How do the musculoskeletal and

cardiorespiratory systems of the body influence

and respond to movement?
In producing a particular movement, a muscle
performs one of three roles: agonist,
antagonist or stabiliser.
Agonist: is also known as a prime mover and
it causes the major action. There are agonists
for all moveable joints and usually more than
one is involved in a particular movement.
Antagonist: is a muscle that must relax and
lengthen to allow the agonist to contract,
thus helping to control an action. The agonist
works as a pair with the antagonist muscle.
Stabiliser: is also known as a fixator and acts
to stabilise a joint, giving the muscles a fixed
base. This permits the action to be carried
out correctly and allows other joints to work
more effectively.

Isometric
A muscle develops tension, but there is no change in the length of the
muscle e.g. pushing against a door frame.

Isotonic
A muscle develops tension and there is a change in the length of the
muscle causing movement e.g. bicep curl.
Isotonic contractions can be both concentric and eccentric in nature.

Concentric
Is the most common type of muscular contraction. The muscle shortens
under tension causing movement at the joint.

Eccentric
This type of contraction occurs when the muscle lengthens while under
tension. The action often happens under the assistance of gravity.

The passage of air from the nose to the lungs:
1. Air containing oxygen enters the body through the
nose and mouth. As it passes through the nasal
cavities it is warmed, moistened and filtered of any
foreign materials.
2. Air then passes through the pharynx and into the
trachea, through the voice box.
3. The trachea is a hollow tube strengthened and kept
open by rings of cartilage. From here the air then
enters the thorax which divides into a right and left
bronchus which lead to the right and left lungs.
4. The inner lining of the air passages at this stage
produces mucus that catches and holds dirt and
germs and is lined by hairs called cilia.

Breathing is the process by which air is moved in
and out of the lungs located in the chest (thorax).
It is controlled automatically by the brain and
involves two phases: inspiration and expiration.

During inspiration, the diaphragm contracts and
flattens as the external intercostal muscles
(between the ribs) lift the ribs outwards and
upwards. This movement increases the volume of
the chest cavity (thoracic cavity) and pulls the walls
of the lungs outwards, which in turn decreases the
air pressure within the lungs. In response to this,
air from outside the body rushes into the lungs
through the air passages.
During expiration the diaphragm relaxes and
moves upwards as the internal intercostal
muscles allow the ribs and other structures to
return to their resting position. The volume of
the chest cavity (thoracic cavity) is therefore
decreased, which increases the air pressure
inside the lungs. Air is consequently forced out
to make the pressures inside and outside the
lungs about equal.
During inspiration, the alveoli are supplied with
fresh air that is high in oxygen content and low
in carbon dioxide. On the other hand, blood in
the capillaries arriving at the alveoli is low in
oxygen and high in carbon dioxide content.
The different concentrations of oxygen and
carbon dioxide between the blood and the air
result in a pressure difference.
Gases such as oxygen and carbon dioxide
move from areas of high concentration or
pressure to areas of low concentration or
pressure. Oxygen therefore moves from the air
in the alveoli across the alveolar-capillary wall
into the blood, where it attaches itself to
haemoglobin in the red blood cells. At the
same time carbon dioxide is unloaded from the
blood into the alveoli across the alveolar-
capillary wall to be breathed out. This two way
diffusion is known as the exchange of gases.
Exchange of gases, using the same principle,
occurs between blood in the capillaries of the
arterial system and the cells of the body; for
example, the muscle cells. Here, oxygen is
unloaded to the cells while carbon dioxide
resulting from cell metabolism is given up to
the blood. Blood that is high in carbon dioxide
content (deoxygenated blood) is carried back
to the lungs where it unloads carbon dioxide.