muscular force

Muscular force is the force made when muscles contract (shorten and pull) or relax.

• Muscles can pull but cannot push directly. For example, when you bend your arm, the biceps muscle contracts and pulls your forearm upward.
• Many movements need muscles to work in pairs. To straighten your arm again, the triceps contracts while the biceps relaxes.
• The amount of muscular force depends on how strongly and how many muscle fibres contract. Lifting a light book uses less force than lifting a heavy school bag.
• Muscular force is a contact force: a muscle must be connected to or touch the body part, object, or material it moves.
• It is not limited to large body movements. Tiny muscles help you blink, write, breathe, and make facial expressions.

Muscles turn energy from food into movement, making muscular force essential for both active actions and the body’s quiet everyday work.