The Muscular System

Body and Mind

Key Questions How do we move?

What are muscles made up of?

What are the main muscles in our body?

What else do our muscles do for us?

How do we move? Create a flow chart…

The muscular system - functions

Support and posture

Without the muscles, there would be no tension throughout the body to keep it upright.

The muscular system - functions

Movement

The voluntary muscles of our body (like the biceps and hamstrings) act on the bones they are attached to to produce movement

The muscular system - functions

Involuntary bodily functions Breathing Digestion Heart Beat

The above functions are performed (or assisted by muscles) without thinking about them.

Muscles - structure All of our muscles are

made up of microscopic fibres, which when bundled together are called motor units.

These motor units (when called upon by a nerve impulse create movement.

The number of motor units used depends on the strength of the impulse and the effort (force) required

Which muscles should I know?

Anterior

Pectorals

Biceps

Abdominals

External Obliques

Quadriceps

Tibialis anterior

Posterior

Trapizius

Triceps

Latissimus Dorsi

Gluteus Maximus

Hamstrings

Gastrocnemius

Key Concepts Review The muscular system acts on the bones to allow us

to move, breath, eat and more.

There are at least 700 muscles in the human body which perform a wide variety of voluntary and involuntary functions

The muscles are made up of bundles of muscle fibres, which the body uses to different degrees based on the demands of a task.