Your Muscles

💪 About your muscles (Muscular system)

Every move you make, from a jump to a blink to a smile, is muscles at work. Muscles are made of long, thin threads called fibers that can squeeze shorter.

Muscles can only pull, never push. That's why they come in teams: one pulls your elbow bent, its partner pulls it straight again.

You have more than 600 muscles. Some you move when you want to. Others, like your heart and your stomach, work all day and night without you even thinking about it.

• Musclesmore than 600
• Biggestgluteus maximus
• Tiniestabout 1 millimeter

• ⚙️ How muscles work: Muscles are stretchy pullers under your skin, and every move you make is a muscle pulling.
• 🔬 Three kinds of muscle: Some muscles move when you tell them, and some work all by themselves, like the ones in your tummy.
• 😄 Face muscles: Little muscles under the skin of your face pull it into smiles, frowns and silly faces.
• 👀 Eye muscles: Six tiny muscles hold each eye and turn it up, down and side to side.
• 🍎 Chewing muscle (Masseter): Your chewing muscle is a strong squeezer on the side of your face that closes your jaw to bite.
• 🦒 Neck muscles (Sternocleidomastoid): Strong neck muscles hold up your heavy head and turn it so you can look around.
• 🤷 Shrug muscle (Trapezius): Your shrug muscle is a big diamond on your upper back that lifts your shoulders up.
• 🙋 Shoulder muscle (Deltoid): Your shoulder muscle is a rounded cap that lifts your arm up high to wave.
• 🤗 Chest muscles (Pectoralis major): Your chest muscles are big fans on the front of your chest that help you push and hug.
• 💪 Biceps (Biceps brachii): Your biceps is the bump on the front of your arm that bends your elbow.
• 🤚 Triceps (Triceps brachii): Your triceps is on the back of your arm, and it pulls your elbow straight.
• ✊ Forearm muscles: The muscles that wiggle your fingers live in your arm and pull long strings to your fingers.
• 🛡️ Belly muscles (Rectus abdominis): Your belly muscles are a strong wall in front of your tummy that helps you sit up.
• 🔄 Side muscles (Obliques): Your side muscles wrap around your middle and let you twist and bend to the side.
• 🧗 Back wing muscles (Latissimus dorsi): Your back wing muscles are the widest muscles on your back, and they pull your arms down to climb.
• 🌬️ Breathing muscle (Diaphragm): Your breathing muscle is a dome under your lungs that moves down to pull air in.
• 🪑 Bottom muscles (Gluteus maximus): Your bottom muscle is the biggest muscle in your body, and it helps you stand, climb and jump.
• ⚽ Thigh muscles (Quadriceps): Your thigh muscles are four strong muscles on the front of your leg that help you kick and jump.
• 🧵 Longest muscle (Sartorius): The longest muscle in your body is a thin strap that crosses your thigh from hip to knee.
• 🏃 Hamstrings: Your hamstrings are on the back of your thigh, and they bend your knee when you run.
• 🩰 Calf muscles (Gastrocnemius and soleus): Your calf muscles on the back of your lower leg lift your heels so you can tiptoe and jump.
• 🚶 Shin muscle (Tibialis anterior): Your shin muscle runs down the front of your leg and lifts your toes up.
• 🪢 Tendons: Tendons are strong, bendy ropes that tie your muscles to your bones.
• 🔍 Tiniest muscle (Stapedius): The tiniest muscle in your body lives deep inside your ear and is smaller than a grain of rice.