When Do Antagonistic Muscles Work?

One muscle of the pair contracts to move the body part, the other muscle in the pair then contracts to return the body part back to the original position. Muscles that work like this are called antagonistic pairs. In an antagonistic muscle pair as one muscle contracts the other muscle relaxes or lengthens.

What is the purpose of having antagonistic muscles?

Antagonist muscles are simply the muscles that produce an opposing joint torque to the agonist muscles. This torque can aid in controlling a motion. The opposing torque can slow movement down - especially in the case of a ballistic movement.

Do antagonistic muscles contract at the same time?

Muscle coactivation occurs when agonist and antagonist muscles (or synergist muscles) surrounding a joint contract simultaneously to provide joint stability. It is also known as muscle cocontraction, since two muscle groups are contracting at the same time.