Top 5 Most Used Muscles in the Human Body

flexing biceps at home
Our bodies are incredible machines made up of many amazing muscles. Today, let's take a closer look at the top five most used muscles in our human body! From head to toe, these powerful parts work hard every day to help us move and do everyday tasks. Let’s learn more about which ones make it on the list!

Heart

two balloons in the shape of a heart

The heart is a muscle that pushes blood all around your body. It’s the most important and busiest muscle in your body, working hard to pump up to 5 quarts of blood per minute!

The reason why it matters so much is because without it, essential parts of our bodies wouldn’t get enough oxygen or nutrients they need – making us feel tired, sick and not be able to do everyday activities.

The heart is located in the middle of your chest and it’s surrounded by your ribcage to keep it safe. Your heart pumps oxygen-filled blood throughout the body with help from a network called the circulatory system, which consists of arteries, veins, and capillaries that carry blood around. This is according to information provided by National Heart, Lung & Blood Institute (NHLBI).

The heart is an important muscle that helps keep our body going. If we exercise it, like other muscles, it can stay strong and perform better. Working out the heart has lots of benefits including reducing chances of getting a serious illness related to the heart or stroke plus making life more enjoyable!

Exercises to workout your heart

  • Aerobic exercises: These include swimming, biking, running, and dancing.
  • Strength training: This is when a person uses free weights, machines, or body weight to work out muscles.
  • High intensity interval training (HIIT): This is a workout technique that alternates between high and low intensity levels.
  • Resistance training: This is when a person uses the body’s own weight to build endurance and tone muscles.
  • Stretching: A person should hold stretches for more than 30 seconds for them to be effective.
  • Yoga: This is a series of physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines.
  • Pilates: This is a fitness method that focuses on the body’s core strength.

Starting off gradually is the best way to get your heart into shape. Any activity you do can help – from taking a walk to doing some jumping jacks.

Make sure you consult with a doctor before beginning any exercise program so they can provide information about what’s safe for you and suggest a plan based on your individual health needs.

With the right approach, exercising regularly will help improve one’s quality of life and reduce their risk of disease in the future.

Diaphragm

The diaphragm is a big muscle located close to the bottom of the lungs. When it tightens and relaxes, this helps with breathing. The diaphragm is very important for breathing since around 70% of all air breathed out comes from it.

When the diaphragm muscles tighten, they move the bottom of the lungs downwards. This creates more space in your chest cavity and allows your lungs to grow bigger.

With this bigger space, air has more room to enter into them – air that is full of oxygen which then gets used by your body for all kinds of things it needs.

When you take in a breath, your diaphragm (a large muscle) contracts and pushes down on the air in your lungs, allowing oxygen to enter.

Once enough oxygen is inside the lungs, the diaphragm relaxes and air is pushed out of them. This process happens again with each inhalation and exhalation we make all day long – making it one of our most used muscles! To keep it strong and healthy we can perform special activities that help work this muscle.

Exercises to workout the diaphragm

  • Pilates 100s: This exercise is performed by lying on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Place your hands on your stomach and inhale deeply through your nose. As you exhale, lift your head and shoulders off the floor and pump your arms up and down.
  • Breath Holds: This exercise is performed by breathing in through your nose and exhaling through your mouth. Once you have exhaled all of the air from your lungs, hold your breath for as long as you can. Repeat this process several times.
  • Plank: This exercise is performed by getting into a push-up position. Lower your body down so that your elbows and forearms are resting on the ground. Make sure your back is straight and hold this position for as long as you can.

Quadriceps

woman doing leg press exercise in the gym in sports clothing

The group of four muscles in the upper part of your leg are called quadriceps. These work together to help straighten and extend your knee. Your quadriceps are really strong and you use them when walking, running or climbing stairs.

You’re using these muscles all day long – so they get a good workout! If you want even stronger quads, there exercises that can help with this as well!

Exercises to workout the quadriceps

  • Squats: Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and arms at your sides. Slowly lower down as if you’re sitting in a chair, keeping your knees from going past your toes. Hold for a few seconds before returning to the beginning stance and then repeat.
  • Leg Press: Sit in the leg press machine with your feet at a comfortable distance apart. Grasp the handles and push your legs out in front of you. Then, bring them back to the starting position and repeat.
  • Lunges: Step forward with one foot, lightly touching the ground with your back knee as you go. Push off and return to standing. Repeat this movement on the other side, taking a large step forward each time.

Hamstrings

The hamstrings are a group of three muscles located in the back of the thigh. They help to bend the knee and move the hip. These muscles get used when someone is doing activities such as walking, running or jumping, so they may be exercised often throughout any day.

Exercises to workout your hamstrings

  • Deadlifts: Perform the deadlift by standing with your feet hip-width apart and bending your knees. Reach forward and take hold of a barbell using an overhand grip. Lift it off the ground steadily then lower it back to where you started.
  • Bridge: Lie down on your back with your toes touching the ground and arms at either side. Lift up off of the floor, keeping all points still connected to it for a few seconds then slowly go back into starting position. Repeat as desired!
  • Leg Curl: Lie down on your stomach on the leg curl machine. Place your feet under the pads and use them to pull your legs up towards you until they reach close to or touch your bottom (butt). Once there, lower back into resting position before repeating!

Pectoralis major

The pectoralis major is a muscle in the chest used to move your arm forward and across your body. It helps you do things like throw balls or push open doors by providing extra strength when you need it most.

This important muscle gets lots of use which means that exercise can help make it stronger, even if just for everyday activities!

Exercises to workout the pectoralis major

  • Bench Press: Lie on the bench press machine so your feet are flat and back is against the pad. Grab hold of the handles and push them above your chest, then lower down to start position again. Repeat!
  • Fly: Lie down on a bench press bench with your feet flat and back against the pad. Take hold of the handles of the dumbbells, then push up above chest level before lowering them back to where you started. Do this over again as many times as needed.
  • Push-ups: This exercise is performed by lying on the ground with your feet flat on the ground and your hands placed just outside of shoulder-width. Press your body up off the ground and return to the starting position. Repeat.

Conclusion on Top 5 Most Used Muscles in the Human Body

The human body contains more than 600 muscles that all work together to help us move. Some of these are used constantly and play a key role in our movements, while other may not be utilized as much.

To keep ourselves fit and healthy, we can perform certain exercises specifically designed for strengthening the regularly-used muscles . Doing this on a regular basis will benefit our bodies greatly!

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