Muscles are soft fabrics in the human and animal body, responsible for the mobility of body parts, voice production, breathing, blinking and other movements. Responsible for their work nervous system. The better the muscle tissue is developed, the faster the blood supply to the spine occurs. The shape of the human body also depends on the development of muscles. This is especially significant for athletes, but there are other interesting facts about muscles: 
How many muscles do we have?
Participation in movements
When talking, a person can use more than 100 muscles, when crying - 43 muscles, when laughing - 17, when kissing - about 35. Interestingly, prolonged silence can lead to rapid muscle atrophy and their further restoration is extremely difficult.
Location in the body
Muscles make up 40% of the total human body weight(on average 20 kg for an adult). Approximately half of these muscles are located in bottom part body, 30% for arms, the rest for head and torso. The largest number of them is concentrated on our face. 25% of all muscles are responsible for the mobility of facial expressions, expressions of feelings and emotions, and neck movements.
Muscle is much denser than fat and weighs more for the same volume. People with the same weight but different muscle mass can look very different from each other. Often, when starting training, the weight may remain the same, although visually the person becomes slimmer. This is due to the replacement of adipose tissue with muscle tissue. Therefore, those who are losing weight and doing sports at the same time should not judge their results by weights and lost kilograms. You should always focus on your reflection in the mirror. If you like it, then you are going in the right direction.
The very best
The strongest of all available muscles from the point of application of force is masseter muscle. The most enduring muscle is the heart, which can work continuously for 100 years or more. The strongest muscle per unit of weight is the uterus. The fastest are the muscles responsible for blinking the eyes. The largest is the gluteal, the smallest is the stirrup.
Age dependent
With age, the amount muscle tissue is getting smaller. Already at the age of 30, a person without exercise can lose a total of 15% of all muscles, after 40 – about 30%. A particularly pronounced loss of up to 40% begins after 50–60 years. Then the annual loss of muscle tissue can be up to 5% per year.
Muscle protection
Muscles have protective films or fascia that protect them from friction and displacement, separating them from each other. The muscles seem to be in a shell, which serves as the place of their origin and attachment. At the end of the workout, stretching is mandatory for the muscles you worked on. This will increase blood flow to the muscle and stretch the fascia. Only the facial muscles do not have such protective films.
Recovery periods
After exercise, muscles need at least 48 hours to recover. The triceps require less rest time - two days. Three days are enough for your hands. The back and legs should be at rest for the longest time - up to five days. Therefore, you should not burden yourself with daily training on the same muscle group.
You need to be especially careful with the most vulnerable back muscles. Upper and lower body workouts should be alternated. Overvoltage can also have a negative impact on sports results, and on general condition musculoskeletal system. After childbirth, a woman’s abdominal muscles recover from two months to 2 – 3 years.
Growth and destruction
The good news is that muscles grow much faster than they break down. They begin to “burn” after the fat. Therefore, it is easier to support them if you do not forget about sports. But even long breaks in training are safe. Gradually, the muscles adapt to heavy loads, and it becomes much easier for the body to bear them.
Genetics
It has been proven that the predisposition to muscle growth and development is determined by genetics. If the parents were involved in sports, then it will be much easier for the child. The ability to build a beautiful body, quickly gain muscle mass directly depends on the level of testosterone, cortisol and tissue sensitivity to insulin and protein.
Atavisms
Some have preserved atavism muscles that were left to us from our ancestors and do not carry any functionality. Long palms are not found in all people, and in some cases they can only be on one hand. Often this muscle is used when necessary to replace a damaged one.
In animals, they are responsible for releasing claws. Ear muscles - helped our distant relatives move their ears, but now they are of no use. Everyone has a pyramidalis muscle in their abdomen; it is responsible for carrying babies in marsupials.
Few people know that muscles are also responsible for the appearance of goose bumps. In cold weather and strong emotions, the muscles of the hair follicles raise the hairs, forming pimples on the body. Interestingly, “goose bumps” can be caused not only by positive emotions (sexual arousal, admiration, a sense of satisfaction). This is often caused by negative feelings (fear, fright, metal grinding on glass). This effect is also considered a rudiment and does not have any function.
Muscles are not only tissues that support our skeleton, but also main sources of traffic. They require careful attention and care. Nobody wants to remain immobile in old age, so physical education should be included in your life as early as possible.
There are 640 muscles in the human body, each of which can contract. All body movements, from blinking to running, are possible only thanks to the work of muscles.
Muscle strength
In order for a muscle to contract, each fiber binds to its neighbor and slides along it. This simultaneous action causes contraction. Millions of myosins and actins, acting in a similar way, cause the muscle to contract. The amplitude and force of contraction is controlled by nerve impulses sent to each muscle by the brain.
Three types of muscles
Skeletal muscles appear striated under a microscope, which is why they are called striated muscles. Since we can contract them whenever we want (by force of will), they are also called voluntary muscles. The cardiac muscle (myocardium) forms the thick walls of the heart. It contracts rhythmically, pumping blood through the heart. Smooth muscle form the tissues of the walls of internal human organs, such as the stomach, intestines or bladder. These muscles contract independently of our will and are therefore called involuntary muscles.
Human muscles vary in shape and size. They can be thinner than cotton thread, long and convex in the middle, or wide and flat. The largest muscles are in the buttocks. Most muscles are firmly attached to the skeleton by tendons.
Work in pairs
The muscles are arranged in pairs. One of the paired muscles pulls a specific part of the body in one direction. The second is different. In animals, muscles have a similar structure and function in the same way as in humans.
Muscle structure
Muscles are made up of bundles of long fibers called muscle fibers. Each muscle fiber contains bundles of even thinner, microscopic fibers - muscle filaments. In turn, muscle filaments consist of bundles of fibers consisting of proteins - actin and myosin.
Muscle tissue in the human body can contract and relax under the influence of nerve impulses coming from the brain. Any movement that our body makes occurs through muscle contraction. Blinking, speaking, raising an arm or leg, turning the body or head, walking - all these body movements are possible thanks to muscles. Scientists have been exploring interesting facts about muscles for decades; many scientific works have been written that study the coordination of movements, the work of each muscle separately, the interdependence of the musculoskeletal system and muscles and other issues regarding muscles..
Interesting facts about muscles in the human body
- How many muscles?
There are 640-850 muscles in the human body. The amount depends on the developed muscle tissue. During a kiss, about 34 facial muscles work. Smiling uses 17 muscles. If a person cries, approximately 40 muscles work. When a person walks at a leisurely, measured pace, 200 muscles are activated.
Adipose tissue is lighter in weight and not as dense as muscle tissue. This explains the difference in weight between a pumped-up person and someone who is simply overweight. A muscular man can weigh more than an unathletic, overweight man of the same height. The body consists on average of 40% muscle. Such interesting facts about muscles reveal the importance of maintaining muscles in proper shape.
- Determining the leader
The heart is the most resilient muscle in the human body. The shortest muscle is the stapedius: necessary for tension eardrum in the ear. Its length is only 1.27 millimeters. Tailoring - considered the most long muscle in man.
As for speed, the fastest is the blinking muscle of the eye.
Sometimes the tongue is considered one of the strongest muscles. Although many scientists refute this opinion, because the tongue consists of several types of muscles. The strongest are masticatory muscles– the pressure force can reach up to 100 kg. The calf and gluteal muscles are also considered powerful muscles.
- Which muscles recover faster?
Each muscle in the body develops, grows, functions in its own way, and is responsible for its own set of actions. Therefore, it requires distinctive methods for training and different recovery times. The triceps need less time to rest and recover, and the back muscles need the most time. The growth of muscle tissue occurs due to strong stress and relaxation. Therefore, you cannot constantly load your muscles without resting. On average, muscles fully recover after 48 hours of rest and 8 hours of full sleep.
- Muscle tissue endurance
Endurance refers to the ability of muscle tissue to maintain its performance. for a long time. As we already mentioned, the heart is the most resilient muscle. Scientists have calculated that the average human heart can function for at least 100 years. When the muscles run out of glycogen stores, the tissues begin to “tire”, become flabby and lose their ability to contract. Another reason for loss of endurance is oversaturation of muscles with calcium.
- Dependence of emotions and muscles
Scientists have found that the muscles on the human face are tightly connected with emotions. Psychiatrist Ivan Sikorsky pointed out the relationship between facial muscles and emotions. He compiled a map of expressions on the face: the muscles near the eyes are responsible for the manifestation of mental work, and the muscles of the mouth are responsible for acts of will. As for feelings, all facial muscles are used to express emotions. Scientists managed to prove in 2011 that a child, even in the intrauterine environment, is able to move his facial muscles: smile, raise his eyebrows (surprise), frown (when he doesn’t like something).
- Genetic memory in muscles
It turns out that during muscle training a person's genes change. With each workout, information remains in the genes, which is activated and makes the muscles “combat ready” for the next load. To prove their case, researchers at the University of Aarhus studied 20 participants in the experiment. After a 20-minute workout on exercise bikes, a muscle biopsy was taken - the quadriceps. This was done in order to study gene indicators after training. The results proved that training activates genes responsible for muscles. Scientists explained this by the fact that the genetic code is preserved in cells through methyl groups. If these groups are removed, the gene's information space will consist of proteins and enzymes that trigger the burning of calories and the building of muscle tissue. After the experiment, the number of methyl groups in the volunteers decreased. Thus, the muscles adapted to the increased metabolism.
- Telepathy through muscle movement
Muscle contractions do not always occur under the strict control of consciousness. Most often, thoughts are displayed on the face - this allows knowledgeable person find out what the other person really thinks. The most famous telepath Wolf Messing explained his abilities not as a “gift from heaven,” but as knowledge of the subtle work of human facial muscles. And he called his predictions “reading muscles.”
- Who has the palmaris longus muscle?
One in six people has palmaris longus. This muscle in animals is responsible for releasing the claws. Since a person does not have such an ability, he accordingly does not use it. These palmaris muscles are used during grafting as additional material for fiber grafting.
- Chocolate and muscles
Natural dark chocolate is considered the most beneficial for the functioning of the brain, heart and muscles. An experiment at Wayne State University (Detroit) revealed the enormous effect of epicatechin (a substance in chocolate) on the growth of mitochondria (cells that generate energy) in muscles.
- Muscle loss
Muscle fibers can be burned, just like fat. This process is especially activated after 40 years - 2-3%. And after 60 years, a person begins to lose about 5% of muscle tissue. Therefore, both in youth and in mature age physical activity important for maintaining health and well-being.
Interesting facts about muscles once again confirm that physical activity is extremely necessary for a person to prevent the burning of muscle fibers and to ensure the functioning of the musculoskeletal system.