This subject takes a scientific look at the concepts of skeletal muscle fatigue, training skeletal muscle for power and endurance and the effects of anabolic steroids and muscle stimulants like caffeine on skeletal muscle. It will also examine some of the common ways skeletal muscle can be damaged during sporting activities and the resultant mechanisms of muscle repair. There will be a detailed coverage of skeletal muscle development and the degenerative processes that occur as a result of aging. A series of advanced practical classes will examine the properties of isolated slow- and fast- twitch mammalian muscle. Students will design their own experiments to examine the effects of a range of drugs on their isolated muscle preparation. In the final practical session students will use themselves as subjects in order to examine the fatigability of their skeletal muscles in situ. The first part of the subject will examine the structure of skeletal muscle, the mechanism of force production, muscle fibre types, techniques for taking and analysing muscle biopsies and the innervation and central control of muscle activity. The second part of the course will look at the training for power, adaptations for endurance exercise, causes of skeletal muscle fatigue, muscle damage and repair and muscle pain. In addition there will be an examination of the pharmalogical action of compounds such as clenbuterol, creatine and caffeine which affect skeletal muscle function and growth.

Note: Enrolment in this course may be subject to quota restrictions. Such restrictions will only apply to students taking this course as an elective.