Muscle Facts for Kids

A Picture of Human Muscles
  • Name: Muscle (soft tissue)
  • Location: Throughout the human body
  • System: The muscular system
  • Purpose: Movement, support, involuntary actions and more
  • TA ID: A04.0.00.000
  • FMA ID: 30316

24 Muscle Facts for Kids

  1. A muscle is soft tissue found throughout the human body.
  2. The human body has three different types of muscles.
  3. The three different types of muscle are cardiac muscles, skeletal muscles and smooth muscles.
  4. The cardiac muscles are muscle tissue found in the walls of the human heart.
  5. The skeletal muscles are generally attached to bones, like the bicep muscle or the calf muscle.
  6. The smooth muscles are found in organs that are hallow, like the stomach and bladder.
  7. The human body has over 600 named muscles, but some people say there is over 800 muscles in the human body.
  8. The largest muscle in the human body is the gluteus maximus, located in the human buttocks.
  9. The smallest muscle in the human body is the stapedius, located in the human ear.
  10. Arguably the strongest muscles in the human body are the masseters, which are muscles in your jaw.
  11. Muscle memory is when muscles learn to do a repetitive task. The best example of muscle memory is the ability to ride a bike. No one is born with the ability to ride a bike, but after practice and repetition you’re able to ride a bike. In fact, if you learn to ride a bike and wait 20 years before trying again, you’ll still be able to do it.
  12. Human males typically, but not always, have more muscle mass than females.
  13. As the human body ages, the body’s overall muscle mass starts to decrease.
  14. The average muscle mass of a woman between the ages of 18 and 35 is 31-33% of their weight.
  15. The average muscle mass of a man between the ages of 18 and 35 is 40-44% of their body weight.
  16. The average muscle mass of a woman between the ages of 36 and 55 is 29-31% of their weight.
  17. The average muscle mass of a man between the ages of 36 and 55 is 36-40% of their body weight.
  18. The average muscle mass of a woman between the ages of 56 and 75 is 27-30% of their weight.
  19. The average muscle mass of a man between the ages of 56 and 75 is 32-35% of their body weight.
  20. The average muscle mass of a woman between the ages of 76 and 85 is less than 26% of their body weight.
  21. The average muscle mass of a man between the ages of 76 and 85 is less than 31% of their body weight.
  22. You can maintain muscle mass by eating healthy, exercising and staying active.
  23. You can increase your muscle mass through strength training and eating more protein.
  24. A common myth is one pound of muscle weighs more than one pound of fat. One pound is one pound, regardless of what the substance is. However, muscle is far denser than fat, so it takes up less space under the skin. Therefore, someone who is 300 pounds and obese will be much larger than someone who is 300 pounds and is a bodybuilder.

Additional Resources on Human Muscles