Textbook Question
Your ability to lift that heavy couch would be increased by which type of exercise?
a. Aerobic
b. Endurance
c. Resistance
d. Swimming
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9. Muscle Tissue
Structure of a Skeletal Muscle
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What structure is the functional unit of contraction in a skeletal muscle fiber?
A
Myofibril
B
Muscle fiber
C
Sarcomere
D
Fascicle
Verified step by step guidance1
Understand that skeletal muscle fibers are composed of smaller units called myofibrils, which are further divided into repeating units known as sarcomeres.
Recognize that the sarcomere is the smallest functional unit of a muscle fiber responsible for contraction.
Identify the components of a sarcomere, including actin (thin filaments) and myosin (thick filaments), which interact to produce muscle contraction.
Learn that during muscle contraction, the sarcomere shortens as the actin and myosin filaments slide past each other, a process known as the sliding filament theory.
Differentiate between the terms: myofibril (a bundle of sarcomeres), muscle fiber (a single muscle cell containing many myofibrils), and fascicle (a bundle of muscle fibers).
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