How many muscles are there in the human body? It is rather difficult to give a definite answer to this question. Anatomists have not yet come to a single figure that can be given. This is due to the fact that it is quite difficult to determine which muscles to include in the list and which not. For example, some muscle tissues really cannot be divided into separate units.
Believe it or not, the science of anatomy is still evolving. No, entirely new muscles are not discovered, but new variations in individual muscular anatomy are encountered more or less constantly. In addition, many of them, such as the quadriceps femoris, usually consist of several parts that traditionally may or may not be considered one unit. This makes an unambiguous calculation of their number practically impossible. From this article you will find out how many muscles are in the human body.
Muscle Count
When most people ask about the exact number of muscles, they are referring to the major skeletal muscles - pecs, deltoids, glutes, biceps and triceps. However, in the human body there are still hundreds of smallmuscles located in the arms, legs and face.
An approximate figure is about 700 skeletal muscles. This number also includes about 400 muscles, the existence of which, basically, only specialists know. They are located around the tongue and vocal apparatus, eyeball or pelvic floor.
Muscle Types
The number of muscles in our body varies from 640 to 850. It is not possible to determine the exact number, because there are different opinions of experts about what constitutes a separate unit. Experts divide muscles into three main types:
- skeletal;
- smooth;
- hearty.
Not only the mobility of the body, but also the proper functioning of all physiological processes depends on their clear and well-coordinated work. The nervous system controls the work of all muscle tissues, and provides their connection with the brain and spinal cord, and also regulates the conversion of chemical energy into mechanical energy. Let's take a closer look at the main functions of the above muscle types.
Description of muscle types
Skeletal muscles are responsible for movement. They allow us to perform mundane activities such as getting out of bed, climbing stairs, and more. How many muscles in the human body are actually used when walking? About 300 of the total.
The next type of muscle is smooth - they are responsible for the coordinated work of internal organs. For example, some of them are located in the areaintestines and work involuntarily, unlike skeletal ones. The difficulty in counting them is that it is impossible to tell where one smooth muscle ends and another begins. Perhaps that is why they are called smooth. Thus, if we include this musculature in the list of all muscles in the human body, counting becomes really impossible.
On the other hand, of course, there is the only heart muscle - the myocardium, which is responsible for the functioning of the heart and normal blood circulation. Its contractions are beyond the control of the human mind.
Muscle Facts
The following are some interesting facts about human muscles:
- There are about 100 muscles in the body that can be discussed in the gym.
- There are about 200 more, less visible, but any self-respecting massage therapist should know about them.
- There are approximately 400 muscles that only experts know about, and some of them are of particular interest.
- The smallest muscles are located at the smallest bones located in the ear.
- The largest are the gluteus maximus muscles, which move the legs.
So, we briefly reviewed some of the anatomical aspects of the human structure. Now you can easily answer the question of how many muscles are in the human body.
