size of the muscle fibers and the ability of nerves
to activate muscle fibers are related to muscle strength. It is measured
during muscular contraction. Building muscle strength helps with body
alignment, makes performing everyday actions easier, and increases
metabolism.
On the other hand, Muscular endurance is the ability of a muscle or group of

muscles to sustain repeated contractions against a resistance for an
extended period of time. The greater your muscular endurance, the more
reps you can do of a certain exercise. It is just one of the components of
muscular fitness, along with muscular strength, flexibility, and power.
Methods of Developing Muscular Strength

The best way to build muscle strength is to participate in a program
of resistance training, sometimes also called “weightlifting” although lifting
weights isn’t necessary to build muscle strength.
Strength training improves both the size of muscle fibers and the ability of
nerves to communicate with the muscles. So as muscles get bigger with
resistance training (muscle hypertrophy), they also become more
coordinated and better able to perform movements that require strength.
Exercises that can help improve strength include:

 Squats: Squats help build up the quads (thighs) and glutes (buttocks).
This makes it easier to walk or run, lift heavy things, and go up and
down stairs.
 Lunges: This exercise is good for strengthening the hamstrings, which
are the muscles on the back of the upper leg. Stronger hamstrings
help to run faster while also providing more stability to the knee joints.
 Biceps curls: Biceps are the muscles found on the front of the upper
arms. When they are strong, it is easier to perform everyday activities.
 Pushups: Pushups work a lot of muscles in the upper body, including
the chest, back, and arms. This exercise is important for pushing-type
movements.
 Planks: A plank also works the upper body while strengthening the
core muscles at the same time. A stronger core means better posture
and improved balance and mobility.
 Abdominal crunches: The crunch also builds strength in the midsection
part of the core, as well as in the back.
Methods of Improving Muscle Endurance

An effective muscular endurance training program uses lighter weights while
doing a higher number of reps. This approach appears to be the most
effective for improving local and high-intensity (or strength) endurance.
 Choosing Muscular Endurance Exercises
The exercises you choose should work large muscle groups (such as the legs
or back) or multiple muscle groups (such as the upper body and core).
Exercises such as squats, bench presses, cable rows, and lunges help build
muscular endurance.
Loading and Volume also improve muscular endurance. Load refers to the
amount of weight or resistance used (a 10kg dumbbell), while volume is the
number of times the exercise is done or the total number of repetitions.
Ideally, it is best to choose a load (weight) that is less than half of the
maximum weight you can push, pull, or lift one time. This is considered a
light to moderate intensity load. Short rest periods should be used for
muscle endurance training.
Circuit training is good for building local muscular endurance and the rest
periods during this type of exercise should only fill the time it takes to move
from one exercise station to another. Frequency and Repetition velocity are
also important factors. Frequency refers to how often a specific workout
should be carried out. Repetition velocity refers to how slow or fast muscles
contract during specific exercises.
Skeletal Muscle Fiber

Skeletal muscle fibers are the individual contractile cells within a muscle,
and are often termed as muscle cells. A single muscle such as the biceps in a
young adult male contains around 253,000 muscle fibers. Skeletal muscle
fibers are the only muscle cells that are multinucleated with the nuclei often
referred to as myonuclei.
Types of Skeletal Muscle Fibers

There are three types of skeletal muscle fibers: Type I, Type IIa, and Type
IIb.
 Type I muscle fibers, also called slow oxidative fibers, are specialized for
aerobic activity. They are small, contain a high amount of myoglobin, and
appear red in fresh tissue. A muscle twitch is a single contraction of a
muscle. Type I fibers make up slow-twitch, fatigue-resistant motor units.
Muscles of the deep back are mostly made up of Type I slow oxidative fibers.
 Type IIa muscle fibers are also known as fast oxidative glycolytic fibers.
These fibers appear slightly lighter than Type I in fresh tissues. They contain
many mitochondria and have a higher myoglobin content than type IIb
fibers. Unlike Type I fibers, Type IIa fibers have high amounts of glycogen.
Because of this they are capable of anaerobic glycolysis and make up fast-
twitch, fatigue resistant motor units. Type IIa fibers are more fatigue
resistant than Type IIb fibers and are used in movements that require high
sustained power. Many athletes have high amounts of these fibers,
especially competitive swimmers.
 Type IIb muscle fibers are also referred to as fast glycolytic fibers. They are
large fibers and appear light pink in fresh tissues. Type IIb fibers contain
fewer mitochondria and a lower amount of myoglobin. Although they contain
a low level of oxidative enzymes, they show high anaerobic enzyme activity
and contain a high amount of glycogen. Type IIb fibers are more prone to
fatigue than Type I and Type IIa fibers and make fast-twitch, fatigue prone
motor units. Type IIb fibers have the fastest rate of ATP activity and are
found in muscles used for short, rapid bursts of contraction such as
the gastrocnemius, a muscle in the leg that is used in jumping.
Uses of Skeletal Muscle Fibers
Skeletal muscle fibers have various uses. Among them are the following:
 Maintaining body posture – the skeletal muscle fibers found in the

deep back are responsible for this task.
 Protect the internal organs and tissues from any injury and also
provide support to these delicate organs and tissues.
 The skeletal muscles are responsible for body movements such as
typing, breathing, extending the arm, writing, etc.
 Regulate body temperature. After a strenuous exercise, the body feels
hot. This is due to the contraction of skeletal muscles which converts
energy into heat.
Progressive Resistance Exercise

Progressive resistance exercise (PRE) is a method of increasing the ability of
muscles to generate force. It is a style of strength training exercise that
involves the utilization of resistance and the overload principle. The overload
principle defines a solution to the problem of our bodies adapting to one
particular exercise due to constant repetition. The principle states that in
order to see ongoing training benefits, the load placed on our bodies via
exercise must continue to be increased as our bodies adapt to the current
load.
Reference sites
Academic.oup.com Askinglot.com
Study.com Kenhub.com
Ptdirect.com
Wikipedia.com

Muscle Tissue

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Muscle Tissue

Muscular tissue is a specialized tissue in animals which applies forces to

 Irritability - ability to respond to a stimulus.

Types of Muscle Tissues

Muscular Strength and Endurance

On the other hand, Muscular endurance is the ability of a muscle or group of

Methods of Developing Muscular Strength

Exercises that can help improve strength include:

Methods of Improving Muscle Endurance

 Choosing Muscular Endurance Exercises

Skeletal Muscle Fiber

Types of Skeletal Muscle Fibers

 Maintaining body posture – the skeletal muscle fibers found in the

Progressive Resistance Exercise

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