Smooth

Cardiac 

Skeletal

• Involuntary
• Striated
• Uninucleated
• Intercalated Discs
• Branching

• Voluntary
• Striated - caused by alternating light/dark bands
• Multinucleated - located on the edge of the cell
• Elongated Cells - Muscle fibers/Myofibers (myo = muscle) 

1. Produces movement
2. Maintains Posture
3. Stabilizes Joints
4. Generates heat

1. Excitability – responds to certain stimuli, i.e. chemical neurotransmitters or hormones
2. Contractility – capacity to shorten and develop tension
3. Extensibility – capacity to stretch without damaging tissue (flexion/extension – opposing pairs of muscles)

4. Elasticity – Muscle tissue returns to original shape after contraction or extension

Epimysium

CT surrounding the entire skeletal muscle, connects muscle to the tendon (cord like) or (aponeuroses)

CT surrounding bundle of fascicles

CT surrounding individual muscle fibers/cells 

made up of bundles of muscle fibers/cells

bundles make up muscle fiber.  They have alternating dark and light bands.

(this is the smooth ER of the muscle cell) interconnecting tubules running along the myofibril.  Stores and releases calcium on demand when muscle fiber is stimulated to contract.

crosschannels of SR where calcium isreleased into the cytoplasm of the muscle fiber.  These always occur in pairs

continuous with sacrolemma, run between Terminal Cisternae,  transmit the action potential inside the fiber to each sarcomere to signal release of calcium.