Muscles - kimschles/schlesinger-knowledge GitHub Wiki

From the 2018 Ghosh Yoga Immersive

  1. Muscles only pull

  2. Concentric and Eccentric Contraction

  • When a muscle contracts and becomes shorter, that is concentric contraction
    • ex. The upward motion of a bicep curl
    • The contraction of abdominal muscles during a sit up
  • When a muscle contracts and gets longer, that is eccentric contraction
    • ex. The lowering of the arm in a bicep curl
    • Lowering yourself down in a pushup
  1. Reciprocal Inhibition
  • Muscles on one side of a joint relax while the muscles on the other side contract.
    • The muscles that relax are called the antagonists
    • The muscles that contract are called the primary movers
  1. Hypertonic vs. Hypotonic
  • Tonic refers to tone when the muscle is resting
  • Hypertonic means that the muscle has increased muscle tone and is less flexible
  • Hypotonic means that the muscle is underdeveloped and too flexible