Fitness for Life - Muscle Fitness Unit

Muscular fitness

The assembly of the two main components of physical fitness:

- Muscular strength

- Muscular endurance

Muscular strength

The ability of one muscle group to apply a MAXIMAL force against a resistance at a specific speed, ONCE

Muscular endurance

The ability to REPEAT muscle movement over a period of time with little fatigue

List at least 4 benefits of muscular fitness:

- Establishes good posture

- Decreases body fat

- Reduces fatigue

- Improves sports performance

- Assists with back pain

- Prevents muscle injury/soreness

- Increases bone density

Myth: “Weight training makes a person muscle bound and inflexible.”

Fact:

- When weight training programs and exercises are introduced and performed properly and ROM is not affected, the individual should not fear becoming inflexible

Myth: “Muscular fitness is good for men, but unfeminine for women.”

Fact:

- Good muscular fitness is just as important for men as it is for women

The American College of Sports Medicine recommends at least one set of …-… repetitions of … to … exercises that work the major muscle groups at least … days a week

8-12; eight to ten; 2

Repetition (rep)

The completion of a single, full range movement of the body part being exercised

Set

A group of repetitions

Pounds (lbs)

How much weight a person completed per repetition

Cardiac muscle

- Found exclusively in the heart

- Responsible for pumping action

Skeletal muscle

- Body’s largest tissue

- Type of muscle used when you exercise

- Anchored to the bone so that, when the muscle contracts and pulls on the bone, movement is initiated

Smooth muscle

Surround the body’s organs

Slow-twitch muscle fibers (AKA red-twitch fibers)

- Also called red twitch fibers because of the large amounts of blood supply directed to them

- Such fibers are slow to contract but have the ability to continue contracting for long periods of time

- These fibers are best suited for aerobic or muscular endurance activities (e.g. XC) since they do not tire easily

Fast-twitch muscle fibers (AKA white-twitch fibers)

- Also called white-twitch fibers
- Contract quickly, allowing muscular contractions and therefore, lend themselves more readily to anaerobic, or strength related activities (e.g. 100m dash)

Isometric muscle contractions

- When the length of the muscle remains the same throughout the contraction

- Strength can be improved this way but gains are not as great as through concentric and eccentric contractions

- EX: Planks

Cocentric muscle contractions

- The muscle shortens to lift a weight, as the force in the muscle is greater than the object

- Also known as the “hard part” where an exerciser traditionally exhales 

- EX: Lifting bell during bicep curls

Eccentric muscle contractions

- The muscle lengthens to lower the weight, as the force in the muscle is less than the object

- Also known as the “easy part” where an exerciser traditionally inhales

- EX: Lowering bell during bicep curls

Overload Principle

You must perform exercises at a greater intensity than you are use to in order to get better. Overloading your body includes going up in weight, going up in sets or changing your training objective.

HYPERTROPHY

Muscle growth

Atrophy

Decrease in Muscle Size

POWER

The time rate of doing work (AKA speed of a movement)