� tendon - cordlike attachment � aponeurosis - thin flat sheet � fascia - thin flat sheets of connective tissues that wrap and bind parts of the body together � raphe - junction of two muscles at a band of connective TISSUE to FORM a line of fusion, such as the linea albaBasis for muscle contraction:� a muscle receiving no nervous stimulus is relaxed or in a resting state - soft shape RETAINED by surrounding collagen fibers � when nervous stimuli APPLIED beyond muscle�s threshold level, contraction results and tensile force is generated, constituting the active state � the attached bone and/or mass that must be moved represents the load - WHETHER a muscle actually contracts depends on the relative balance between the tensile force of contraction and the load to be moved (Fig. 10.6, p. 351)Major contractile characteristics of a muscle include how rapidly it reaches maximum tension and how long it can sustain this tensionTension and strength are directly related to the number of cross-bridges between muscle filaments