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Let’s talk about wedgies for a moment.
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Why do I always seem to have one? Is my ass shrinking leaving my underoos with too much wiggle room?
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Or do my cheeks have their own gravitational pull leaving my underoos merciless under its cosmic power?
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P.S. I can haz lemon drop?
In my last post I asked you dear readers what you thought was the strongest muscle in the body is. Many of you agreed that the tongue is the strongest. If this were a contest I’d be hanging onto the prize because due to a technicality I’m afraid you all lost. (Though to be honest, you’re not alone. The tongue is possibly the most common answer for this question.)
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So what is the strongest muscle in the body? Well that’s debatable. There are various reasons why this is so. One being that there are different ways to measure strength: Absolute strength (maximum force exerted), dynamic strength (repeated motions), elastic strength (exert force quickly), and strength endurance (withstand fatigue).
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Another reason being that muscles do not work alone. It’s not realistic to isolate the rectus femoris and compare it to others because other quadricep muscles contract with it. I suppose one could argue that the quadricep group is the strongest, but then you wouldn’t be singling out one muscle and claiming it as the strongest, but an entire group. That opens up a whole new category.
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There are also different biomechanical factors that one would need to consider as well. Muscle length and the points on the bones where muscles attach (origins and insertions) also play a role in a muscle’s strength.
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The statement that the tongue is the strongest muscle in the body, while obviously a crowd favorite, isn’t so. It is difficult to find any definition of strength that would make this true. Also, note that the tongue is made up of 16 muscles, not one. This puts it into that “other” category along with the quadriceps.
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Strength usually refers to the ability to exert a force on an external object. By this definition, the masseter (chewing muscle) would be the strongest. It can close the teeth with a force as great as 55 pounds on the incisors and 200 pounds on the molars.
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If strength refers to the force exerted by the muscle itself, then by definition the quadriceps femoris (not to be confused with the quadricep group) or the gluteus maximus would be the strongest. Did you know that the gluteus maximus is referred to as the anti-gravity muscle? It is quite powerful because one of its jobs is to keep our trunk erect.
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Pound for pound, the myometrial layer of the uterus may be the strongest muscle in the human body. Short muscles are stronger than long muscles. This muscle is one of the many that assists during labor.
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The external muscles of the eye are frequently considered the strongest muscle for the job they have to do. They are constantly moving to readjust the position of the eye. It is said that in an hour of reading, the eyes making nearly 10,000 coordinated movements.
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The heart is considered the hardest working muscle. Daily it pumps at least 2,500 gallons of blood. It also has the ability to beat over 3 billion times in a person’s life. 3 billion doesn’t seem like that much when spread out over 80+ years does it?
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Some other fun facts:
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Remember last week how I was all “Grr…the gym is my bitch!” and “I eat bicep curls for breakfast?” Yeaaah…that was a very short-lived victory. My trainer, Kinga, thought last week was a bit too easy and decided to intensify things this week.
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We usually fit about 3 circuits into an hour. This week’s circuit involved step ups on a giant block, rows, squats, something I like to call the lats killer, and the chicken wing (works the deltoids. Then we worked on my adductors, but not before lifting 95lbs with my calves. Then we moved onto what I like to call super lunges (see picture below). Those were actually pretty fun. Onto the abs! I did a mixture of crunches that worked the upper, lower and obliques. I love ab work. So we did all of this and then repeat, each time increasing the amount of weight and upping the rep from 10 to 12 or 15.
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Some of you may be thinking, “Man Jenn, you rule.” But please hold all words of encouragement and praise until the end of this post.
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During our last abs set, she mixed things up a bit so I could focus on my core. I have an arch in my lower back, meaning my pelvis tilts forward a bit leaving me with LB pain. We’re trying to tighten my glutes and abs so I balance out the two and minimize the curve.
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She breaks out my arch nemesis, the exercise ball ::cue dramatic music:: She kneels down and rests her wrists on the ball. She then rolls forward, balancing on the ball, and then pulls herself back up using only her abs, ass and LB. Seems easy enough right? Well, yes, it is, assuming you have a good relationship with balance. As we’ve seen in the past, the exercise ball and I do not get along well. Let me demonstrate below with pictures.
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I have to say that although I sometimes make an ass out of myself at the gym, I’m really loving it. I love being pushed and challenged each week. I also love that Kinga doesn’t just use weight machines. She shows me a variety of workouts that I can do at home that mimic the machine. She also provides a great variety of the same workout so I don’t get bored doing the same old crunch day after day.
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I don’t know what I’ll do when our sessions are up! I only have 4 left 
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Question: If you had to guess, what would you say is the strongest muscle in the body?
Dear Miley Cyrus,
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How old are you? I heard your new song 7 Things on the radio today and I’m just a little confused. In the song you sing about the 7 things you hate about some guy because he made you love him. Why am I confused? Well, you’re 15. I’m not quite sure what you know about love. I’m not trying to say that young people don’t know what love is, but, well actually yes that is what I’m trying to say. I don’t believe that you know what love is.
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Now I understand this is just a song and lets face it, we’ve all made some bad decisions in our life time (Hello Vanity Fair photo shoot) so maybe the message in this song is just a misunderstanding on my part. I just find it very hard to believe that you loved this guy. I realize that your music isn’t really speaking to my generation (Is my generation and her generation separate or are we smashed together? Hell…what generation am I?!) Anyway, I realize that your following rests in the 15 and under range, so why should I try to relate to your music?
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It just bothers me. I don’t even have a good reason. Stop singing about love when you know nothing about it. You’re making me mad and I don’t like it. Quit it.
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Sincerely,
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Your #1 fan
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P.S. Act your age! (Like I should really be offering advice on this subject!)
If you’ve been following along at Must Love Geek, I am reviewing the Nokia N95 for WOM World. I’ve already posted my first impressions about the phone.
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After playing with it for another week, I’m developing a love/hate relationship with the phone. While it’s a pretty bad ass piece of technology, it’s just not the phone for me. Read about my second impressions and why this phone may or may not be for you.
If I Never See Your Face Again by Maroon 5 and Rihanna makes me want to lick the radio.
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Yeeeaaaah….not really happy about this sunburn anymore.
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Drinking orange juice with pulp makes me feel like I’m drinking orange juice with sperm. Ew.
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I smell like burning.
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I’m obviously red. Why do people ask if I got too much sun? No, I got a little marker happy this weekend and decided to color my shoulders red.
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Why is “Lollipop” by Lil Wayne playing on our office radio? It doesn’t seem very appropriate.
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Okay seriously. Stop telling me to wear sunscreen. You’re not my mom and I did. I used it often. I’m just lucky enough to have skin that defies sunscreen and burns anyway.
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::licks radio::
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Is anyone else sick of “Bleeding Love?” It’s on way too much. I think the radio is mocking me and my relationship mucky-muck.
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It would be nice to spend one summer without having ridiculous tan lines.
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I really like this picture haha!
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Ask me where Djibouti is! Do it! (In my pants! - thank you Jen Lancaster)
Guess who has a sun burn and couldn’t be happier?
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This chick!
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I spent my entire weekend outside enjoying the beautiful weather Chicago provided. Of course, tomorrow it will be in the 50s and I’ll be regretting this sunburn like no other. I might even swear a bit as I pull a bra strap over my shoulder. Sure this is only the third burn of the year - it’s not even summer yet! It won’t be the last and I’m okay with that. At least it’s not snowing (sorry folks who dig the white stuff, I can’t do it!)
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How was your weekend? Did you scrape paint off a garage door? Finish two books? Play Uno twice, and win twice, with your family? Did you eat too much at a BBQ? Have a wee bit too much to drink? Get woken up by an awesome thunder storm? Have a dream in which you were best friends with the chick from “That’s So Raven?” Wash your car? I did.
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Why am I making that face? I ask you why not?
I only have a couple of favorites from this week’s batch of secrets. Be sure to check out the rest at PostSecret.
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Nothing here folks - move along!
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I guest blogged over at Life In Pink.
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Check out my post: How my mom turned me into a thief
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Oh…and I’m also at Parlez-vous moo? today.
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Check out my other post: Life Lesson #48
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I forgot to add “giving the evil eye to happy couples.” Cause I do that. A lot.
