Muscle Power, Strength, Endurance, Types,

theories and Grade strength principle of

skeletal muscle
DR.SHAZIA HASHMAT
ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR
PHYSIOLOGY
 Exercise physiology
• The study of the acute responses and chronic
adaptations to a wide range of exercise
conditions.
• Exercise physiologists study the effect of
exercise on pathology, and the mechanisms by
which exercise can reduce or reverse disease
progression.
 Over view

• Muscular strength is the ability to exert maximal force in

one single contraction, such as lifting a weight that you
could lift only once before needing a short break.
• Muscular power refers to a great force production over a
short period of time, such as in fast leg kicks and explosive
jumping.
• Muscular endurance is when less force is sustained over a
longer period of time such as in gallops, skips and swings.
Dancers often confuse endurance with strength, so it is
sometimes useful to think of endurance as continuous and
strength as maximal.
 Power of muscle
• A muscle that can lift 1 kg weight to a height
of 1 meter
• Or
• That can move 1 kg weight to a distance of 1
meter in 1 minute is said to have a power of 1
kg-m/min.
 Power of muscle
• Is determined by:
• 1. strength of muscle contraction
• 2. distance of contraction
• And
• 3. the number of times it contracts each
minute
• Unit: kilogram meters (kg-m) per minute.
 Muscular strength
• Muscular strength is the ability of a muscle or muscle group to
exert force to overcome the most resistance in one effort.
• Strength can be measured based on the amount of weight
lifted.
• Upper-body and lower-body strength are measured separately.
• Strength tests include the bench press for upper body, the
squat for lower body and the dead lift for lower back and leg
assessments.
• Relative strength is based on a ratio of weight lifted to body
weight. For example, if two people lifted the same weight, the
person who weighs less has greater relative strength.
 Holding strength of a muscle
• Is about 40% greater than the contractile
strength.
 Muscular Endurance
• Muscular endurance is the ability of a muscle or muscle group to
exert force to overcome a resistance many times.
• Often the resistance is the body itself.
• The measurement of muscular endurance is based on the
number of repetitions performed.
• Muscular endurance is specific to the assessment.
• The ability to perform upper-body exercises many times is
separate from the ability to perform lower-body or abdominal
exercises many times.
• Muscular endurance tests include push-ups, pull-ups and dips for
the upper body, and sit-ups for the abdominals. Lower-body
endurance can be assessed with squats.
 Training
• Training is specific to fitness or skill goals.
• Strength training is based on progressive resistance exercises.
• Workouts consist of higher weights and lower repetitions.
• You should perform three to four exercises for each muscle group with three
to four sets of six to eight repetitions each.
• Longer rest periods between sets allow for increased strength for the next set.
• Endurance training is based on progressive repetition exercises. Workouts
consist of lower weights and higher repetitions.
• Perform three to four exercises for each muscle group with three to four sets
of 10 to 12 repetitions each. Shorter rest periods between sets increase
fatigue levels for the next set. This type of training will further improve
endurance levels.
• Power training is similar to strength training. In addition, explosive movements
geared to specific skill development should be added to training programs.
 Mechanical work
• Performed by a muscle is the amount of force
applied by the muscle multiplied by the
distance over which the force is applied.
 Load
• Force exerted by the weight of an object on
the muscle is known as load.
 Muscle tension
• The force exerted by the contracting muscle
on the object is known as muscle tension.
 Factors affecting gradation of whole
muscle tension
• The number of muscle fibers contracting
within a muscle.
• The tension developed by each contracting
fiber.
 Motor unit
• One motor neuron supplying all the muscle
fibers it innervates is called motor unit.
 Motor unit recruitment
• For a weak contraction of the whole muscle,
only one or few motor units are activated.

• For stronger and stronger contractions, more

and more motor units are recruited or
stimulated to contract simultaneously. This
phenomenon is called motor unit recruitment.
Factors determining tension developed in
the whole muscle
• Number of active fibers: greater the number of
fibers contracting, greater is the tension developed.
Therefore, as greater and greater number of motor
units get recruited, greater is the tension
developed.
• Number of fibers per motor unit: the number of
muscle fibers per motor unit varies with different
muscles, e.g in ocular muscles there are only 10 to
13 fiber per motor unit. In muscles of back there
are hundreds of fibers per motor unit.
 Tension developed by each muscle fiber
depend on
• Frequency of stimulation
• Length of the fiber at the onset of contraction
• Extent of fatigue
• Thickness of the fiber
 Factors determining muscle tension in
single muscle fiber
• Frequency of action potential: greater the
frequency, greater is the tension developed
(due to summation).
• Length of the fiber: At the optimal length
number of active sites exposed for acting with
cross-bridges is maximum. Decrease or
increase in length of sarcomere results into
decrease in number of active sites exposed for
acting with cross bridges.
 Factors determining muscle tension in
single muscle fiber
• Tension developed is proportional to the
number of cross-bridges active at a time.
• Diameter of fiber: greater the number of fiber,
greater is the tension developed.
• Rate of fatigue: greater the rate of fatigue,
lesser is the tension developed.
 Two factors that control gradation of
contraction
• Number of motor units stimulated
• Frequency of motor unit stimulation
 Length tension relationship
• For every muscle, there is an optimal muscle
length at which maximal tension can be
developed.
 Resting length of muscle or ‘L’ zero?
• The length of muscle at which the muscle
develops the greatest isometric tension is
called the ‘L’ zero length. Normally under
resting state, muscle length is ‘L’ zero.
 Difference b/w isotonic and isometric
contraction
• Isotonic contraction • Isometric contraction
• Length changes, tension • Length remains
remains constant constant, tension
changes.
• Muscle does external • Muscle does not do
work, lifting of load. external work, e.g.
contraction of
antigravity muscles only
for maintaining posture.
 Difference b/w isotonic and isometric
contraction
• Evolution of heat is • Evolution of heat is
lesser than that in more than that in
isometric. isotonic.
• Duration is short. • Duration is long.
• Load determines the • Length of sarcomere
velocity of shortening. determines tension
generated.
• Mechanical efficiency • Mechanical efficiency
more. less.
 Types of isotonic contractions
• Concentric contraction: with constant tension,
the muscle shortens.
• Eccentric contraction: with constant tension,
the muscle lengthens.
Fast twitch fibers Slow twitch fibers
• Are mainly organized for endurance,
• Are about twice as much large in especially for generation of aerobic
diameter. energy.
• The enzymes that promote rapid • Have greater number of mitochondria
release of energy from the as compared to slow twitch fibers.
phosphogen and glycogen-lactic • Contain more myoglobin, a protein
acid energy systems as in slow that combines with oxygen within the
twitch fibers. muscle fiber
• Enzymes of aerobic metabolic system
• Maximal power can be achieved
are more active in slow twitch fibers
for very short periods of time by
• Number of capillaries is greater in
fast twitch fibers about twice as vicinity of slow twitch fibers
great as slow twitch fibers • Slow twitch fibers provide endurance,
• Fast twitch fibers can deliver delivering prolonged strength of
extreme amounts of power for a contraction over many minutes or
few seconds to a minute hours.
 Fiber type depends on nerve supply
• Whether a fiber is fast or slow twitch depends on
the fiber’s nerve supply.

• Slow twitch fibers are supplied by motor neurons

that exhibit a low-frequency pattern of electrical
activity

• Fast twitch fibers are innervated by motor neurons

that display intermittent rapid bursts of electrical
activity.
Hereditary differences among
athletes