Types of muscle and muscle fibre | Physical education

Starter quiz

Which joint allows abduction and adduction?

hinge

ball and socket ✓

pivot

gliding
Other than moving our limbs, what else do our muscles support?

'organs' ✓
Identify the movement occurring at the hinge joint.

'flexion' ✓
Match the muscle type to the correct description.

volunary muscle

⇔

when something is under our conscious control ✓

involuntary muscle

⇔

when something is not under our conscious control ✓

cardiac muscle

⇔

involuntary muscle found in the heart ✓
Where is the cardiac muscle found?

lungs

diaphragm

brain

heart ✓
Match the type of muscle fibres to the activity described.

slow twitch muscle fibres

⇔

work at low intensity over a long period of time ✓

fast twitch muscle fibres

⇔

work at quick, high intensity for short periods of time ✓

Exit quiz

Voluntary and involuntary muscles are found in the body. What is the other type of muscle found in the body?

'cardiac' ✓
Which of the following are examples of voluntary muscles?

muscles in the wall of our digestive system

hamstrings ✓

heart

abdominals ✓

muscles that help us blink
Match the keywords to their correct defintion.

voluntary

⇔

when something is under our conscious control ✓

involuntary

⇔

when something is not under our conscious control ✓

cardiac muscle

⇔

involuntary muscle found in the heart ✓

slow twitch

⇔

a type I muscle fibre with slow speed and low force of contraction ✓

fast twitch

⇔

a type II muscle fibre with a fast speed and high force contraction ✓
Fast twitch muscle fibres work explosively for a ______ period of time.

'short' ✓
Which muscle fibres have an excellent supply of oxygen via the capillaries?

'slow twitch' ✓
Match the athlete to the muscle fibre that would be most useful to their performance.

long distance swimmer

⇔

type I ✓

footballer

⇔

type IIa ✓

shotputter

⇔

type IIx ✓

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Lesson Details

Key learning points

All skeletal muscles are voluntary muscles, they are under our conscious control (e.g. biceps).
Involuntary muscles work without our conscious control and include the walls of our digestive system and blood vessels.
Cardiac muscle is a specialist type of involuntary muscle that makes up the thickest layer of the heart.
Fast twitch muscle fibres with a high speed and force of contraction are used for short, intense exercises.
Slow twitch muscle fibres that are resistant to fatigue are used for long distance events.

Common misconception

Pupils may get confused with the different names of fast/ slow and type I/ type II muscle fibres.

The word slow has an O in it and these fibres use oxygen to contract slowly and aerobically. They are our body's first choice of muscle fibre due to fatigue resistance, hence type I.

Keywords

Voluntary - when something is under our conscious control
Involuntary - when something is not under our conscious control
Cardiac muscle - involuntary muscle found in the heart
Slow twitch - a type I muscle fibre type with slow speed and low force of contraction
Fast twitch - a type II muscle fibre with a fast speed and high force of contraction