The Optimum Consistency of Muscle

One of the problems I have been researching recently has been with regards to the optimum consistency of muscle, as this has been due in large part to discussions with my friend Ea Holm who is a Rolfer and massage therapist. I had tried to find some books on the subject, but many of the texts related to bodybuilding, which did not have the emphasis I was looking for and most academic texts discuss structure, not health and pathology. I also know that this topic had been discussed on some forums before, but there doesn't seem to be rigorous scientific study as to what constitutes muscle that is in an optimum level of health. So much of this post is anecdotal evidence. When she has worked on my body she mentioned that my muscles had a flexible quality similar to yoga practitioners rather than other martial artists (well I did practice yoga religiously for seven years), who have a harder consistency to the muscles (and perhaps more similar to body builders for some artists). I also asked her what unhealthy muscle felt like and she mentioned that there were two types, one type would be the very loose and floppy consistency, where the muscles hang off the skeleton and the other would be muscle that was hard as a rock and perpetually tensed, without being able to relax of its own accord. Muscle that has been overworked, perpetually tensed such as those in the neck and shoulders, can lose its elasticity and feel hard and fibrous, like a rope (where the skeletal muscle fibres are very apparent). 

So like all things the optimum consistency probably lies in between being too hard as in some hard external arts and too flexible, which is something that can be seen in some yoga practitioners where the muscles are overstretched and the joints actually become loose, leading to injuries. (Hence the importance of engaging the muscles when stretching them in yoga). But as to the optimum consistency it is hard to say, as there is a continuum depending on the requirements that the body is subjected to. The relatively new field of research on the fascia also adds complications to the discussion. But in our discussion the conclusion was that certain performers, such as those who practice gymnastics or the cirque de soleil were able to maintain both strength (having to support their own body weight) and flexibility (maintenance of a the full range of motion). 

Thus in internal martial arts, and especially in Bagua which I practice flexibility and pliability is as important strength and hardness, as the muscles and connective tissue / fascia need to work together to transmit forces and power efficiently without leakage due to excess tension. I also suspect that excess muscular development also restricts the free flow of Qi as demonstrated by the correlation of tense shoulders with hypertension and high blood pressure.But even within the realm of internal arts there are differences between practitioners - for instance Li Jian Yu used to work out with weights when he was young and so his zhan zhuang was much more tense than Wang Yu Fang.

I found the following characteristics of muscles on the internet and maintaining well functioning muscles requires that we need to retain the following characteristics in a well functioning condition.

1. Excitability: What is our normal reaction when we touch a hot plate? We immediately withdraw the part in contact with the hot object. This is known as stimulus and the human body is programmed to respond to stimuli. The muscle tissues in our body send signals to the brain and the brain tells the body to move out - all this happens within a fraction of a second! Had this taken any longer, we would have burnt our hands, till the time our brain told us to remove the hand! All this and more is possible because of the excitability function of the muscle tissues.

2. Contractility: In simple words, our muscles can contract. One might question the need for our muscles to contract. If our muscles wouldn't contract, then we wouldn't be able to lift things or sit. The folding of our muscles is actually contraction taking place and this is the body's unique self-accommodating system that helps the muscles be contained within the same frame rather than tearing out for space! Also, due to this contraction, a power is developed in the muscles which give the energy to perform strenuous activities.

3. Extensibility: This is the opposite of the previous function. There has to be a similar opposite action in nature and that is best shown by this muscle functioning. After the muscle contracts, it must extend to release the energy which it had stored while contraction.

Think of it as when we stretch and when we pull things - without muscle extension, it would not have been possible. Also, extension of the muscles helps growth and is somewhat indirectly related to control of the body temperature (both contraction and extension in pair).

4. Elasticity: If our muscles weren't elastic, we would have been longer and taller with each extension! Think of the phenomena as a rubber band - it is elastic to a certain limit, beyond which, it breaks. Similarly, our muscles stretch to a certain limit without injury and then come back to its original shape and size. Elasticity of muscle fibers is extremely important.

5. Conductivity: The muscle tissues in our body conduct ion exchange and help carry electrical impulses from the brain and nerves to the body parts and vice-versa. This is achieved by the muscles maintaining a steady electrical field which facilitates the movement of charged ions.