Which muscles can you consciously control?

• A. Voluntary muscles
• B. Involuntary muscles
• C. Smooth muscles
• D. Cardiac muscles

Answer: (A)

Muscles you can consciously control are voluntary muscles, the skeletal muscles attached to bones. The brain sends deliberate signals through the somatic nervous system to these muscles, so you can decide to flex a bicep, lift a leg, or smile. In contrast, smooth muscles (found in walls of organs and vessels) and cardiac muscle (the heart) operate automatically under the autonomic nervous system, not by conscious choice. So you can will your skeletal muscles to move, but you can’t will the heart to beat or the intestines to digest in the moment.