Neuromuscular system and specialist training methods Flashcards
(16 cards)
Muscle Fibre Types and their characteristics - Type 1 - (Slow twitch)
Contract slowly.
Low force production.
Slow to fatigue.
High mitochondrial density.
High capillarisation.
Rely on aerobic respiration for energy to be produced.
Energy source = fats/tryglycerides.
Red.
(Marathon runners).
Muscle Fibre Types and their characteristics - Type 2A - (Fast twitch oxidative)
Contract faster than type 1.
Moderate fatigue.
Moderate mitochondrial density.
Moderate capillarisation.
Use aerobic and anaerobic energy for respiration.
Energy source = PC, glycogen.
Pink.
(Footballer).
Muscle Fibre Types and their characteristics - Type 2B (x) - (Fast twitch glycolytic)
Quick and powerful contractions.
Quick to fatigue.
Low mitochondrial density.
Low capillarisation.
Rely on anaerobic respiration.
Energy source = C, glycogen.
Muscle Fibre Types’ adaptations to training - Type 1
Types of training to improve type 1 -> interval, continuous and fartlek.
Increased capillarisation.
Increased mitochondrial density.
Increased resistance to fatigue.
Muscle Fibre Types’ adaptations to training - Type 2A
With the right type of training (plyometrics, weight) you can make type 2A behave like type 2B (x).
Aerobic training to make it more aerobic. e.g. increased capillarisation, increased mitochondrial density.
Muscle Fibre Types’ adaptations to training - Type 2B (x)
Weight, plyometrics, HITT.
Increased PC and glycogen stores.
Increased force production.
Muscle Fibre Types’ adaptations to training - All fibres
Hypertrophy.
Hyperplasia (maybe) -> muscle fibres can split and re-grow.
All tendons can get bigger and produce more force.
Training methods - How you do them and the adaptations they promote - Speed agility and quickness (SAQ)
Used to improve 2x muscle fibres.
To contract quicker and more powerfully.
Improves reaction time.
Improves neuromuscular link.
Increases power output.
Improved joint stability and injury prevention.
Training methods - How you do them and the adaptations they promote - Proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation
Pre stretch -> push until mild discomfort - muscle spindles detect the speed of muscle contraction.
Push against -> 10 second push against the partner - isometric contraction. builds up tension in the muscle. golgi tendon organ detects this and the stretch reflex is turned off. this means that you can push further the next time.
Autogenic inhibition -> complete relaxation.
Golgi tendon organ -> detects the build up of tension in the muscles.
Training methods - How you do them and the adaptations they promote - Plyometrics
Consists of jumping, bounding and hopping to improve power and Type 2x muscle fibres.
Starts with a fast eccentric concentration. If muscles spindles don’t like the speed, it produces the stretch reflex. This creates a powerful concentric contraction.
Whole process is known as the stretch shortening cycle.
Training methods - How you do them and the adaptations they promote - Altitude training
Effective at 2000m where there is a lower partial pressure.
Haemoglobin increases.
Red blood cell count increases.
EPO (hormone) increases.
Haematocrit increases -> measure of your red blood cell count.
Altitude tents:
Also known as Hypoxic chambers.
Mimics effects of altitude.
Usually used to preserve fitness.
Altitude training - Evaluation
Advantages:
- increased haematocrit
- increased haemoglobin concentration
- enhanced oxygen transport
- all this benefits endurance athletes return to sea level
Disadvantages:
- expensive
- altitude sickness
- difficult to train
- detraining
- benefits lost when athletes return to sea level
Muscle fibre recruitment - What it is and motor units
How we recruit muscle fibres, so we can perform in sports smoothly, strong and skillful.
The motor unit:
Consists of a motor neuron and the fibres it controls.
Motor neurones transmit nerve impulses (action potential) to the muscle fibres.
Only made up of single fibre types.
Signal travels down the CNS to the motor neurons, who signal for the muscle fibres to contract.
Large motor neurons fire type 2x units.
Small motor neurons fire type 1 units.
More strength = more motor units.
Muscle fibre recruitment - All or none law and spatial summation
All or none law:
Al muscle fibres fully contract or they don’t contract at all.
Spatial summation:
How impulses are rotated to motor units so that some rest whilst others work.
Achieved by the addition of impulses at different places on the neuron -> delays fatigue.
Muscle fibre recruitment - Producing contractions of different strengths - Multiple unit summation and wave summation
Multiple unit summation:
If more motor units are recruited, the contraction will be stronger.
Fast twitch units will required for more powerful contractions.
Wave summation:
Signals are sent in intervals/waves to the motor neuron.
Greater the frequency of nerve impulses = greater the force produced by the motor unit.
Tetanic contraction -> when a motor unit is sustained lots of times in quick succession, there is little to no time for relaxation.
Neuromuscular adaptations to training
Muscular hypertrophy.
Hyperplasia.
Recruitment of more motor units.
Conversion of type 2b to type 2a.
