How many voluntary muscles are there in the body

And while you're looking at your face, don't pass over your tongue — a muscle that's attached only at one end!

Your tongue is actually made of a group of muscles that work together to allow you to talk and help you chew food. Stick out your tongue and wiggle it around to see those muscles at work.

Because there are so many skeletal muscles in your body, we can't list them all here. But here are a few of the major ones:.

Reviewed by: KidsHealth Medical Experts. Larger text size Large text size Regular text size. Smooth Muscles Smooth muscles — sometimes also called involuntary muscles — are usually in sheets, or layers, with one layer of muscle behind the other. Page 1 A Hearty Muscle The muscle that makes up the heart is called cardiac muscle. Skeletal Muscle. Face Muscles You may not think of it as a muscular body part, but your face has plenty of muscles. Major Muscles Because there are so many skeletal muscles in your body, we can't list them all here.

But here are a few of the major ones: In each of your shoulders is a deltoid say: DEL-toyd muscle. Your deltoid muscles help you move your shoulders every which way — from swinging a softball bat to shrugging your shoulders when you're not sure of an answer.

The pectoralis say: pek-tuh-RAH-lus muscles are found on each side of your upper chest. These are usually called pectorals say: PEK-tuh-rulz , or pecs, for short. When many boys hit puberty, their pectoral muscles become larger.

Many athletes and bodybuilders have large pecs, too. They're often called abs for short. When you make a muscle in your arm, you tense your biceps say: BYE-seps muscle. When you contract your biceps muscle, you can actually see it push up under your skin. Your quadriceps say: KWAD-ruh-seps , or quads, are the muscles on the front of your thighs. Many people who run, bike, or play sports develop large, strong quads. And when it's time for you to take a seat? Always seek immediate medical attention for any sudden, unexplained weakness in your muscles.

Voluntary muscles are skeletal muscles that attach to bones and can be consciously activated to control movement.

Common voluntary skeletal muscles include the biceps, triceps, lats, abdominals, glutes, quadriceps, and hamstrings. Voluntary muscles often work in pairs to symmetrically control movement on both sides of the body and support good posture and joint alignment. More than one muscle group is also activated at once when performing movements, as most muscles work together to coordinate movement and have more than one function.

Sign up for our Health Tip of the Day newsletter, and receive daily tips that will help you live your healthiest life. Morphological and functional aspects of human skeletal muscle. J Funct Morphol Kinesiol. Webb RC. Smooth muscle contraction and relaxation. Adv Physiol Educ. Cleveland Clinic. Mitochondrial diseases. Updated May 31, Your Privacy Rights. To change or withdraw your consent choices for VerywellHealth. At any time, you can update your settings through the "EU Privacy" link at the bottom of any page.

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I Accept Show Purposes. Table of Contents View All. Table of Contents. Frequently Asked Questions Which muscles are voluntary? Why do voluntary muscles work in pairs? Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Sign Up. What are your concerns? The tip of each branch is called a presynaptic terminal. The point of contact between the presynaptic terminal and the muscle is called the neuromuscular junction.

To move a particular body part: The brain sends a message to the motor neurones. This triggers the release of the chemical acetylcholine from the presynaptic terminals. The muscle responds to acetylcholine by contracting. Shapes of skeletal muscle Generally speaking, skeletal muscles come in four main shapes, including: Spindle — wide through the middle and tapering at both ends, such as the biceps on the front of the upper arm.

Flat — like a sheet, such as the diaphragm that separates the chest from the abdominal cavity. Triangular — wider at the bottom, tapered at the top, such as the deltoid muscles of the shoulder. Circular — a ring-shape like a doughnut, such as the muscles that surround the mouth, the pupils and the anus.

These are also known as sphincters. Muscle disorders Muscle disorders may cause weakness, pain, loss of movement and even paralysis. The range of problems that affect muscles are collectively known as myopathy. The three main types of muscle include skeletal, smooth and cardiac. The brain, nerves and skeletal muscles work together to cause movement — this is collectively known as the neuromuscular system.

More information here. Give feedback about this page. Was this page helpful? Yes No. View all bones muscles and joints. Related information. From other websites How Stuff Works. Content disclaimer Content on this website is provided for information purposes only.

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