Skeletal muscles come in many different sizes and shapes to allow them to do many types of jobs. The biggest and most powerful muscles are in your back, near your spine. These muscles help keep you upright and standing tall. They also give your body the power it needs to lift and push things. So the next time you need to push that dog of yours into the car for his vet appointment, say thank you to your back muscles!

Muscles in your neck and the top part of your back aren't as large, but they are capable of some pretty amazing things: try rotating your head around, back and forth, and up and down to feel the power of the muscles in your neck. These muscles also hold your head high.

Experiment to see what you can do with other muscles in your body - how many directions can you move them in? Try doing an imaginary hula-hoop to see how the muscles around your abdomen and hips work. Sit cross-legged to check out how the biggest muscles in your legs pull on the bones to get them in the right position.

And most importantly, don't forget to find a mirror and check out the muscles in your face! The muscles in people's faces don't all attach directly to bone like they do in the rest of the body; instead, many of them attach under the skin. (The same goes for some other primates like gorillas, monkeys, and chimpanzees.) This allows you to contract your facial muscles just a tiny bit and make dozens of different kinds of faces. Even the smallest movement can turn a smile into a frown. You can raise your eyebrow to look surprised, or wiggle your nose. And while you're looking at your face, don't pass over your tongue - a muscle that's only attached at one end! Your tongue is actually made of a group of muscles that work together to allow you to talk and help you chew food. Stick out your tongue and wiggle it to see the power of those strong, flexible tongue muscles. Say aaah!

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