Muscle structure

There are three different types of muscle; Muscle Type Description

Cardiac Muscle This makes up the wall of the heart. (striated, involuntary) Smooth Muscle (unstriated, involuntary) Skeletal Muscle (striated, voluntary) This is contained in structures which we do not have control over such as blood vessels, stomach and intestine, urethra, uterus, internal muscles of the eye. This is the muscle attached to our skeletons and allows us to move our bodies.

Muscle is composed of cells which can contract to cause movement.

Cardiac muscle
Cardiac muscle is the muscle found in the walls of the heart. It contracts to force the blood around the body. Cardiac muscle contracts without stimulation, however, the strength and rate of the contraction is modified by the autonomic nervous system. Cardiac muscle does not tire. The cardiac muscle fibres are short with a single central nucleus; they are striated. The cells join directly together and are connected by connective tissue.

Smooth muscle
Smooth muscle is found in the walls of the internal organs, the walls of blood vessels and the intrinsic (internal) muscles of the eye. Smooth muscle contracts without stimulation, however, the strength and rate of the contraction is modified by the autonomic nervous system. Smooth muscle does not tire. Smooth muscle cells are spindle shaped and contain a single nucleus; they are unstriated. They have no sheath but are connected by connective tissue.

Skeletal muscle
Skeletal or 'voluntary' muscle is the muscle that moves our bodies and is attached to the skeleton or connective tissue via tendons. It is under voluntary control but can tire quickly. The origin of a muscle is normally the end attached to the less movable bone. The insertion of a muscle is usually the end that is attached to the most movable bone. Between the origin and insertion of a muscle is the muscle belly. Muscles can have multiple origins, insertions and bellies. Skeletal muscle is able to contract, respond to stimulation from the nervous system and hormones, stretch beyond its normal resting length and recoil back to its original resting length. It is composed of long thin cylindrical cells known as muscle fibres. These cells contain multiple nuclei near the surface of the cell and two types of myofilaments; actin and myosin. The actin and myosin filaments are organized in units called sarcomeres which are joined end to end to

form a myofibril. The arrangement of the myofilaments inside the myofibrils are the reason that muscle cells appear striped under magnification. Each muscle cell/fibre is surrounded by an external lamina called a sarcolemma. Groups of muscle fibres are surrounded by a loose connective tissue called endomysium, this contains capillaries which supply the muscle cells with blood. The cells with their surrounding endomysium are bundled together into fasciculae and surrounded by a strong connective tissue called perimysium. A muscle is made up of many fasciculae bound together by a dense connective tissue called epimysium.

Muscle Movement
To understand how a muscle contracts you must be able to understand the structure of a sarcomere. Sarcomeres are regular contractile units which divide up a myofibril. Sarcomeres are easily identified on micrographs as transverse lines (Z-lines) that intersect the myofibril. Each sarcomere is made up of two types of protein filaments, actin and myosin which overlap each other. Actin is thin and is made up of two chains of proteins which resemble two chains of pearls twisted around each other (helix). They contain binding sites for myosin and are anchored to the Z-line at the end of a sarcomere. Myosin molecules consist of a tail and a specialised binding head and a myosin fibre is made up of many of these molecules bunched together to form a thick fibre. Myosin fibres lay in the middle of the sarcomere and are connected to each other along the M-line. Z-line - transverse lines at the end of each sarcomere connecting the actin filaments together. A-band - where myosin and actin overlap. H-zone - where only myosin is found. M-line - found in the middle of the H-zone and is where the myosin filaments are transversely linked together. I-band - where only actin is found.

Sliding filament theory

When a muscle contracts the myosin filaments bind onto the actin filaments by forming chemical bonds called cross-bridges. Once bound the myosin filaments pull the actin filaments towards the centre of the sarcomere. Because the actin filaments are attached to the Z-line, this sliding movement shortens the length of the entire sarcomere and the H-zone becomes almost nonexistent. The combined shortening of the sarcomeres along a number of myofibrils causes a muscle contraction. Muscular System - Chest Muscles

About Your Chest Muscles The Pectoralis Major muscles (also known as the Pecs) are located on the front of the rib cage. The Pecs attach to the humerus near the shoulder joint and originate on the breastbone in the center of the chest. The fibers of the Pectoralis muscles run like a fan across the chest. The fan-like structure of the Pecs allows the humerus to move in a variety of planes across the body. The Pectoralis Minor muscle is located underneath the pectoralis major muscle, attaching to the coracoid process of the scapula and originating on the middle ribs.

Chest Muscle Functions The function of the Pectoralis Major is to bring the humerus across the chest. A flye movement is the best example of this action. The Pectoralis Minor serves to move the shoulder area forward. This can be seen by shrugging your shoulder forward.

uscular System - Muscles of the Rotator Cuff About Your Rotator Cuff Muscles The Rotator Cuff is a group of muscles that work in the shoulder joint to keep the humerus from popping out. This makes the Rotator Cuff critical for shoulder stability.

There are four muscles in the Rotator Cuff: the Teres Minor, the Infraspinatus, the Supraspinatus and the Subscapularis. These muscles all work together to keep tension on the humerus, locking it into the shoulder joint. The Rotator Cuff is one of the primary areas of shoulder trauma; when someone has a shoulder injury, chances are very good that is related to injury in the Rotator Cuff. This trauma can be due to sudden injury or can be from overuse in undesirable movement patterns. The upright row exercise is a prime example of this undesirable movement pattern.

Rotator Cuff Muscle Functions The main functions of the Rotator Cuff are shoulder joint stabilization and external rotation of the humerus (rotating the arm to the rear). Related Rotator Cuff Information Avoid A Bench Press Blowout Train You Weak Link For A Big Bench The Ultimate Rotator Cuff Training Guide "Are You Tired of Suffering From Nagging Shoulder Pain?" Discover How a Medically Proven Exercise Program Designed by a Physical Therapist Will Finally Allow You to Stop Relying on Medications, Injections and Other Useless Remedies to Eliminate Your Rotator Cuff Pain and Prevent Future Shoulder Injuries. Has your life been disrupted or ruined due to shoulder pain? Ask yourself if you currently suffer from any of the following symptoms associated with rotator cuff pain. Any of these sound familiar than read on.

Muscular System - Shoulder Muscles About Your Shoulder Or Deltoid Muscles

The Deltoid is a three-headed muscle that caps the shoulder. The three heads of the Deltoid are the Anterior, Lateral, and Posterior. All three Deltoid heads attach to the humerus. The Anterior and Lateral heads originate on the collar bone, while the Posterior head originates on the scapula. The Anterior Delt contributes to many Pec-related movement, e.g. bench press. The Lateral Delt is most active in dedicated lateral movements. The Posterior Delt is often activated in back exercises that involve the Teres Major and Rhomboid muscles.

Shoulder Muscle Functions The function of the Deltoid muscle is essentially to move the arm away from the body. The Anterior head raises it away to the front, the Lateral head up and away to the side and the Posterior head away to the rear.

Muscular System - Bicep Muscles About Your Bicep Muscles The Biceps Brachii is attached to the forearm bone called the radius and originates at the scapula in two places (the Bicep gets it's name from these two heads - called the short head and the long head). The Biceps runs down the anterior or front side of the humerus and makes up approximated 1/3 of the muscle mass of the upper arm.. The Biceps are among the most famous muscles in the body. When somebody asks you to "make a muscle", they aren't asking you to flex your hamstrings. They want to see your biceps!

Biceps Muscle Functions The primary function of the Bicep muscle is to move the forearm towards the shoulder (elbow flexion). The secondary function of the Bicep is supination of the forearm. This means turning the hand from a palms-down position to a palms-up position.

Muscular System - Abdominal Muscles About Your Abdominal Muscles The Abdominals are composed of several muscles: the Rectus Abdominus, Transverse Abdominus, and the External and Internal Obliques. The Abdominal muscles sit on the front and sides of the lower half of the torso, originating along the rib cage and attaching along the pelvis. The Rectus Abdominus muscle is commonly known as the "six-pack" muscle of the abs. Thin bands of connective tissue give it that appearance. The Transverse Abdominus (also known as the Transversus) is the deepest muscle of the core (meaning it's underneath all the other muscles). It wraps laterally around the abdominal area. The fibers of External and Internal Obliques run diagonally on the body, allowing for angled movement.

Abdominal Muscle Functions Rectus Abdominus Flex the spine (bringing the rib cage closer to the pelvis). This is seen in the abdominal crunching movement. When the movement is reversed, the Rectus Abdominus acts to bring the pelvis closer to the rib cage (e.g. with a leg

raise movement). Transverse Abdominus Acts as a natural weight belt, keeping your insides in. This muscle is essential for trunk stability as well as keeping your waist tight. Internal and External Obliques Work to rotate the torso and stabilize the abdomen. Muscular System - Quadricep Muscles About Your Quadricep Muscles The Quadriceps are a group of four muscles that sit on the anterior or front aspect of the thigh. They are the Vastus Medialis, Intermedius and Lateralis and finally the Rectus Femoris. The Quadriceps attach to the front of the tibia and originate at the top of the femur. The exception to this rule is the Rectus Femoris which actually crosses the hip joint and originates on the pelvis.

Quadricep Muscle Functions

The function of the Quadriceps as a whole is to extend the knee (straighten the knee). The Rectus Femoris functions to extend the knee but also acts as a hip flexor because it crosses the hip joint. Muscular System - Adductor Muscles About Your Adductor Muscles The Adductors are a group of muscles that include: the Adductor Magnus, Longus and Brevis, the Gracilis and the Pectineus. The Adductor Hiatus is simply a space in the attachment of the Adductor Magnus. The Adductors originate on the pelvic bone and attach at intervals along the length of the femur. This interval attachment provides the most power and stability for the hip joint and the femur.

Adductor Muscle Functions

The primary function of the Adductors are adduction (the movement of the leg in towards the centerline of the body). The Adductors also serve to stabilize the hip joint. Muscular System - Hip Flexor Muscles About Your Bicep Muscles The Iliopsoas actually consists of two muscles: the Iliacus and the Psoas Major. Together, they are known as the Iliopsoas. The Iliacus originates on the pelvic crest and attaches on the femur. The Psoas Major, the longer of the two muscles, originates on the lumbar vertebrae and attaches to the femur. Not shown in this picture is the Rectus Femoris. It is one of the four Quadriceps muscles and the only one that crosses the hip joint. This crossing of the hip joint enables it to operate as a hip flexor as well as a knee extensor (straightening the knee).

Overdeveloped and tight hip flexors can contribute to lower back pain by causing the pelvis to tilt forward. To counteract this, you must stretch the hip flexors and strengthen the Abdominal muscles. This will reduce pelvic tilt and decrease lower back pain. Strengthening the lower back can also help improve the balance between the muscles of the hip region.

Hip Flexors Muscle Functions The function of the Iliopsoas is hip flexion, which means bringing the thigh up towards the abdomen. The hip flexors are also active when the abdomen is being moved towards the thighs, e.g. sit-ups

BACK VIEW
Muscular System - Back Muscles About Your Back Muscles The Latissimus Dorsi muscles (also known as the Lats) are the largest muscles of the back. Being large, fan-shaped muscles, they are able to provide force in a wide range of body positions, e.g. leaning back to straight vertical and all points in between. The Lats are attached to the upper end of the humerus with fibers running down in a fan down the vertebral column and pelvic girdle. The Trapezius (trap) muscle is a long, trapezoid-shaped muscle that runs down the upper section of the spinal cord, originating at the base of the skull and attaching down in the middle to lower back.

The angles of the Trapezius fibers provide pull in three different directions: up, down and in towards the centerline of the body.

Back Muscle Functions The function of the Latissimus Dorsi is to pull the arm down towards the pelvis. When the arm is fixed (e.g. during a chin-up), the lats serve to bring the body up towards the arm. It is the same basic movement but with the directions reversed. The Lats also function to stabilize the torso during many movements, including the flat bench press. The functions of the Trapezius muscle include scapular elevation (shrugging up), scapular adduction (drawing the shoulder blades together) and scapular depression (pulling the shoulder blades down).

Muscular System - Triceps Muscles About Your Triceps Muscles The Triceps Brachii has three heads which connect the humerus and scapula to the forearm bone called the ulna. These heads are known as the Lateral, Medial, and Long heads. The Lateral head is located on the outward facing side of the humerus. This head is most responsible for the horseshoe shape of the Triceps. The Medial head is located towards the midline of the body. The Long head along the bottom side of the humerus and is that largest of the three heads.

Triceps Muscles Functions

The primary function of the Tricep is to extend the elbow (straightening the arm). The secondary function of the Tricep is fulfilled only by the Long head of the muscle, which is the bring the arm down towards the body (adduction). The Tricep shares this function with the Latissimus Dorsi.

Muscular System - Glute & Butt Muscles About Your Glute & Butt Muscles The Gluteus Maximus is one of the largest and strongest muscles in the body. Not shown are the Gluteus Medius and Minimus, which lie directly underneath the Gluteus Maximus. The Gluteus Maximus originates along the pelvic bone crests and attaches to the rear of the femur. The Gluteus Medius and Minimus originate in the same spot as the Maximus but attach to the side of the femur. The Iliotibial Band is made only of connective tissue. This band serves to transfer the force of abduction (moving the leg away from the centerline of the body) to the leg.

Glute Muscles Functions The primary function of the Gluteus Maximus is hip extension (moving the thigh to the rear). The Gluteus Medius and Minimus serve to abduct (move away from the centerline of the body) the leg.

Muscular System - Hamstring Muscles About Your Hamstring Muscles The Hamstrings are actually comprised of three separate muscles: the Biceps Femoris, Semitendinosus

and Semimembranosus. These muscles originate just underneath the Gluteus Maximus on the pelvic bone and attach on the tibia. The Hamstrings are primarily fast-twitch muscles, responding to low reps and powerful movements.

Hamstring Muscle Functions

The primary functions of the Hamstrings are knee flexion (bringing the heel towards the buttocks) and hip extension (moving the leg to the rear). An example of knee flexion is the leg curl exercise and an example of hip extension is the stifflegged deadlift exercise. Muscular System - Calve Muscles About Your Calve Muscles The Gastrocnemius is the calf muscle that is visible from the outside of the body. It attaches to the heel with the Achilles Tendon and originates behind the knee on the femur, crossing two

joints. The Gastrocnemius has two heads: the medial and the lateral. When fully developed, these two heads appear to form a diamond shape. The Soleus is not visible when looking at the body from the outside as it lies underneath the Gastrocnemius on the rear of the lower leg. The Soleus is most active when doing calf exercises where the knee is bent, such as seated calf raises.

Calve Muscle Functions

The function of the Gastrocnemius is to elevate the heel (known as plantar flexion). The function is the Soleus is exactly the same as the Gastrocnemius: to raise the heel. The only difference is that it works in a different position: with the knee bent.

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Skeletal Muscles

Skeletal muscles move and support the skeleton. They make up fifty percent of your body weight. There are 640 individually named skeletal muscles. A skeletal muscle links two bones across its connecting joint. When these muscles contract or shorten, your bone moves. Muscles are arranged in layers over the bones. Those nearest to the skin are called superficial muscles. Those closest to the inside of the body are called deep muscles. Skeletal muscles are voluntary muscles. These are muscles that we can consciously control. A muscle's name usually describes its shape, location or job. Some skeletal muscles are: frontalis (forehead) deltoid (moves shoulder and upper arm) biceps (bends arm) rectus abdominis (stomach) sartorius (bends and turns leg)

Muscles need oxygen and food for energy from your blood in order to work properly. If they work hard but do not get enough, they may go into a spasm and you feel the pain of a cramp.

Overworked muscles

Smooth Muscles

Smooth muscles are found in the hollow parts of the body. This would be in places like the stomach, intestines, blood vessels and the bladder. Smooth muscles are arranged in layers with the fibers in each layer running in a different direction. This makes the muscle contract in all directions. A smooth muscle is an involuntary muscle. This means that you cannot consciously control this muscle. These muscles are under the control of autonomic nervous system. This system controls many systems without us being aware of them.

Your strongest muscles are the masseters on each side of your mouth. They allow you to bite into things with a force of 73kg (160lb).

Cardiac Muscles
Cardiac muscles cells are striped, like skeletal muscle cells. Cardiac muscles contract automatically to squeeze the walls of the heart inward. The heart beats nonstop about 100,000 times each day. It can do this because of the cardiac muscles.

Most of your heart is made of cardiac muscle. The cardiac muscle never gets tired and never stops working until you die.

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What are muscles?
Muscles are the fleshy bits that move the different parts of your body, inside and outside. Muscles are made of fibres. Each fibre is made up of long thin cells which are packed in bundles. The fibres have two kinds of protein, myosin and actin. Each bundle is wrapped in a thin skin called perimysium (say perry-miss-ee-um).

Each muscle has lots of these bundles - the bigger the muscle the more bundles of fibres it has. Inside the muscles there are nerves which carry messages to and from the brain. There are also blood vessels, which carry the energy that your muscles need and also carry away waste that your muscles have finished with. If you eat meat you will know what a muscle looks like, because red meat is muscles of the animal.

Types of muscles
Muscles move parts of your body around. Many of them are attached to your bones and are called skeletal muscles, because it is their job to move your bones. Muscles come in four different shapes.

Spindle-shaped muscles - like your biceps and triceps in your upper arms - are thick in the middle and thinner at the ends. You can see the shape when you bend your arm up. Flat muscles are the muscles like your diaphragm or in your forehead. Triangular muscles are like the deltoid (say del-toy-d) muscle at the top of your arm. This pulls your arm up when you want to ask the teacher a question.

Circular muscles, sometimes called ring-shaped muscles, are found in many places including around the mouth, around the pupils of the eyes and also inside you where they close off the bladder and the anus when you have finished going to the toilet.

How muscles move

Muscles move the body by contracting and relaxing. Contracting means becoming shorter. The muscle fibres slide together and stack up to make a fatter shape, a bit like when you shuffle a pack of cards together. Relaxing means the fibres slide apart and the muscle gets longer and thinner. Muscles act together in pairs. This means that as one muscle contracts, its partner relaxes. Then as the partner muscle contracts the first muscle relaxes again. The messages sent by the brain are 'contract' or 'relax'. The brain sends the messages to one muscle partner and to the other at the same time.

Voluntary and involuntary muscles

Voluntary, (vol-un-tary) muscles are the ones that you can control. Most of them move your bones around. If you want to run, walk, ride a bike, wave your arms around, or eat your favourite sandwich, it is your voluntary muscles which move your arms, legs and body around. But they can't do that unless your brain sends the right muscles the messages to 'contract' or 'relax'. Involuntary muscles don't need the brain to send them messages. They know their job and they keep right on doing it. Some examples are:

The muscles in your heart, which keep blood pumping round your body. The muscles in your digestive system which move food down to your stomach and keep moving it along until all the goodness that your body needs is taken out. Then they work to push the waste that is left over out of your body. The topic Your waste disposal system can tell you more about this. The tiny muscles at the bottom of the hairs on your body, which is why if you are cold, or suddenly feel scared, your hair stands up! Do you You use 17 muscles You use 43 muscles when you frown. know? smile.

when

you

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Smooth Muscles
Smooth muscles sometimes also called involuntary muscles are usually in sheets, or layers, with one layer of muscle behind the other. You can't control this type of muscle. Your brain and body tell these muscles what to do without you even thinking about it. You can't use your smooth muscles to make a muscle in your arm or jump into the air. But smooth muscles are at work all over your body. In your stomach and digestive system, they contract (tighten up) and relax to allow food to make its journey through the body. Your smooth muscles come in handy if you're sick and you need to throw up. The muscles push the food back out of the stomach so it comes up through the esophagus (say: ih-sah-fuh-gus) and out of the mouth. Smooth muscles are also found in your bladder. When they're relaxed, they allow you to hold in urine (pee) until you can get to the bathroom. Then they contract so that you can push the urine out. These muscles are also in a woman's uterus, which is where a baby develops. There they help to push the baby out of the mother's body when it's time to be born. You'll find smooth muscles at work behind the scenes in your eyes, too. These muscles keep the eyes focused.

A Hearty Muscle

The muscle that makes up the heart is called cardiac muscle. It is also known as the myocardium (say: my-uh-kar-dee-um). The thick muscles of the heart contract to pump blood out and then relax to let blood back in after it has circulated through the body. Just like smooth muscle, cardiac muscle works all by itself with no help from you. A special group of cells within the heart are known as the pacemaker of the heart because it controls the heartbeat.

Skeletal Muscle

Now, let's talk about the kind of muscle you think of when we say "muscle" the ones that show how strong you are and let you boot a soccer ball into the goal. These are your skeletal muscles sometimes called striated (say: stry-ay-tud) muscle because the light and dark parts of the muscle fibers make them look striped (striated is a fancy word meaning striped). Skeletal muscles are voluntary muscles, which means you can control what they do. Your leg won't bend to kick the soccer ball unless you want it to. These muscles help to make up the musculoskeletal (say: mus-kyuh-low-skel-uh-tul) system the combination of your muscles and your skeleton, or bones. Together, the skeletal muscles work with your bones to give your body power and strength. In most cases, a skeletal muscle is attached to one end of a bone. It stretches all the way across a joint (the place where two bones meet) and then attaches again to another bone. Skeletal muscles are held to the bones with the help of tendons (say: ten-dunz). Tendons are cords made of tough tissue, and they work as special connector pieces between bone and muscle.

The tendons are attached so well that when you contract one of your muscles, the tendon and bone move along with it. Skeletal muscles come in many different sizes and shapes to allow them to do many types of jobs. Some of your biggest and most powerful muscles are in your back, near your spine. These muscles help keep you upright and standing tall. They also give your body the power it needs to lift and push things. Muscles in your neck and the top part of your back aren't as large, but they are capable of some pretty amazing things: Try rotating your head around, back and forth, and up and down to feel the power of the muscles in your neck. These muscles also hold your head high.

Face Muscles
You may not think of it as a muscular body part, but your face has plenty of muscles. You can check them out next time you look in the mirror. Facial muscles don't all attach directly to bone like they do in the rest of the body. Instead, many of them attach under the skin. This allows you to contract your facial muscles just a tiny bit and make dozens of different kinds of faces. Even the smallest movement can turn a smile into a frown. You can raise your eyebrow to look surprised or wiggle your nose. And while you're looking at your face, don't pass over your tongue a muscle that's attached only at one end! Your tongue is actually made of a group of muscles that work together to allow you to talk and help you chew food. Stick out your tongue and wiggle it around to see those muscles at work.

Major Muscles
Because there are so many skeletal muscles in your body, we can't list them all here. But here are a few of the major ones:

In each of your shoulders is a deltoid (say: del-toyd) muscle. Your deltoid muscles help you move your shoulders every which way from swinging a softball bat to shrugging your shoulders when you're not sure of an answer. The pectoralis (say: pek-tuh-rah-lus) muscles are found on each side of your upper chest. These are usually called pectorals (say: pek-tuh-rulz), or pecs, for short. When many boys hit puberty, their pectoral muscles become larger. Many athletes and bodybuilders have large pecs, too. Below these pectorals, down under your ribcage, are your rectus abdominus (say: rektus ab-dahm-uh-nus) muscles, or abdominals (say: ab-dahm-uh-nulz). They're often called abs for short. When you make a muscle in your arm, you tense your biceps (say: bye-seps) muscle. When you contract your biceps muscle, you can actually see it push up under your skin. Your quadriceps (say: kwad-ruh-seps), or quads, are the muscles on the front of your thighs. Many people who run, bike, or play sports develop large, strong quads.

And when it's time for you to take a seat? You'll be sitting on your gluteus maximus (say: gloot-ee-us mak-suh-mus), the muscle that's under the skin and fat in your behind!

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Muscles and Movement
Even when you sit perfectly still, there are muscles throughout your body that are constantly moving. Muscles enable your heart to beat, your chest to rise and fall as you breathe, and your blood vessels to help regulate the pressure and flow of blood through your body. When we smile and talk, muscles are helping us communicate, and when we exercise, they help us stay physically fit and healthy. The movements your muscles make are coordinated and controlled by the brain and nervous system. The involuntary muscles are controlled by structures deep within the brain and the upper part of the spinal cord called the brain stem. The voluntary muscles are regulated by the parts of the brain known as the cerebral motor cortex and the cerebellum. When you decide to move, the motor cortex sends an electrical signal through the spinal cord and peripheral nerves to the muscles, causing them to contract. The motor cortex on the right side of the brain controls the muscles on the left side of the body and vice versa. The cerebellum (pronounced: ser-uh-beh-lum) coordinates the muscle movements ordered by the motor cortex. Sensors in the muscles and joints send messages back through peripheral nerves to tell the cerebellum and other parts of the brain where and how the arm or leg is moving and what position it's in. This feedback results in smooth, coordinated motion. If you want to lift your arm, your brain sends a message to the muscles in your arm and you move it. When you run, the messages to the brain are more involved, because many muscles have to work in rhythm. Muscles move body parts by contracting and then relaxing. Your muscles can pull bones, but they can't push them back to their original position. So they work in pairs of flexors and extensors. The flexor contracts to bend a limb at a joint. Then, when you've completed the movement, the flexor relaxes and the extensor contracts to extend or straighten the limb at the same joint. For example, the biceps muscle, in the front of the upper arm, is a flexor, and the triceps, at the back of the upper arm, is an extensor. When you bend at your elbow, the biceps contracts. Then the biceps relaxes and the triceps contracts to straighten the elbow.