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Introduction to Exercise Science for Fitness Professionals: The Skeletal System

Introduction to Exercise Science for Fitness Professionals
The Skeletal System
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table of contents
  1. Cover
  2. Title Page
  3. Copyright
  4. Table Of Contents
  5. Attribution and OER Revision Statement
  6. Chapter 1: Body Systems Review
    1. The Cardiovascular System
    2. The Nervous System
    3. Reflexes
    4. The Skeletal System
    5. Divisions of the Skeletal System
    6. Skeletal Muscle
    7. Divisions of the Skeletal Muscles
    8. Describing Motion and Movements
    9. Identify Anatomical Locations
  7. Chapter 2: Biomechanics and Human Movement
    1. The Basics of Biomechanics
    2. Inertia and Momentum
    3. Force
    4. Doing Work
    5. Body Levers
    6. Nervous System Control of Muscle Tension
    7. Muscle Tissue and Motion
  8. Chapter 3: Exercise Metabolism
    1. Introduction to Bioenergetics and Metabolism
    2. Overview of Metabolic Reactions
    3. Metabolic States of the Body
    4. The Cardiorespiratory System and Energy Production
    5. ATP in Living Systems
    6. Types of Muscle Fibers
    7. Exercise and Muscle Performance
    8. Nutrition, Performance, and Recovery
    9. Carbohydrate Metabolism
    10. Protein Metabolism
    11. Lipid Metabolism
  9. Chapter 4: Fitness Principles
    1. What are Physical Activity and Exercise?
    2. The Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans
    3. Components of Health-Related Fitness
    4. Principles of Adaptation and Stress
    5. FITT Principle
    6. Rest, Recovery, and Periodization
    7. Reversibility
    8. Training Volume
    9. Individual Differences
    10. Creating a Successful Fitness Plan
    11. Additional Safety Concerns
    12. Test Your Knowledge
  10. Chapter 5: Flexibility Training Principles
    1. What is Flexibility?
    2. Benefits of Flexibility and Stretching
    3. Improving Range of Motion
    4. Improving Flexibility
    5. Creating an Effective Stretching Program
    6. Assessing Your Flexibility
    7. Test Your Knowledge
  11. Chapter 6: Cardiorespiratory Training Principles
    1. What are the Cardiovascular and Respiratory Systems?
    2. Introduction: The Cardiovascular System
    3. Introduction: The Respiratory System
    4. The Process of Breathing and Respiratory Function
    5. Modifications to Breathing
    6. Changes in the CR System
    7. Measuring Heart Rate
    8. Measuring Intensity
    9. Cardiorespiratory Fitness Assessment
    10. Test Your Knowledge
  12. Chapter 7: Core and Balance Training Principles
    1. Lumbar Spine
    2. Abdomen
    3. The Pelvic Girdle
    4. Creating Movement at the Hip
    5. Balance
    6. Center of Gravity
    7. Supporting the Body
    8. Friction in Joints
    9. Human Stability
    10. Guidelines for Core and Balance Training
  13. Chapter 8: Plyometrics, Speed, Agility, and Quickness Training Principles
    1. Plyometric Exercises
    2. Variables of Plyometric Training
    3. Progressing a Plyometric Program
    4. Speed, Agility, and Quickness
    5. Speed
    6. Agility
    7. Quickness
  14. Chapter 9: Resistance Training Principles
    1. Resistance Exercise Programming
    2. Exercise Order
    3. Types of Resistance Training
    4. Basics of Form during Resistance Training
    5. Resistance Training Systems
    6. Resistance Training Conclusion
    7. Test Your Knowledge
  15. References
  16. Glossary
  17. MARC Record

4

The Skeletal System

Dawn Markell

Skeletal Function

The skeletal system performs the following critical functions for the human body:

  • supports the body
  • facilitates movement
  • protects internal organs
  • produces blood cells
  • stores and releases minerals and fat

Support, Movement, and Protection

The most apparent functions of the skeletal system are the gross functions—those visible by observation. Simply by looking at a person, you can see how the bones support, facilitate movement, and protect the human body. Just as the steel beams of a building provide a scaffold to support its weight, the bones and cartilage of your skeletal system compose the scaffold that supports the rest of your body. Without the skeletal system, you would be a limp mass of organs, muscle, and skin.
Bones also facilitate movement by serving as points of attachment for your muscles. While some bones only serve as a support for the muscles, others also transmit the forces produced when your muscles contract. From a mechanical point of view, bones act as levers and joints serve as fulcrums.
Bones also protect internal organs from injury by covering or surrounding them. For example, your ribs protect your lungs and heart, the bones of your vertebral column (spine) protect your spinal cord, and the bones of your cranium (skull) protect your brain.

Mineral Storage, Energy Storage, and Hematopoiesis

On a metabolic level, bone tissue performs several critical functions. For one, the bone matrix acts as a reservoir for a number of minerals important to the functioning of the body, especially calcium, and phosphorus. These minerals, incorporated into bone tissue, can be released back into the bloodstream to maintain levels needed to support physiological processes. Calcium ions, for example, are essential for muscle contractions and controlling the flow of other ions involved in the transmission of nerve impulses.
Bone also serves as a site for fat storage and blood cell production. The softer connective tissue that fills the interior of most bone is referred to as bone marrow. There are two types of bone marrow: yellow marrow and red marrow. Yellow marrow contains adipose tissue; the triglycerides stored in the adipocytes of the tissue can serve as a source of energy. Red marrow is where hematopoiesis—the production of blood cells—takes place. Red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets are all produced in the red marrow.

Classifications of Bone

Bone ClassificationFeaturesFunction(s)Examples
LongCylinder-like shape, longer than it is wideLeverageFemur, tibia, fibula, metatarsals, humerus, ulna, radius, metacarpals, phalanges
ShortCube-like shape, approximately equal in length, width, and thicknessProvide stability and support while allowing some motionCarpals, tarsals
FlatThin and curvedPoints of attachment for muscles; protectors of internal organsSternum, ribs, scapulae, cranial bones
IrregularComplex shapeProtect internal organsVertebrae, facial bones
SesamoidSmall and round; embedded in tendonsProtect tendons from compressive forcesPatella

Divisions of the Skeletal System

The skeleton is subdivided into two major divisions—the axial and appendicular.

The Axial Skeleton

The axial skeleton forms the vertical, central axis of the body and includes all bones of the head, neck, chest, and back. It serves to protect the brain, spinal cord, heart, and lungs. It also serves as the attachment site for muscles that move the head, neck, and back, and for muscles that act across the shoulder and hip joints to move their corresponding limbs.The axial skeleton of the adult consists of 80 bones, including the skull, the vertebral column, and the thoracic cage. The skull is formed by 22 bones. Also associated with the head are an additional seven bones, including the hyoid bone and the ear ossicles(three small bones found in each middle ear). The vertebral column consists of 24 bones, each called a vertebra, plus the sacrum and coccyx. The thoracic cage includes the 12 pairs of ribs, and the sternum, the flattened bone of the anterior chest.

The Appendicular Skeleton

The appendicular skeleton includes all bones of the upper and lower limbs, plus the bones that attach each limb to the axial skeleton. There are 126 bones in the appendicular skeleton of an adult.
Bones of the appendicular skeleton are divided into two groups: the bones that are located within the limbs themselves, and the girdle bones that attach the limbs to the axial skeleton. The bones of the shoulder region form the pectoral girdle, which anchors the upper limb to the thoracic cage of the axial skeleton. The lower limb is attached to the vertebral column by the pelvic girdle.
Because of our upright stance, different functional demands are placed upon the upper and lower limbs. Thus, the bones of the lower limbs are adapted for weight-bearing support and stability, as well as for body locomotion via walking or running. In contrast, our upper limbs are not required for these functions. Instead, our upper limbs are highly mobile and can be utilized for a wide variety of activities. The large range of upper limb movements, coupled with the ability to easily manipulate objects with our hands and opposable thumbs, has allowed humans to construct the modern world in which we live.

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Divisions of the Skeletal System
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Kinesiology, Nutrition, and Fitness

Copyright © 2021

                                by Amanda Shelton

            Introduction to Exercise Science for Fitness Professionals by Amanda Shelton is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.
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