Logan Steele
When it comes to working out, it is important to understand the difference between primary and secondary muscles. There are over 600 muscles in the human body that help us move, breathe, and survive. During strength training, muscles can be isolated to train a single muscle group, or multiple muscle groups can be trained at once. Primary muscles are the muscles that control the movement being performed and are targeted during the exercise. Secondary muscles are those that assist the primary muscles in completing the exercise. For example, when performing a squat, the primary muscles exercised are the quadriceps, while the secondary muscles are the glutes, hamstrings, and calves. Understanding the difference between primary and secondary muscles can help individuals train certain muscle groups more effectively and avoid over-training.
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What You'll Learn
Primary vs secondary muscles
There are over 600 muscles in the human body, which help us do everything from moving our bodies to breathing and keeping us alive. When it comes to working out, it's important to understand the difference between primary and secondary muscles.
Primary and secondary muscles are terms used to describe the muscles recruited during a particular exercise. A primary muscle is the muscle that controls the movement being performed. It is the muscle that is targeted during the exercise and does most of the work. For example, when performing a barbell curl, the biceps are the primary mover as they are responsible for curling the bar. Similarly, when performing a bench press, the chest is the primary mover as it is responsible for pressing the bar off the chest.
Secondary muscles, on the other hand, assist the primary muscles in completing an exercise. They are the muscle groups that share the load with the primary mover. In the case of a bench press, the anterior deltoid is the secondary mover as it assists the chest in moving the bar off the torso. During a squat, the primary muscles exercised are the quadriceps (thigh muscles), while the secondary muscles are the glutes, hamstrings, and calves.
It's important to note that the terms primary and secondary do not indicate the level of effort or the amount of work done by the muscles. Instead, they refer to the role of the muscles in a particular exercise. The secondary mover may be just as active as the primary mover, but it is recruited less or generates less strength due to its smaller size.
Understanding the difference between primary and secondary muscles is crucial for designing effective workout routines. Compound exercises, such as the deadlift, squat, and bench press, involve multiple muscle groups working together, allowing for greater functional strength and athletic performance. Isolation exercises, on the other hand, target a single muscle group, allowing for more focused development. By carefully pairing muscle groups and varying exercise types, individuals can avoid over-training and potential injuries while achieving their fitness goals.
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Compound exercises
A compound exercise can be performed with any training equipment, including free weights like barbells and dumbbells, machines, cables, and your body weight. For example, pull-ups are a compound exercise that involves multiple joints and movement patterns, including the elbow and shoulder, while bicep curls are an isolation exercise that only involves the elbow joint.
- Squat: This multi-joint movement works the quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, and lower back.
- Barbell deadlift: Targets the forearms, lats, glutes, hamstrings, core, and upper, mid, and lower back.
- Front lunge with a twist and reverse lunge to balance with a bicep curl.
- Dumbbell shoulder press on an exercise ball: Targets the abs, deltoids, pectoralis major, and triceps brachii.
- Plank and high plank T-spine rotation: Great for core strength, which is essential for holding the upper and lower body together.
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Isolation exercises
For example, in a barbell curl, the biceps are the primary mover as they are responsible for curling the bar. The muscles used to grip the bar, stabilize the bar and torso, and keep the body balanced are the secondary movers. Similarly, in a bench press, the chest is the primary mover, and the anterior deltoid is the secondary mover.
- Quadriceps: Leg extension, goblet squat, front squat, and split squat.
- Hamstrings: Leg curl, Romanian deadlift, glute ham raise, and single-leg deadlift.
- Back: Pull-ups, dumbbell shrugs, and standing curls.
- Chest: Various horizontal, vertical, and horizontal pulling exercises.
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Agonist and antagonist muscles
The human body is made up of several pairs of agonist and antagonist muscles, which work together to control their range of motion and how effectively they function. The agonist muscle is the tensed or "strained" muscle during an action, acting as the primary mover. It works alongside the antagonist muscle to create contractions and extensions.
In any pair, the agonist muscle contracts, while the antagonist muscle relaxes or lengthens, allowing for the free movement of our joints and muscles. For example, when we flex our arm (with a bicep curl, for instance), the bicep is contracted, making it the agonist muscle, and the tricep is relaxed, and therefore the antagonist muscle in this scenario. When we bring our arm back to a natural position, our bicep is relaxed (the antagonist muscle), and the tricep is contracted, and is referred to as the agonist muscle.
The agonist is the relationship between a secondary mover and primary mover, with the two working together towards a common goal. The antagonist is any muscle that performs a task opposite to the agonists. The triceps are the antagonist to the bicep and vice versa. Every joint will have at least two muscles that work against one another, for example, the quads to the hamstrings, the biceps to the triceps, and so on.
In a football game, when a footballer prepares to kick a football, their hamstrings contract to flex the knee while the quadriceps lengthen to allow the movement. The hamstrings are the agonist and the quadriceps are the antagonist. In the contact and recovery phase, the roles reverse: the quadriceps contract to extend the knee while the hamstrings lengthen to allow the movement.
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Types of muscle tissue
While the terms "primary muscle" and "secondary muscle" are often used in the context of strength training, they are not types of muscle tissue. Instead, they refer to the muscles that are primarily or secondarily targeted during an exercise. For example, in a barbell curl, the biceps are the primary mover, while the muscles that help grip and stabilize the bar are secondary movers.
There are three types of muscle tissue in the human body: skeletal, cardiac, and smooth muscle. Skeletal muscles are attached to the skeleton and are under voluntary control. They support your weight and move you. Cardiac muscle, also called myocardium, makes up the middle layers of the heart. It is involuntary and striated, or striped in appearance. Smooth muscle is found in the walls of hollow visceral organs like the liver, pancreas, and intestines. It is also involuntary and appears spindle-shaped.
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Frequently asked questions
Secondary muscles are the muscle groups that assist the primary muscles in completing an exercise.
Primary muscles are the muscles that control the movement performed during an exercise. They are the muscles that are targeted during the exercise.
Primary muscles are the muscles that are primarily responsible for performing a particular movement or exercise. Secondary muscles, on the other hand, assist the primary muscles and share the load with them.
During a bench press, the chest is the primary mover as it is responsible for pressing the bar off the chest. The anterior deltoid is the secondary mover as it assists the chest in moving the bar.
Secondary muscles help in handling heavier weights and gaining greater strength. They also contribute to a full-body workout, targeting multiple muscle groups in a single session, which leads to a more efficient and effective training session.
