Which is the strongest muscle? Some people say it’s your glutes. Others say it’s your jaw. Still others say it’s your tongue. The muscle that wins this battle all depends on your definition of “strongest,” but we can definitely say which one loses. The tongue is not the strongest muscle in the body. To begin with, it’s not even one muscle — it’s eight.
The four muscles in the tongue that don’t attach to anything are called the intrinsic muscles. Each one travels in a different direction, which helps your tongue to perform such impressive gymnastics as tying a cherry stem or licking the beaters clean. Four more muscles anchor your tongue to your head: One attaches to the base of the skull, another to the throat, one on the lower jaw, and another stretches up to the roof of your mouth. Each of these muscles is bilateral, which means they’re partially separated by a center line that helps them work on both sides of your mouth.
