# Strongest muscle? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\ **Created:** [December 20, 1999, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strongest-muscle/1386 "1999-12-20T15:50:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Lucretia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/13edae/32.png) [@Lucretia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucretia)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 1999, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strongest-muscle/1386/1 "1999-12-20T15:50:00Z")
From various nursing courses, it had been my understanding that the strongest muscle in the human body was the uterus. I’ve read accounts of doctors having their fingers broken when they chose their exam moments less than wisely. * * * “50+ years of Golden Dominance” ---
**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 1999, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strongest-muscle/1386/2 "1999-12-20T17:42:00Z")
This thread related to the following mailbag article: [http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mmuscle.html](http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mmuscle.html) By the way, I must congratulate Jill and Doug on their restraint. The questioner asked whether the strongest muscle might not be the “tongue” or the “buttocks”, and not ONCE did either Jill or Doug mention felching. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![AWB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bb73d2/32.png) [@AWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AWB)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 1999, 6:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strongest-muscle/1386/3 "1999-12-21T06:14:00Z")
_Doug: Another muscle often mentioned is the tongue, although I don’t know why–it works almost constantly (at least in some people), but generates little force and **does fatigue. Just try sticking it out and wiggling it up and down for five minutes. You’ll see.** _ Please tell my wife this. 😉 * * * I looked in the mirror today/My eyes just didn’t seem so bright I’ve lost a few more hairs/I think I’m going bald - Rush ---
**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 1999, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strongest-muscle/1386/4 "1999-12-20T23:15:00Z")
Lucretia wrote: > [@](#): > > it had been my understanding that the strongest muscle in the human body was the uterus. As a single muscular structure goes, yes. But the uterine muscles (or “myometrial layer”, as we medical terminology show-offs prefer to call it) are **huge**. They’re probably average when it comes to pound-for-pound comparisons. ---
**Author:** ![JillGat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9fc29f/32.png) [@JillGat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JillGat)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 1999, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strongest-muscle/1386/5 "1999-12-21T01:02:00Z")
[[By the way, I must congratulate Jill and Doug on their restraint. The questioner asked whether the strongest muscle might not be the “tongue” or the “buttocks”, and not ONCE did either Jill or Doug mention felching.]] Come now. Jill (well, not _right_now) ---
**Author:** ![Studi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@Studi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Studi)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 1999, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strongest-muscle/1386/6 "1999-12-29T04:20:00Z")
The strongest muscles in the human body are the jaw muscles. Sure a uterus may break a finger, but the jaw muscles will chew that sucker clean off. * * * “If first you don’t succeed, try, try again…then quit, there’s no use in being a damn fool about it.” - W. C. Fields ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 1999, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strongest-muscle/1386/7 "1999-12-29T13:03:00Z")
Hmm. I think it’s fairly clear from some of the posters in some of the other forums here, that the strongest (most inflexible, least movable) muscle in many people is the large grey one between their ears. ---
**Author:** ![Jinx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Jinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jinx)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2000, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strongest-muscle/1386/8 "2000-01-05T14:29:00Z")
Hmm…I’ve always heard that the heart was the strongest muscle - it never rests, etc. With many statements such as these, there’s usually some underlying qualifications which are readily forgotten. Also, I thought the glutius maximus was simply the largest muscle - not necessairly the strongest. Of course, as for size, there may be a trick. As is known, the uterus can expand dramatcially! (The good ole glutius expands by just building up fatty tissue!) Just throwing in a wrench… ---
**Author:** ![Lucretia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/13edae/32.png) [@Lucretia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucretia)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2000, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strongest-muscle/1386/9 "2000-01-05T15:40:00Z")
No, no, I’m building _muscle_ back there - really!