
mus·cle (m
s
l) n : A contractile organ consisting of a special bundle of muscle tissue, which moves a particular bone, part, or substance of the body.
While many magazines, TV shows, websites, and people are full of fitness advice, how much of this is actually credible? The fact is that scientists still don’t have the human body 100% figured out, but they do believe that they have a good understanding of how muscles work and grow. In this article, I will discuss the science behind how muscles function and grow, as well as what they are composed of.
Although the word muscle evokes thoughts of biceps and pectorals, in reality there are three different types of muscles.
1. Skeletal Muscle: this is what we normally think of when we think of muscle. Anchored by tendons to bone, this type of muscle is used to affect skeletal movement such as locomotion and in maintaining posture.
2. Smooth Muscle: this type of muscle is found within the walls of organs and structures such as the esophagus, stomach, intestines, bronchi, uterus, urethra, bladder, blood vessels, and even the skin (in which it controls erection of body hair). Unlike skeletal muscle, smooth muscle is not under conscious control.
3. Cardiac Muscle: Muscle found within the heart is cardiac muscle, which is not under conscious control but is much more akin to skeletal muscle otherwise.
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