Biomechanics of Resistance

Exercise
ES 342
S i 2010
Spring

Plans for the next two weeks:

Pushing projects to 4/1
No, Im not kidding.
We will be in the weight room in NIN Hall for every class

periodd untill then

h
MAY not have class on 3/18. You still must show up to find
out I am not cancelling outright just yet.
out.
yet

Key Point
Specificity
S ifi it is
i a major
j consideration
id ti when
h one is
i

designing an exercise program to improve

performance in a particular sport activity.
activity The
sport movement must be analyzed qualitatively or
qquantitativelyy to determine the specific
p
joint
j
movements that contribute to the whole-body
movement. Exercises that use similar joint
movements are then emphasized in the resistance
training program.

Musculoskeletal System
Skeleton
Skeletal Musculature
Muscles function by
Origin = proximal
(toward the center of the
ppullingg against
g
bones
body) attachment
Bones rotate about joints
Insertion = distal (away
Forces are transmitted
from the center of the
through the skin to the
body) attachment
environment
Can be divided into
axial skeleton
appendicular
pp
skeleton..

Figure 4.1
41

Major Body Movements

Planes of movement are relative to the body in the anatomical position

unless
l otherwise
h i statedd
Common exercises that provide resistance to the movements and related
sport activities are listed in the coming slides
Simple
Si l rules:
l
Flexion is any movement that takes us away from the anatomical position in

the sagittal plane

Extension is anyy movement that takes us towards the anatomical position
p
in
the sagittal plane
Abduction is any movement that takes us away from the anatomical position
in the frontal plane
Adduction is any movement that takes us toward the anatomical position in
the frontal plane
Rotation occurs in the transverse plane if we begin the movement in the
anatomical positionThis movement, especially can occur outside the
transverse plane!
l !

Figure 4.16
4 16

Reprinted, by permission, from Harman, Johnson, and Frykman, 1992.

Figure 4.16
4 16 (continued)

Reprinted, by permission, from Harman, Johnson, and Frykman, 1992.

Key Terms
agonist: The muscle most directly involved in bringing about

a movement; also called the prime mover.

antagonist: A muscle
l that
h can slow
l ddown or stop the
h

movement.
synergist: A muscle that can assist the agonist.

A Lever
Body movements primarily act through the bony levers of the

skeleton
The lever applies a force on the object equal in magnitude to
but opposite in direction from FR

Key TermMechanical
Term Mechanical Advantage
Ratio of:
The moment arm through which an applied force acts to
The moment arm through
g which a resistive force acts

A mechanical (dis)advantage:
Greater than 1.0 allows the applied (muscle) force to be less

than the resistive force to produce an equal amount of torque

Less than 1.0
1 0 is a disadvantage in the common sense of the term

E
Example
l off Mechanical
M h i l (Di
(Dis)advantage
) d
t g
MM /MR = 5 cm/40 cm = 0.125
< 1.0 mechanical disadvantage.

A First-Class
First Class Lever (the Forearm)
Muscle force and resistive

force act on opposite sides of

the fulcrum
Because MM is much
h smaller
ll
than MR, FM must be much
greater than FR
Mechanical Disadvantage

A Second-Class
Second Class Lever (the Foot)
Muscle force and resistive force act on

the same side of the fulcrum

Muscle force acts through a moment
arm longer than that through of the
resistive force
Due to mechanical advantage, the
required muscle force is smaller than
the resistive force.
Because MM is greater than MR, FM is
l than
less
h FR.

A Third-Class
Third Class Lever (the Forearm)
Muscle force and resistive force act

on the same side of the fulcrum

Muscle force acts through a moment
arm shorter than that through of the
resistive force
Mechanical advantage is thus less
than 1.0, so the muscle force has to
be greater than the resistive force to
produce torque equal to that
produced by the resistive force
Because MM is much smaller than MR,

FM mustt be
b muchh greater
t th
than FR

Th P
The
Patella
t ll and
d Mechanical
M h i l Advantage
Ad
t g
(a) Having a patella increases the mechanical advantage of the quadriceps

muscle
l group
maintains the quadriceps tendons distance from the knees axis of rotation

(b) No patella means the tendon falls closer to the knees

knee s center of rotation
shortens the moment arm through which the muscle force acts and decreases

the muscles mechanical advantage

Moment Arm of the Muscle &

M h i l Ad
Mechanical
Advantage
t g
The distance from the joint axis of rotation to the tendons

line of action varies throughout the joints ROM

When the moment arm (M) is shorter, there is less
mechanical advantage

Moment Arm of the Resistance

The moment arm (M) through

which the weight acts changes

with the horizontal distance
from the weight to the elbow

Key Point
Most off the
h skeletal
k l l muscles
l operate at a considerable
d bl mechanical
h
l

disadvantage. Thus, during sports and other physical activities,

forces in the muscles and tendons are much higher than those
exerted by the hands or feet on external objects or the ground.

What does this mean for people with

l g llevers?
longer
?

Variations in Tendon Insertion

The points at which tendons are attached to bone
Farther from the joint center results in the ability to lift heavier

weights
g
Arrangement loss of maximum speed
Arrangement reduces the muscles force capability during faster

movements

Tendon Insertion and Joint Angle

g
The slide shows changes in joint

angle with equal increments of

muscle shortening

tendon is inserted (a) closer to joint

center
t
(b) farther from the joint center
Configuration (b) has a larger

moment arm

greater torque for a given

muscle force
less rotation per unit of muscle
contraction
slower movement speed

Musculoskeletal System
Sagittal plane slices the body into

left-right sections
Frontal plane slices the body into

f t b k sections
front-back
ti
Transverse plane slices the body

into upper-lower sections

Human Strength and Power

Strength: The capacity to

exert force at any given

speed
Power: The mathematical
product of force and
velocity at whatever
speed

Factors in Human Strength

g
Neural Control
more motor units are involved in a contraction
the motor units are greater in size
the rate of firing is faster.
faster

Muscle Cross-Sectional Area

Force a muscle can exert is related to its cross
cross-sectional
sectional area
Volume is not the same as CSA

Arrangement
g
of Muscle Fibers
Pennation
Greater angles increased force production

Muscle Fiber Arrangements

Muscle fiber arrangements and an example of each

Factors in Human Strength (cont)

Muscle Length
At
A resting
i llength:
h
actin and myosin filaments lie next to each other
maximal number of potential cross-bridge sites are available
the muscle can generate the greatest force
When stretched:
a smaller proportion of the actin and myosin filaments lie next to each other
fewer potential cross-bridge sites are available
the muscle cannot generate as much force
When shortened:
the actin filaments overlap
the number of cross-bridge sites is reduced
there is decreased force g
generation capability
p
y

Muscle Length and Actin

and
d Myosin
M i Interaction
I t
ti
Interaction between actin and

myosin filaments
Muscle is at its resting length
Muscle is contracted or

stretched
Muscle force capability
p
y is

greatest when the muscle is at

its resting length because of
i
increased
d opportunity
t it ffor actinti
myosin cross-bridges

Factors in Human Strength

Joint Angle
Resistance arm changes
h
dduring joint rotation
Force arm changes during joint rotation
Actin-myosin
y
cross-bridge
g interactions change
g duringg joint
j

rotation

Muscle Contraction Velocity

N
Nonlinear
li
Generally, ability of a muscle to generate force declines as the

velocity of contraction increases

Joint Angular Velocity

There are three types of muscle action

Key TermJoint Contraction Types

concentric muscle action:
Muscle shortens because the contractile force is greater than the resistive force
Forces generated within the muscle and acting to shorten it are greater than the
external forces acting at its tendons to stretch it
eccentric muscle action:
Muscle lengthens because the contractile force is less than the resistive force
Forces generated within the muscle and acting to shorten it are less than the
external forces acting at its tendons to stretch it
isometric muscle action:
Muscle length does not change because the contractile force is equal to the
resistive force
Forces generated within the muscle and acting to shorten it are equal to the
external forces acting at its tendons to stretch it

Forcevelocity curve for eccentric and

concentric
t i actions
ti

Factors in Human Strength

Strength-to-Mass Ratio
In sprinting and jumping,
jumping the ratio directly reflects an athletes
athlete s

ability to accelerate his or her body.

In sports involving weight classification, the ratio helps
determine when strength is highest relative to that of other
athletes in the weight class.
Body Size
As body size increases, body mass increases more rapidly than

does muscle strength.

g
Given constant body proportions, the smaller athlete has a
higher strength-to-mass ratio than does the larger athlete.

Joint Biomechanics:
C
Concerns
iin R
Resistance
i t
TTraining
i i g
Back
Back Injury
The lower back is particularly vulnerable.
Resistance trainingg exercises should ggenerallyy be performed
p
with the
lower back in a moderately arched position.
Intra-Abdominal Pressure and Lifting Belts
The fluid
fluid ball
ball aids in supporting the vertebral
ertebral column during resistance
training.
Weightlifting belts are probably effective in improving safety. Follow
conservative recommendations.
recommendations

Intra abdominal pressure

Intra-abdominal
Valsalva maneuver
Glottis is closed keeping air from

escaping the lungs

Muscles of the abdomen and rib cage
contract
Creates rigid compartments of liquid in the

lower torso
Keeps air in the upper torso

The
Th fl
fluid
id bball
ll resulting
l i ffrom

contraction of the deep abdominal

muscles and the diaphragm
p g

Joint Biomechanics:
C
Concerns
iin R
Resistance
i t
TTraining
i i g
Shoulders
Prone to injury during weight training
Poor structure
Unique external forces

Warm
W
up with
i h relatively
l i l lilight
h weights
i h
Follow a program that exercises the shoulders in a balanced way
Remember to address both directions in all three planes
Example:
l Front Flies
l andd Backk Flies
l

Maintain controlled speeds of movement

Knees
Prone to injury because of its location between two long levers
Minimize the use of wraps

How Can Athletes Reduce the Risk of

R i t
Resistance
Training
T i i g IInjuries?
j i ?
Perform
P f
one or more warm-up sets
relatively light weights
especially
p
y for exercises that involve extensive use of the shoulder

or knee

Perform basic exercises through a full ROM

Use
U relatively
l i l lilight
h weights
i h
when introducing new exercises
resumingg trainingg after a layoff
y of two or more weeks

Do not ignore pain in or around the joints

(continued)

How Can Athletes Reduce the Risk of

R i t
Resistance
TTraining
i i IInjuries?
j i ? (continued)
(
i
d)
Never attempt lifting
lf
maximall lloads
d without
h proper

preparation
technique instruction in the exercise movement
practice with lighter weights

Performingg several variations of an exercise results in:

more complete muscle development
better joint stability

Take care when incorporating plyometric drills into a training

program

Questions?

Sources of Resistance
t Muscle
to
M l Contraction
C t ti
Gravity
Applications to Resistance Training
When the weight is horizontally closer to the joint, it exerts less resistive
torque
q
When the weight is horizontally farther from a joint, it exerts more
resistive torque
Weight-Stack
Weight Stack Machines
Gravity is the source of resistance, but machines provide increased
control over the direction and pattern of resistance

Sources of Resistance
t Muscle
to
M l Contraction
C t ti (cont)
(
t)
Inertia
When a weight is held in a static position or when

it is moved at a constant velocity, it exerts constant resistance

onlyy in the downward direction
However, upward or lateral acceleration of the weight requires
additional force
Friction
Friction is the resistive force encountered when one attempts to

move an object while it is pressed against another object

Sources of Resistance
t Muscle
to
M l Contraction
C t ti
Fluid Resistance
Fluid resistance is the resistive force encountered by an object moving
through a fluid (liquid or gas), or by a fluid moving past or around an object
or through an orifice.
Elasticity
The more an elastic component is stretched, the greater the resistance.
Negative Work and Power
Negative work refers to work performed on, rather than by, a muscle.
The rate at which the repetitions are performed determines the power
output.
t t