Because there are so many skeletal muscles in your body, we can't list them all here. But here are a few of the major ones:
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In each of your shoulders is a deltoid (say: del -toyd) muscle. Your deltoid muscles help you move your shoulders every which way — from swinging a softball bat to shrugging your shoulders when you're not sure of an answer.
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The pectoralis (say: pek-tuh- rah -lus) muscles are found on each side of your upper chest. These are usually called pectorals (say: pek -tuh-rulz), or pecs, for short. When many boys hit puberty, their pectoral muscles become larger. Many athletes and bodybuilders have large pecs, too.
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Below these pectorals, down under your ribcage, are your rectus abdominus (say: rek -tus ab- dahm -uh-nus) muscles, or abdominals (say: ab- dahm -uh-nulz). They're often called abs for short.
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When you make a muscle in your arm, you tense your biceps (say: bye -seps) muscle. When you contract your biceps muscle, you can actually see it push up under your skin.
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Your quadriceps (say: kwad -ruh-seps), or quads, are the muscles on the front of your thighs. Many people who run, bike, or play sports develop large, strong quads.
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And when it's time for you to take a seat? You'll be sitting on your gluteus maximus (say: gloot -ee-us mak -suh-mus), the muscle that's under the skin and fat in your behind!
Reviewed by: Steven Dowshen, MD
Date reviewed: August 2009
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