Neural Bases of Human Movement: How Muscle Movements Occur - Report Example

Name Course Tutor Date Neural Bases of Human Movement: How Muscle Movements Occur As one begins to exercise, there is always bulging of the muscles. This is due to fluid retention which soon goes away. Most strength training novice at this point is anxious to experience a crossectional increase in muscle mass (hypertrophy) which is not the case within the first one month of engaging in exercise. What happens is that there is an increase in strength rather than hypertrophy due to neural muscular adaptations to stress of the exercise as long as it is above the minimum threshold intensity. This therefore means that any strength training beginner will first gain strength before having any enlargement in muscle mass. Changes in strength evidenced in the first few weeks of resistance training are more associated with neural adaptations (Morris 18-24). Still, intake of healthy diets contributes both to neural adaptation as well as muscle mass increase. Genetic predisposition also determines ones individual differences in strength. Fibers compositions that are fast and low switch are genetically predetermined. However a god training program should be in a position to fill in these gaps of individual deficiencies. Exercise strain exposes muscles to need for development of desired muscle fibers so as to carry out the task placed on them. However lack of training makes the muscles docile a condition known as atrophy. Strength training is like unleashing the potential of ones muscles (Hagberg 55-58). Neuromuscular adaptation to strength training takes place during the first few couple of months of initiating a strength training regime. As ones nervous system gets more coordination with the muscles cells under exercise stress, one will realize an increase in muscle memory and a dramatic increase in muscle strength in the beginning. This adaptation gradually wears off and the increase in muscle size becomes more dependable on the increased muscle strength. Still as one continues being experienced and accustomed to a specific exercise, muscle mass increase gradually decreases. Later it plateaus because the muscles have adapted to that specific exercise stress. This means that for one to have a continuous muscle mass increase, change in ones training programs ones in a while. If the exercise stress is below body’s adaptability threshold then it is irrelevant since it is not challenging the body to accommodate physical exercise. This condition is termed as atrophy. However caution should be taken so that the exercise is not beyond the boy adaptation threshold then the body cannot tolerate and otherwise would lead to injury (Hagberg 58). The body of a strength trainer adjust in various ways so as to assimilate the physical exercise which include the following; Heart rate adaptations whereby it is elevated due to the amount of exercise stress intensity, the number of repetitions and the muscle mass involved in the contraction (small versus large mass exercises) (Fleck, 1988) . Interestingly, as one continues to exercise thereby gaining neuromuscular adaptations, there appears to be a reduction in heart rate from resistance training, which is considered beneficial (Hagberg 42-44). Heart size adaptations; studies of strength-trained athletes show that there is always an increase in left ventricular wall mass, left ventricular wall thickness, and septum that is the wall separating the left and right ventricles and also an increase in heart wall thickness for strength training novice. This adaptation occurs as a fortification of the heart due to being exposed to exercise. Skeletal muscular adaptation whereby they gain strength to accommodate the exercise tension by development of sarcoplasmic protein (oxidative enzymes, mitochondrial mass) for energy as well as oxygen supply to body tissues so as to have ample nutrients and for oxidation. There is also development of contractile protein for lifting up of the heavy weights. This is for provision and building up of muscles to cater for the heavy weight lifting. Muscle protein accumulation occurs by increasing the rate of protein synthesis and decreasing the rate of protein degradation, or both. In addition as one exercises there is formation of more and thicker actin and myosin protein filaments, more myofibrils (which embody the actin and myosin filaments), and reasonable increase in the connective tissue surrounding the muscle fibres. These changes occur so that the muscles are able to support the stress placed on them by the training (Hagberg 24-26). Motor unit synchronization takes place which is the most important neural adaptation for strength training. This means that one continues to exercise ones fast switch muscle fibers are able to coordinate graciously with low switch muscle fibers as well as with the motor nerve cells. This is not the case for the untrained muscle. At the end of the day, the strength trainee is able to achieve harmonization of numerous groups of muscles (Conroy 52-54). There is improved motor unit activation in neural adaptation due to training. This rapidly increases the strength of a novice. Training increases the frequency of motor unit firing and also increases the total number of motor units that effect a muscular contraction. In other words, more motor units work in harmony, and they all fire more rapidly. Novices can only engage a fraction of the motor units in a muscle during a voluntary contraction which increases as one continues to be involved in training (Conroy 45-46). The blood pressure of novice is also bound to change. Both diastole and systole are lowered to remarkable levels as one body starts tolerating exercise stress. This means that exercises help keep at bay cardiovascular diseases and disorders. However for patients suffering from heart diseases and disorders such as hypertension should consult a doctor so as to be advised on the light exercises to take since the strength training tend to raise their blood pressure. This can be very risky to ones health condition (Morris 28-32). There is bone modeling adaptation whereby the spaces between bone cells manufacture protein which is later converted to calcium phosphate. This mineralization helps prevent bone fracture by making the outer surface of the bone that is periosteum more firm and rigid (Conroy 56-62). As a result the density of the done is greatly increased thus preventing bone osteoporosis. Amino acid or protein transport and deposition into muscle is a direct influence of the by the intensity and duration of muscle tension. Another neuromuscular adaptation is commended gradual increase in glucose metabolism so as to have ready energy at disposal for use during the entire training time. The insulin becomes well adapted to its function by being able to regulate blood sugar levels. This happens so that the body is able to use it for the demand placed on it by the stress from the exercise. Also the cells are able to withstand high blood glucose levels without experiencing effects of hyperglucoseria like frequent urination, uncontrollable thirst, inability to convert glycogen to glucose and vice versa. Ultimately diabetes and heart diseases rare controlled (Morris 75-78). There is cross-education along body muscles and nerve system. Both systems are able to coordinate well even with the respiratory system. This calls for well regulated transmission of nerve impulses to the brain so as to have controlled breathing rates. Still these chemical signals help the insulin and glucagons in conversion of blood sugars into either glucose or glycogen as per the need at hand. In addition to all these increased involvement of the neural pathways contribute to strength gains too. Therefore, this calls for strength novice to be involved in general purpose compound movements as opposed to specific movements so that the organs can learn coordination of different impulses. This helps achieve strength (Hagberg 62-64). On the other side there are controlled blood lipo-protein oand lipid levels. Researches carried out on strength novice demonstrate a low concentration of total body volume cholesterol, low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and a high level of high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C). High density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) helps in insulation of vital organs such as the heart as well as breakdown of the low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) that associated with coronary and heart diseases. Conversely, people who engage in healthy exercises are least likely to suffer from these chronic diseases and disorders compared to non exercisers (Fahey 25). Strength training alters ones body composition in that there is an increase in lean or fat free body mass as compared to body fat. This due to the fact that as one exercises the body’s energy load is greater than before. Thus the body ends up breaking down the stored fat deposits so that it can meet the energy demands placed on it by the exercise. This total energy expenditure leads to weight reduction in case of over weight and obese persons. Consequently, individuals involved in strength training are least likely to suffer from hypertension and stroke due to over weight since well coordinated exercise together with healthy diet guarantees physical body fitness (Conroy 78-82). Strength training novice normally has a good appetite as compared to their counter parts who do not exercise. This is a result of the body demand placed on them. This therefore means that it is almost unlikely to find strength training individuals suffering from nervosa. Thus complications associated with this condition of being under weight are unlikely to occur such as anemia, frequent bone fractures and tissue or muscle ligament sprains (Fahey 42-44). In conclusion the main agenda of exercise is body adaptation through neuromuscular adjustment to stress. Adaptation demands application of stress above minimum threshold intensity. Thus the stress should be adequate enough to stimulate adaptation or strength gain required without compromising the integrity of cells by causing any injury. Muscle mass increase that is hypertrophy is achieved after six weeks of continuous training. As ones body mechanism adapts to training less changes are realized. One should alter training program with time to challenge the body. Neuromuscular adaptation to training precedes hypertrophy while hypertrophy is a function of the neuromuscular adaptations within ones body (Fahey 22-24). Cited Works Behm, Sale. Velocity specificity of resistance training. Sports Medicine. Vol. 5/6. Conroy Earle. Bone, muscle and connective tissue adaptations to physical activity. In T. R. Baechle (Ed.), Essentials of strength training and conditioning. Champaign: Macmillan, 2006. Fahey, T.D. Adaptation to exercise: progressive resistance exercise. In: Encyclopedia of Sports Medicine and Science. New York: Society for Sport Science, 2005. Hagberg Holloszy. Effect of weight training on blood pressure and hemodynamics in hypertensive adolescents. Journal of Pediatrics, Vol.19, 147-151. Morris Holly. Physiological response to circuit weight training in borderline hypertensive subjects. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise. Vol.19, 246-252. Read More