Week 1: Naming Skeletal Muscles

Fascicles

Bundles of muscle fibers wrapped together by connective tissue

Agonist

The muscle that produces the most force during a specific movement.

Antagonist

The muscle that opposes or undoes the action of the agonist.

Fixator

A muscle that stabilizes the bone being acted upon by the agonist.

Rectus

Means parallel to the midline

Transverse

Means perpendicular to the midline

Oblique

Means diagonal to the midline

Maximus

Means largest

Minimus

Means smallest

Flexor

A muscle that decreases the joint angle

Extensor

A muscle that increases the joint angle

Abductor

A muscle that moves a bone away from the midline

Adductor

A muscle that moves a bone closer to the midline

Biceps

Muscle with two origins

Triceps

Muscle with three origins

Quadriceps

Muscle with four origins

Diaphragm

The major muscle of inhalation that depresses during inhalation.

Gastrocnemius

A muscle that plantarflexes the ankle and flexes the knee.

Sphincter

A muscle that decreases the size of an opening

Tensor

A muscle that makes a body part rigid

Supinator

A muscle that turns the palm anteriorly

Pronator

A muscle that turns the palm posteriorly

Muscle fibers

is an individual muscle cell that contracts to produce movement.

Muscle fibrils

are the smaller strands within muscle fibers that contain the contractile proteins actin and myosin