Week 10 — Readings & Resources

Human Anatomy and Physiology I Free sample edition

Your primary reading is Chapter 10 (in this module). Everything below is the optional, go-deeper layer — pick what helps, skip the rest.

How to use this page

This page has 11 items (5 readings and 6 videos). Allow 45–56 minutes for everything. Each group points back to the matching chapter section and class-session segment, so use the full menu when you want more, or take the quick path below.

Every video here has captions: turn them on with the CC button in the player. The chapter covers the same ideas in text.

Pick-one quick path (18–21 min total)

① Climbing down to the sarcomere and watching the filaments slide

Chapter 10, Section “Slide, do not shrink: the sliding filament model” · Session 1, Segment 4, “Slide, do not shrink: the sliding filament model” · Remember: the thin filaments slide past the thick ones, so the sarcomere shortens while every filament keeps its length.

Muscle contraction — Science Learning Hub — a short science-education article on the sliding filament model; read the sections on contracted and relaxed muscle and on sarcomeres, and check that it keeps both filaments the same length while the overlap changes. It adds that the model also covers heart and smooth muscle, which goes beyond this week's scope. This builds on Week 5's work with skeletal muscle tissue. (reading, 4–6 min)
Muscles, Part 1 - Muscle Cells: Crash Course Anatomy & Physiology #21 — CrashCourse — a fast, lively tour of a muscle cell from the fiber down to actin and myosin; as you watch, write the hierarchy from big to small and say which filament carries the heads. (video, 10 min) (captions: creator)
Muscle Fibers Explained - Muscle Contraction and Muscle Fiber Anatomy — PictureFit — a short animated explainer of a muscle fiber's parts; pause once and name the level you are looking at, from fascicle down to myofibril. (video, 3 min) (captions: creator)

② Contraction in order, from the junction to the power stroke

Chapter 10, Section “Put contraction in order: excitation-contraction coupling” · Session 1, Segment 5, “Put contraction in order: excitation-contraction coupling” · Remember: acetylcholine comes first at the junction, and the calcium comes later from the sarcoplasmic reticulum inside the fiber.

What makes muscles contract? A physiologist explains how muscles move — The Conversation — a friendly plain-language article that pictures actin as a rope and myosin as a hand; as you read, list the steps it gives from the nerve signal to the pull and add the two names it leaves out, troponin and tropomyosin. (reading, 5–8 min)
Neuromuscular Junctions — BrainFacts — a one-picture feature from a neuroscience society on where motor neurons meet muscle fibers; it calls the signal a burst of molecules, so name the molecule yourself: acetylcholine. Use it while working through the Week-10 module overview. (reading, 2–3 min)
Neuromuscular Junction, Animation — Alila Medical Media — a clear medical animation of the junction; watch for the chemical that crosses the gap and the part of the fiber that receives it. (video, 5 min) (captions: creator)
Muscle Contraction - Cross Bridge Cycle, Animation. — Alila Medical Media — a short animation of a myosin head grabbing, pulling, and letting go; notice the moment ATP is needed to release the head, the step that fails in rigor mortis. (video, 3 min) (captions: creator)

③ Motor units, fiber types, and why a squeeze slows down

Chapter 10, Section “Sort motor units and fiber types” · Session 2, Segment 8, “Sort motor units and fiber types” · Remember: one motor neuron and its fibers make a motor unit, and slow oxidative fibers keep going while fast glycolytic fibers tire fast.

Why are some people faster than others? 2 exercise scientists explain the secrets of running speed — The Conversation — a plain-language article on sprinters and fiber types; read the section on fast twitch and slow twitch and match each type to this week's names, then skip the training tips. Stop here before levers and muscle teams; next week takes those up. (reading, 4–7 min)
Motor Units Explained: Recruitment, Muscle Force & Skeletal Muscle Contraction — Scientist Cindy — a short explainer of one motor neuron and the fibers it controls; listen for why small units suit fine control, and treat the extra detail on recruitment as optional. (video, 3 min) (captions: creator)
Muscle Fatigue: Why do muscles get tired and weak after exercise? — Physiology with Dr Christian — a short physiology explainer on why working muscles tire; list each cause it names and set it beside the chapter's three: ATP running low, lactic acid lowering the pH, and ion imbalance. (video, 3 min) (captions: creator)

Optional one-stop reference (free online reference)

Structure of Skeletal Muscle — SEER Training Modules, National Cancer Institute — the course's free online anatomy reference, open at its page on skeletal muscle structure; read the parts on the epimysium, perimysium, and endomysium, note that it calls a fascicle a fasciculus, and skip the parts on fascia, tendons, and aponeuroses. (reading, 3–5 min)

Heads-up (links rot): these point to outside sites that occasionally move or rename pages. If a link ever fails, tell your instructor and use the reference above in the meantime.

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