Muscle contraction is the tightening, shortening, or lengthening of muscles when you do some activity. It can happen when you hold or pick up something, or when you stretch or exercise with weights.

A concentric contraction is a type of muscle activation that causes tension on your muscle as it shortens. As your muscle shortens, it generates enough force to move an object. This is the most ...

New research has shown one type of muscle contraction is most effective at increasing muscle strength and muscle size -- and rather than lifting weights, the emphasis should be on lowering them. Good ...

Muscles and nerve fibers allow a person to move their body and enable the internal organs to function. There are more than 600 muscles in the human body. People also have different types of muscle. A ...

Medically reviewed by Katrina Carter, DPT Key Takeaways Voluntary muscles can be controlled by the person, like muscles in your neck and legs. Involuntary muscles work without you thinking about it, ...

In a serendipitous discovery, UC San Diego researchers using cryo-EM technology captured the first visualizations of the 3-D structure of the muscle acetylcholine receptor in fetal and adult muscles.