Si∙News To Me
Muscles. It’s no secret that a large amount of tissue in the human body belongs to muscular systems. In fact, roughly 1/3 of a person’s total body weight is composed of muscle tissue. Skeletal; the voluntary muscles we use to move our limbs, smooth; the muscles on the walls of internal organs, and cardiac; the muscles comprising the heart, the jury is out as to how many muscles there actually are.
Do the Math..?
How can that be? Surely this is an established number across medical and biological fields? Surprisingly enough—it isn’t. The reason for this is dissension among anatomists as to how to count them. Some muscles are hard to separate into clearly delineated bundles, whereas other muscles–counted by some anatomists as separate and by other anatomists as the sum of their parts–push a consensus out of reach. A range is the best we can surmise. A range numbering between six and seven-hundred, can you guess which muscle is the biggest of all?
I Guess Big Butts!
That’s right. It’s your butt. Call it a booty, bum, keister or caboose, we’re talking the gluteus maximus. As a whole, the gluteus muscle group is comprised of four muscles: the tensor fasciae latae, the gluteus minimus, gluteus medius, and gluteus maximus. Together, they work to stabilize your core, pelvis and lower back, and provide power to the hip muscles. They give your get-up its go, keep you upright, and at the same time, anchor other major muscle groups. You’ll want to keep this muscle group in top form, and as a personal trainer, I can think of no better exercise than squats. Swing by my post: “Squats Are Bad for Your Knees” to learn how to execute them properly!
♥ The Heart of the Matter ♥
Can you guess which muscle is the hardest working of all the muscles? The muscle that’s engaged every second of every day? Whether you’re awake or asleep, lounging around or working out, your heart muscle doesn’t skip a beat.
♥
The average adult heart beats 72 times a minute. That adds up to 100,000 times a day, or 2.5 billion times during a 70-year span! Pumping at least 2,500 gallons of blood every day, the left ventricle is the hardest pumping part of the heart. It pumps blood that flows to the heart and rest of the body except the lungs. (that’s the right ventricle’s job)
♥
Keeping that hard-working cardiac muscle healthy is a top priority. Or definitely should be. The American Heart Association recommends a minimum of 30 minutes cardiovascular exercise 5 to 7 days per week, so I hope you’re reading this on a treadmill or stationary bike!
Strong Man (dible) Contest
Defining strength as the ability to exert the most pressure when activated, the strongest muscle in the body is the masseter muscle. Commonly known as the jaw muscle , the force you exert while munching or biting can place an average of 200 lbs of pressure on each molar. The Guiness Book of Work Records boasts the strongest bite ever recorded at a whopping 975 lbs of force exerted! That figure has some teeth! Chew on that for a while, using that self-same muscle to do the chewing…
Come Back Tomorrow for an Overview of the Next 597 Muscles!
Or is 697?
Check those chomper facts: Strongest Human Bite
Another take on muscles: What Is The Largest Muscle In The Body
A visual: Inside Out: The Major Muscle Complexes of the Body
BIO: Based in Santa Barbara, CA, Karen Robiscoe is a certified Corrective Exercise Specialist and personal trainer through NASM. DBA Kardio with Karen, she is additionally certified as a Group X instructor and Spin teacher with Fitour, a licensed Livestrong Cancer Survivors instructor by YMCA, and a fully accredited Aquatics teacher with AEA.
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