YOUR PERSPECTIVEBefore describing some of the actual experimental procedures that Dr. Baldwin and his team carried out, and before we present the results of those experiments, it is important for you to delve somewhat deeper into the muscle metabolism concepts that were presented earlier. In particular, you will actually be using your own muscles in various activities. This section presents three different but related Student Investigations that will help you understand how different kinds of physical activity utilize different muscle fiber types and energy systems within the body.For the first Student Investigation, you will be asked to predict which sporting events utilize which muscle energy system. You can peek back at an earlier section of this chapter dealing with muscle energetic to find some extra hints to help you complete the exercise. The second Student Investigation expands on this knowledge of muscle energetic by involving each of you in the planning for a special "mini field day" for the class to participate in. You will be selecting a variety of different physical activities that will help you demonstrate various levels of strength, power, and endurance. Each activity will then be evaluated to determine which muscle energy system supplied the needed ALP to perform the activity. The final Student Investigation is meant to refresh your memory regarding the difference between Type I and Type II muscle fibers. Again, you will actually participate in a physical activity. But this time, you are performing the activity in an attempt to evaluate if you have more Type I or Type II muscle fibers in your upper leg (quadriceps) muscles. It should be fun! Let's get started!
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