โ† Chapter 11
Anatomy & Physiology ยท Chapter 11

How Muscles Work Together

Muscles can only pull, never push. So they work in opposing teams across a joint. Watch the biceps and triceps take turns as the elbow bends and straightens. Tap each role to learn more.

Agonist

Muscle rolesopposing teams

The roles

๐Ÿ“ท Reference image
A real labeled figure to compare with the interactive above.
Drawing of the biceps and triceps working as a team at the elbow
How Muscles Work Together โ€” OpenStax, CC BY-SA 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)