mer since it is the agonists that inhibit (relax) the antagonists. Antagonists do not actually innervate (cause contraction of) agonists. Such inhibition of antagonist muscles is not necessarily required. In fact, co-contraction can occur. When performing a sit-up, it is normally assumed that the stomach muscles inhibit the contraction of the muscles in the lumbar, or lower, region of the back. In this case, however, the back muscles (spinal erectors) also contract. This is one of the reasons why sit-ups are useful for strengthening your back and stomach. When stretching, it is easier to lengthen a relaxed muscle than to lengthen a contracting muscle. By taking advantage of situations in which mutual inhibition occurs, more effective stretching can be achieved by inducing the antagonists to relax during the stretching due to the contraction of the agonists. You should also relax any muscles used as synergists by the muscle you are trying to stretch. For example, when you stretch your calf, you want to contract your shin muscles (the calf antagonists) by flexing your foot. However, the hamstrings use the calf as a synergist, so you also need to relax them by contracting the quadriceps (i.e. keeping the leg straight). Reciprocal Inhibition: Describes muscles on one side of a joint relaxing to accommodate contraction on the other side. that joint. The body handles this quite well during activities such as running, where muscles that oppose each other are engaged and disengaged sequentially to produce coordinated movements. This facilitates ease of movement and is a protection against injury. Sometimes, for example, a football running back may experience a "misfire" of motor units and end up contracting his quadriceps and hamstrings simultaneously during an intense sprint..

Topic > mer since it is the agonists that inhibit (relax) the antagonists. Antagonists do not actually innervate (cause contraction of) agonists. Such inhibition of antagonist muscles is not necessarily required. In fact, co-contraction can occur. When performing a sit-up, it is normally assumed that the stomach muscles inhibit the contraction of the muscles in the lumbar, or lower, region of the back. In this case, however, the back muscles (spinal erectors) also contract. This is one of the reasons why sit-ups are useful for strengthening your back and stomach. When stretching, it is easier to lengthen a relaxed muscle than to lengthen a contracting muscle. By taking advantage of situations in which mutual inhibition occurs, more effective stretching can be achieved by inducing the antagonists to relax during the stretching due to the contraction of the agonists. You should also relax any muscles used as synergists by the muscle you are trying to stretch. For example, when you stretch your calf, you want to contract your shin muscles (the calf antagonists) by flexing your foot. However, the hamstrings use the calf as a synergist, so you also need to relax them by contracting the quadriceps (i.e. keeping the leg straight). Reciprocal Inhibition: Describes muscles on one side of a joint relaxing to accommodate contraction on the other side. that joint. The body handles this quite well during activities such as running, where muscles that oppose each other are engaged and disengaged sequentially to produce coordinated movements. This facilitates ease of movement and is a protection against injury. Sometimes, for example, a football running back may experience a "misfire" of motor units and end up contracting his quadriceps and hamstrings simultaneously during an intense sprint..