# How many muscles in human body? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 8, 2002, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-muscles-in-human-body/141247 "2002-12-08T03:19:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Dandmb50](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ba9def/32.png) [@Dandmb50](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dandmb50)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2002, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-muscles-in-human-body/141247/1 "2002-12-08T03:19:47Z")
We are trying to find out how many muscles in a human body. We are disputing the exact amount. I say there are 346 and my friend says 250. And he posted the original question and yes has a problem with the muscle that creates caps. Although I may have all those muscles whichever it might be they are not all developed to their potential… Can someone put this probing question to rest? :o ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2002, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-muscles-in-human-body/141247/2 "2002-12-08T03:21:24Z")
Only if you promise not to double post. It’s severely frowned upon. ---
**Author:** ![Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/50afbb/32.png) [@Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duck_Duck_Goose)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2002, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-muscles-in-human-body/141247/3 "2002-12-08T03:23:43Z")
Google, “number muscles human body”. [http://library.christchurch.org.nz/Childrens/FactSheets/AnimalsandHumans.asp](http://library.christchurch.org.nz/Childrens/FactSheets/AnimalsandHumans.asp) > [@](#): > > How many muscles in the human body? > 639 > > source: World Book Encyclopedia ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2002, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-muscles-in-human-body/141247/4 "2002-12-08T03:32:33Z")
[muscle list](http://www.meddean.luc.edu/lumen/MedEd/GrossAnatomy/dissector/mml/mmlalpha.htm). 221 listed here, but that’s not the total number thanks to bilateral symmetry. All the muscles between the ribs are listed once, when actually there are 12 of those. So **DDG** may well be right with her number. The reason for the odd number is, of course due to the heart, which is a muscle, and generally the only one of which there is one only. ---
**Author:** ![Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/50afbb/32.png) [@Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duck_Duck_Goose)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2002, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-muscles-in-human-body/141247/5 "2002-12-08T03:35:05Z")
Unless one is heartless, in which case the correct number would be 638. But if the heartless person had a love muscle, then it would be back up to 639. _snerk_ ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2002, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-muscles-in-human-body/141247/6 "2002-12-08T03:35:06Z")
Sorry, my mis-typing. That should be 22 intercostals. ---
**Author:** ![Koxinga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4af34b/32.png) [@Koxinga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Koxinga)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2002, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-muscles-in-human-body/141247/7 "2002-12-08T04:08:03Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Qadgop the Mercotan \* > The reason for the odd number is, of course due to the heart, which is a muscle, and generally the only one of which there is one only. I thought the tongue was a muscle. **DDG** , you are a _saucy_ one, aren’t you? ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2002, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-muscles-in-human-body/141247/8 "2002-12-08T05:50:53Z")
> [@](#): > > And he posted the original question and yes has a problem with the muscle that creates caps. Your friend should not be using your username to post here. We have a strict one-person-one-username rule. He is welcome to register under his own name. If you two are using the same computer, you will have to log out to let him register. There is no need to have two threads on the same subject, so I’ll close [the other one](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=148807) bibliophage moderator GQ ---
**Author:** ![dauerbach](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c2a13f/32.png) [@dauerbach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dauerbach)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2002, 6:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-muscles-in-human-body/141247/9 "2002-12-08T06:16:00Z")
Yes the tongue is made up of a number of muscles, but they are paired. Certain types of nerve or brain damage will cause the tongue to deviate right or left because of paralysis of half of the pairs.