The Anatomical System Most Directly Affected By Exercise...
...is the muscular system. While bones and joints provide the framework for the body, it is the
contraction (and relaxation) of specific muscles that enable us to move. There are three types of muscle tissue.
They are: Skeletal, Cardiac, and Visceral.
Skeletal muscle tissue is attached to bones by tendons, and is typically
named according to its location. Skeletal muscle is voluntary muscle; that is, it can be made to contract by conscious
effort.
Cardia muscle tissue forms the walls of the heart and is involuntary by nature.
The third type of muscle,
visceral muscle is found in the walls of internal organs like the stomach and intestines and in blood vessels. The
contraction of visceral muscle also is involuntary and, thus, is not under conscious control. While all three types
of muscle have vital functions, the structure and function of skeletals muscles warrant the chart below.
Both
ends of a skeletal muscle are attached to bone via tendons (a cord of connective tissue). In some cases, skeletal
muscles are attached to bone by an aponeurosis, a broad, flat type of tendon. The wide, flat insertion of the rectus
abdominis is an excellent example of aponeurosis. While there are more than 600 muscles within the human body, only
the major muscles are illustrated below.
Skeletal Muscular System - Anterior & Posterior Muscular Anatomy
Learn what your muscles look like inside you and where they are in your body. Find out what functions your muscles perform and how they work.
Select a muscle group below to learn more. If you're looking for new exercises to add to your routine vistit our Exercise Guide, complete
with pictures, descriptions and video examples of hundreds of exercises.
