Chapter 8:

Skeletal Muscle

EXERCISE PHYSIOLOGY
Theory and Application to Fitness and Performance, 6th edition
Scott K. Powers & Edward T. Howley

© 2007 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved.

Objectives
• Draw & label the microstructure of skeletal
muscle
• Outline the steps leading to muscle
shortening
• Define the concentric and isometric
• Discuss: twitch, summation & tetanus
• Discus the major biochemical and mechanical
properties of skeletal muscle fiber types

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 Objectives
• Discuss the relationship between skeletal
muscle fibers types and performance
• List & discuss those factors that regulate the
amount of force exerted during muscular
contraction
• Graph the relationship between movement
velocity and the amount of force exerted during
muscular contraction
• Discuss structure & function of muscle spindle
• Describe the function of a Golgi tendon organ
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Skeletal Muscle
• Human body contains over 400 skeletal muscles
– 40-50% of total body weight
• Functions of skeletal muscle
– Force production for locomotion and breathing
– Force production for postural support
– Heat production during cold stress

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 Connective Tissue Covering
Skeletal Muscle
• Epimysium
– Surrounds entire muscle
• Perimysium
– Surrounds bundles of muscle fibers
• Fascicles
• Endomysium
– Surrounds individual muscle fibers

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Connective
Tissue
Covering
Skeletal
Muscle

Fig 8.1
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 Microstructure of
Skeletal Muscle
• Sarcolemma: Muscle cell membrane
• Myofibrils Threadlike strands within muscle
fibers
– Actin (thin filament)
– Myosin (thick filament)
– Sarcomere
• Z-line, M-line, H-zone, A-band & I-band

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Microstructure
of Skeletal
Muscle

Fig 8.2
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 Microstructure of
Skeletal Muscle
• Within the sarcoplasm
– Sarcoplasmic reticulum
• Storage sites for calcium
– Transverse tubules
– Terminal cisternae
– Mitochondria

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Within the
Sarcoplasm

Fig 8.3
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 The Neuromuscular Junction
• Where motor neuron meets the muscle
fiber
• Motor end plate: pocket formed around
motor neuron by sarcolemma
• Neuromuscular cleft: short gap
• Ach is released from the motor neuron
– Causes an end-plate potential (EPP)
• Depolarization of muscle fiber
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Neuromuscular Junction

Fig 8.4
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 Muscular Contraction
• The sliding filament model
– Muscle shortening occurs due to the
movement of the actin filament over the
myosin filament
– Formation of cross-bridges between actin
and myosin filaments “Power stroke”
• 1 power stroke only shorten muscle 1%
– Reduction in the distance between Z-lines
of the sarcomere
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The Sliding Filament Model

Fig 8.5
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 Actin & Myosin Relationship
• Actin
– Actin-binding site
– Troponin with calcium binding site
– Tropomyosin
• Myosin
– Myosin head
– Myosin tais

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Actin & Myosin Relationship

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Fig 8.6

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 Energy for Muscle Contraction
• ATP is required for muscle contraction
– Myosin ATPase breaks down ATP as fiber
contracts
• Sources of ATP
– Phosphocreatine (PC)
– Glycolysis
– Oxidative phosphorylation

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Sources of ATP for Muscle

Contraction

Fig 8.7
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 Excitation-Contraction
Coupling
• Depolarization of motor end plate (excitation)
is coupled to muscular contraction
– Nerve impulse travels down T-tubules and
causes release of Ca++ from SR
– Ca++ binds to troponin and causes position
change in tropomyosin, exposing active
sites on actin
– Permits strong binding state between actin
and myosin and contraction occurs

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Excitation-
Contraction
Coupling

Fig 8.9

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 Steps Leading to Muscular
Contraction

Fig 8.10
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Properties of
Muscle Fiber Types
• Biochemical properties
– Oxidative capacity
– Type of ATPase
• Contractile properties
– Maximal force production
– Speed of contraction
– Muscle fiber efficiency

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 Individual Fiber Types
Fast fibers Slow fibers
• Type IIx fibers • Type I fibers
– Fast-twitch fibers – Slow-twitch fibers
– Fast-glycolytic – Slow-oxidative
fibers fibers
• Type IIa fibers
– Intermediate
fibers
– Fast-oxidative
glycolytic fibers
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Muscle Fiber Types

Fast Fibers Slow fibers
Characteristic Type IIx Type IIa Type I
Number of mitochondria Low High/mod High
Resistance to fatigue Low High/mod High
Predominant energy system Anaerobic Combination Aerobic
ATPase Highest High Low
Vmax (speed of shortening) Highest Intermediate Low
Efficiency Low Moderate High
Specific tension High High Moderate

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 Comparison of Maximal
Shortening Velocities Between
Fiber Types

Type IIx

Fig 8.11
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Histochemical Staining of Fiber

Type

Type IIa

Type IIx

Type I

Fig 8.12
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 Fiber Typing
• Gel electrophoresis: myosin isoforms
– different weight move different distances

+ 1 2 3 4 5
Type I
Type IIA 1 – Marker
Type IIx 2 – Soleus
3 – Gastroc
4 – Quads
5 - Biceps
_
Table 10.2
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Fiber Typing
• Immunohistochemical:
– Four serial slices of muscle tissue
– antibody attach to certain myosin isoforms

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 Muscle Tissue: Rat Diaphragm

Type 1 fibers - dark Type 2b fiber - dark

antibody: BA-D5 Antibody: BF-F3

Type 2x fibers - light/white

Type 2a fibers - dark
antibody: BF-35
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Fiber Types and Performance

• Power athletes
– Sprinters
– Possess high percentage of fast fibers
• Endurance athletes
– Distance runners
– Have high percentage of slow fibers
• Others
– Weight lifters and nonathletes
– Have about 50% slow and 50% fast fibers
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 Alteration of Fiber Type by
Training
• Endurance and resistance training
– Cannot change fast fibers to slow fibers
– Can result in shift from Type IIx to IIa fibers
• Toward more oxidative properties

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Training-Induced Changes in
Muscle Fiber Type

Fig 8.13
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 Age-Related Changes in
Skeletal Muscle
• Aging is associated with a loss of muscle
mass
– Rate increases after 50 years of age
• Regular exercise training can improve
strength and endurance
– Cannot completely eliminate the age-
related loss in muscle mass

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Types of Muscle Contraction

• Isometric
– Muscle exerts force without changing length
– Pulling against immovable object
– Postural muscles
• Isotonic (dynamic)
– Concentric
• Muscle shortens during force production
– Eccentric
• Muscle produces force but length
increases
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 Isotonic and Isometric
Contractions

Fig 8.14
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Speed of Muscle Contraction

and Relaxation
• Muscle twitch
– Contraction as the result of a single stimulus
– Latent period
• Lasting only ~5 ms
– Contraction
• Tension is developed
• 40 ms
– Relaxation
• 50 ms
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 Muscle Twitch

Fig 8.15
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Force Regulation in Muscle

• Types and number of motor units recruited
– More motor units = greater force
– Fast motor units = greater force
– Increasing stimulus strength recruits more &
faster/stronger motor units
• Initial muscle length
– “Ideal” length for force generation
• Nature of the motor units neural stimulation
– Frequency of stimulation
• Simple twitch, summation, and tetanus
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 Relationship Between
Stimulus Frequency and
Force Generation

Fig 8.16
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Length-
Tension
Relationship

Fig 8.17
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 Simple Twitch, Summation,
and Tetanus

Fig 8.18
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Force-Velocity Relationship
• At any absolute force the speed of movement
is greater in muscle with higher percent of
fast-twitch fibers
• The maximum velocity of shortening is
greatest at the lowest force
– True for both slow and fast-twitch fibers

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 Force-Velocity Relationship

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Fig 8.19

Force-Power Relationship
• At any given velocity of movement the power
generated is greater in a muscle with a higher
percent of fast-twitch fibers
• The peak power increases with velocity up to
movement speed of 200-300
degrees•second-1
– Force decreases with increasing
movement speed beyond this velocity

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 Force-Power Relationship
• At any given velocity of movement the power
generated is greater in a muscle with a higher
percent of fast-twitch fibers
• The peak power increases with velocity up to
movement speed of 200-300 degrees/sec
– Force decreases with increasing
movement speed beyond this velocity

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Force-Power Relationship

Fig 8.20
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 Receptors in Muscle
• Muscle spindle
– Changes in muscle length
– Rate of change in muscle length
– Intrafusal fiber contains actin & myosin, and
therefore has the ability to shorten
– Gamma motor neuron stimulate muscle spindle
to shorten
• Stretch reflex
– Stretch on muscle causes reflex contraction

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Muscle Spindle

Fig 8.21
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 Receptors in Muscle
• Golgi tendon organ (GTO)
– Monitor tension developed in muscle
– Prevents damage during excessive force
generation
• Stimulation results in reflex relaxation of
muscle

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Golgi Tendon Organ

Fig 8.22
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 Chapter 8:
Skeletal Muscle

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