What is the function of the skeletal muscles?

The function of the skeletal muscles is to move the bodies bones in order to maintain position and create movement. The skeletal muscles need the bones of the body to pull against to so that the muscles contract or relax as needed to perform the function the body is performing at the time.

The long and cylindrical muscle cells, which are called muscle fibers, are very large and multinucleated. The fibers are made up of strands of contractile proteins called myofibrils. Myofibrils break down further into sarcomeres that are made up of thick and thin filaments, which are separated by z discs. The filaments in the sarcomeres contract together when a muscle moves, creating and using energy to do so.