Question

Which type of muscles can you control voluntary

Answer 1

Skeletal muscle is made up of voluntary muscles, usually attached to the skeleton. Skeletal muscles move the body. They can also contract involuntarily by reflexes. For example, you can choose to move your arm, but your arm would move automatically if you were to burn your finger on a stove top. This voluntary contraction begins with a thought process. A signal from your brain tells your muscles to contract or relax. Quickly contract and relax the muscles in your fingers a few times. Think about how quickly these signals must travel throughout your body to make this happen.

Smooth muscle is composed of involuntary muscles found within the walls of organs and structures such as the esophagus, stomach, intestines, and blood vessels. These muscles push materials like food or blood through organs. Unlike skeletal muscle, smooth muscle can never be under your control.

Cardiac muscle is also an involuntary muscle, found only in the heart. The cardiac muscle fibers all contract together, generating enough force to push blood throughout the body. What would happen if this muscle was under conscious or voluntary control?