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Skeletal Muscles

Skeletal muscles move and support the skeleton. They make up fifty percent of your body weight. There are 640 individually named skeletal muscles. A skeletal muscle links two bones across its connecting joint. When these muscles contract or shorten, your bone moves. Muscles are arranged in layers over the bones. Those nearest to the skin are called superficial muscles. Those closest to the inside of the body are called deep muscles. Skeletal muscles are voluntary muscles. These are muscles that we can consciously control.

A muscle's name usually describes its shape, location or job. Some skeletal muscles are:

frontalis (forehead)

deltoid (moves shoulder and upper arm)

biceps (bends arm)

rectus abdominis (stomach)

sartorius (bends and turns leg)

Muscles need oxygen and food for energy from your blood in order to work properly. If they work hard but do not get enough, they may go into a spasm and you feel the pain of a cramp.

Overworked muscles

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