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How does a muscle contraction work?

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Your muscles work in a similar fashion. Muscles are composed of two major protein filaments: a thick filament composed of the protein myosin and a thin filament composed of the protein actin. Muscle contraction occurs when these filaments slide over one another in a series of repetitive events. read more

During contraction, the thin filaments slide past the thick filaments, shortening the sarcomere. This content is not compatible on this device. The thick and thin filaments do the actual work of a muscle, and the way they do this is pretty cool. read more

A muscle contraction consists of a series of repeated events. First, calcium triggers a change in the shape of troponin and reveals the myosin-binding sites of actin beneath tropomyosin. Then, the myosin heads bind to actin and cause the actin filaments to slide. read more

Muscle contraction is the activation of tension-generating sites within muscle fibers. In physiology, muscle contraction does not necessarily mean muscle shortening because muscle tension can be produced without changes in muscle length such as holding a heavy book or a dumbbell at the same position. read more

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