Many people ask the question, what is the strongest muscle in the human body? It is known that their number reaches 640. Among them there are very small ones that are in the inner ear or serve to fix the eyeball. There are also quite large muscles: quadriceps, gluteus, trapezius. However, the most unique can be called the myocardium. It is able to contract, even if it is extracted from the human body. So which muscle is the strongest?
A rather accurate definition is given by special studies. According to them, the strength of all muscles depends on the following factors:
- the number of muscle fibers;
- the size of the bone adjacent to the muscle;
- angle of attachment;
- the frequency of impulses that the nervous system creates.
To describe this parameter, special terms have been created: relative and absolute muscle strength. Also, this indicator is determined in accordance with the amount of cargo that a person is able to lift in a calm state.
The quality of muscle work is determined by the ability to change their elasticity. With reduction, this indicator increases, with relaxation it becomes much lower. Therefore, many say that the strongest muscle of a person is the tongue. However, this judgment is incorrect, since it is an organ consisting of 16 muscle parts.
The force generated is also an important parameter. It turns out that the strongest muscle of a person is chewing. It can develop a pressure force of up to 72 kilograms and is located near the earlobe. It is she who makes the lower jaw move during chewing. According to this, she got her name. A feature of the location of the masticatory muscle is attachment to the bone. There are other muscles that perform a similar function. These include: temporal, lateral and medial pterygoid. The first starts from the simultaneous bone. The lateral pterygoid is fixed on the inner corner of the lower jaw, the medial on the articular process. The chewing muscle also interacts with other formations of a similar structure during conversation, facial expressions and yawning. Its shape resembles an irregular triangle.
Another factor that determines the strongest muscle of a person is tensile strength. According to this factor, the gastrocnemius muscle is the leader, which is capable of supporting weight up to 130 kilograms. To confirm this, you need to climb "on tiptoe" and pick up a small weight. In this case, the entire load will be on the calf muscle. It is located in the hind tibia. Next to it is the soleus muscle, with which they are attached to the heel with the help of the Achilles tendon. It has a simple structure (two heads), however, in terms of muscle tissue density, it occupies a leading place in the human body. Its function is to stabilize the body while moving.
Another indicator that helps determine the strongest muscle of the human body is the effort that is applied to the point of the skeleton. According to this indicator, it is possible to distinguish the quadriceps and gluteus maximus. They are also located on the lower extremities. In addition, the largest muscle of a person is the gluteus. All this is confirmed by its functions, the main of which is maintaining the body position in an upright position.
Thus, the strongest muscle of a person is an ambiguous concept. Each of them dominates in a certain indicator. But the real leader can be called the heart muscle, which has the highest rate of endurance. While other structures are fatigued, it works without fail even during sleep. Yes, and the life of the myocardium can be called more than a weighty argument, which casts doubt on the fact of greater efficiency of skeletal muscles.