00:00 It's how life goes sometimes. Some people are celebrated, while others do the real work
00:06 behind the scenes.
00:09 In our bodies, it's our muscles that do the heavy lifting. Only with their help can
00:13 the heart pump blood, the lungs respire and the digestive system process food.
00:21 Muscles control our facial expressions, they allow us to blink and smile. And they can
00:26 make our hair stand on end.
00:29 And thanks to powerful skeletal muscles, we can move our entire body. And all kinds of
00:34 objects.
00:39 Muscles are made up of bundles of muscle fibres. And these fibres consist of what are called
00:44 myofibrils.
00:47 And these myofibrils in turn are made up of proteins, like myosin and actin. And they
00:53 work like tiny motors.
00:55 They're triggered by electrical signals that are transmitted through the nervous system.
01:01 The heads of the myosin proteins bind to the actin and move it along. The muscle begins
01:05 to contract.
01:11 And because there are always several million of these little muscle motors working together,
01:15 it creates quite a force.
01:17 Unlike machines, our muscles don't immediately fail when subjected to too much strain.
01:23 Quite the opposite. Minor damage to the fibres is repaired and new myofibril strands are
01:28 even formed in the process.
01:32 Muscles grow bigger and stronger as a result.
01:35 And that's good for our health.
01:38 Muscle training also strengthens bones and joints, keeps the metabolism going and prevents
01:43 muscle loss in old age.
01:48 Not all muscles can be trained in a targeted manner, however. That's because more than
01:52 half of them we can't control consciously.
01:55 In many organs, the muscles are primarily controlled unconsciously by the autonomic
01:59 nervous system, so that vital bodily functions always remain active.
02:05 These muscles do also benefit from exercise indirectly.
02:08 For example, faster blood flow trains the heart and blood vessels.
02:13 And deep breathing trains the muscles of the respiratory system.
02:21 Our muscles keep the show on the road, so they deserve all the praise they can get.
02:26 (camera shutter clicking)
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