Know Your Muscles

You may have learned about muscles in high school biology, but things take on a whole new meaning when you dedicate these muscles to a sport that you are passionate about as an adult.

Muscle is defined as “an organ, composed of muscle tissue, that contracts to produce a particular movement.” When we workout, we hope to tone, build and strengthen our muscles. There are three different types of muscle: skeletal, cardiac and smooth — all of equal importance with their own jobs and locations in the body.

Skeletal Muscles

Skeletal muscles are attached to… the skeleton! Surprised? It makes up the majority of the muscle in your body and consists of both dark and light fibers. This is the only type of muscle that is under voluntary control. Tense up your calf and feel the muscle harden; this is skeletal muscle, the source of the soreness you may feel when you exercise.

Cardiac Muscles

Cardiac muscle is specific to only one area: the walls of the heart. This muscle looks just like skeletal muscle in color and the striation of the fibers, but is usually not under our control, or involuntary. Cardiac muscle benefits especially from cardio workouts and aerobics. It pumps blood throughout the body and to the other muscles when they are working overtime.

Smooth Muscles

Smooth muscle is that major muscle type. These are non-striated, but actually smooth, and are also involuntary. They line the inside of blood vessels, the bladder, the stomach and the intestines. These muscles are the least likely to tear and are miraculous in the way that they can grow and shrink through the process of hyperplasia. This happens mostly in the uterus during pregnancy.

Muscles are kept healthy through exercise, proper diet, vitamins and products that will increase endurance, such as EPO-Boost. Muscles really love all-natural and safe substances, so choose wisely what you ingest and keep your fibrous friends in shape!