Athena Vale
When it comes to building strength, it's important to focus on different muscle groups to improve flexibility and endurance, as well as boost your heart rate. Some of the key muscle groups to focus on include the legs, glutes, pecs, abs, biceps, triceps, calves, and shoulders. Training methods vary, but it's generally recommended to focus on one specific muscle group during each training session to activate multiple muscle fibres and ensure enough energy for the rest of the workout. Additionally, attentional focus during training can impact muscle growth, with internal focus involving thinking about the target muscle and external focus involving attention outside the body.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Number of muscle groups to focus on | 1 |
| Muscle groups to focus on | Chest, Legs, Back, Biceps, Triceps, Hamstrings, Calves, Abs, Shoulders |
| Types of attentional focus | Internal, External |
| Examples of internal focus | "Squeeze your glutes on the way up", "Squeeze the muscle" |
| Examples of external focus | "Drive the floor away from your body", "Get the weight up" |
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What You'll Learn
Upper body, lower body, core, and legs
When deciding which muscles to focus on, it's important to consider your fitness goals and body composition. It's also good to keep in mind that many exercises work on multiple muscle groups, and some muscles are stabilisers that help with particular movements.
Upper body
The upper body includes the arms, shoulders, and back. The biceps are in the front of the upper arms, and the triceps are in the back. The brachialis and brachioradialis muscles are beneath the biceps and help the body flex at the elbow. The forearm is another muscle group in the upper body. The shoulders include the anterior deltoid (front), lateral deltoid (side), and posterior deltoid (back). The trapezius, rhomboid major, and latissimus dorsi are back muscles.
Lower body
The lower body includes the glutes, hamstrings, quadriceps, and calves. The gluteus maximus is the largest muscle in the upper leg and is located in the buttocks. It controls motion at the pelvis and is important for posture. The gluteus medius is located above the gluteus maximus and helps with the stability of the pelvis and hip abduction. The hamstrings are in the back of the upper leg, and the quadriceps are in the front. The calves are in the lower leg, and the gastrocnemius and soleus are calf muscles.
Core
The core includes the traverse abdominis, internal and external obliques, rectus abdominis, multifidus, and erector spinae. The traverse abdominis wraps around the front and side of the trunk and stabilises the pelvis. The internal and external obliques extend diagonally from the ribs to the pelvis and allow the trunk to rotate. The rectus abdominis is the "six-pack" muscle. The multifidus is a back muscle that supports the spine, and the erector spinae helps the body extend the trunk and stand up straight.
Legs
The leg muscles can be divided into the upper leg and lower leg. The upper leg contains large skeletal muscles that generate force and are important for posture and maintaining pelvis stability. The lower leg is responsible for the stability of the ankle and foot. The tibialis anterior is a muscle in the lower leg that raises the front of the foot upward and controls the lowering of the foot during walking.
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Chest, back, and arms
Chest
The chest includes some of the most prominent muscles in the body, which are constantly at work. The pectoralis major, the main muscle associated with the chest, is the largest and strongest of the chest muscles. It is responsible for bringing the arms closer to the body, moving the shoulders, and rotating the arms. The pectoralis minor, situated beneath the pectoralis major, assists in key functions. The serratus anterior is another chest muscle that pulls the shoulder blade around the ribs to prevent scapular winging, providing stability to the shoulder during pushing movements.
To strengthen the chest muscles, exercises such as push-ups, bench presses, and chest presses can be performed. Push-ups are a fantastic chest strengthener, but it is important to begin with a modified version to avoid incorrect form and potential injury. Bench presses and chest presses can help increase the strength and definition of the chest muscles.
Back
The back muscles support the torso, enable movement, and assist with breathing. They are woven layers of groups that run from the neck to just above the hips. Back muscles are divided into three groups: superficial (extrinsic), intermediate, and intrinsic (deep). Superficial back muscles are closest to the surface, just under the skin, and help move the shoulders. The latissimus dorsi, often shortened to lats, are the largest muscles in the upper half of the body. They start below the shoulder blades and extend to the spine in the lower back.
To strengthen the back, exercises such as deadlifts, lat pulldowns, dumbbell rows, and superman can be performed. Additionally, cable rows and Smith machine exercises target the latissimus dorsi, rhomboids, trapezius, and posterior deltoids.
Arms
The upper arm and forearm muscles enable movement in the arms, hands, fingers, and thumbs. The biceps brachii is a superficial muscle in the middle of the upper arm. The brachialis is a deep muscle that sits underneath the biceps, and the coracobrachialis is another deep muscle that connects to the scapula (shoulder blade). The triceps brachii is located on the back of the arm, just above the elbow, and is also close to the skin's surface.
To target the arm muscles, exercises such as hammer curls, overhead triceps extensions, chair dips, and forearm exercises can be performed. Bicep curls are also a common exercise to target the bicep muscles.
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Push vs pull movements
A push-pull workout is a style of training that targets muscles based on whether they involve a pushing or pulling action. Push-pull training allows you to exercise all the major muscle groups a maximum of twice weekly, assuming you train 6 days a week with 1 day off. This training style is beneficial as it allows your muscles the recommended 48 to 72 hours of rest to fully recover before training again.
Push exercises involve the use of your body's "push" muscles, which push weight away from the body. This includes the chest, shoulders, triceps, and legs. Examples of push exercises include:
- Push-ups
- Bench press
- Overhead press
- Tricep dips
- Lateral raises
- Shoulder press
- Barbell rows
Pull exercises, on the other hand, engage your body's "pull" muscles, which are responsible for contracting weight towards the body. This includes the back, biceps, and forearms. Examples of pull exercises include:
- Pull-ups
- Bent-over rows
- Lat pulldowns
- Deadlifts
Both push and pull exercises are important for a balanced workout routine as they target different muscle groups and movements that contribute to overall strength and fitness. Incorporating both types of exercises into your weekly workout regimen can help prevent muscle imbalances and improve overall functional strength.
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Multi-joint exercises (MJE)
MJE are great for developing functional fitness and full-body coordination as they teach your muscles to work together as an integrated unit. They also increase kinesthetic awareness and improve your overall strength and conditioning. Additionally, MJE can burn more calories than single-joint exercises since they recruit more muscles, requiring your whole body to work harder. This can be beneficial if one of your goals is to change your body composition.
However, it is worth noting that single-joint exercises, also known as isolation exercises, have their advantages too. They are useful when you want to target a specific muscle group and correct imbalances between muscle groups. For example, if your triceps muscles are lagging in growth compared to your biceps, you can do bicep curls, an isolation exercise, to focus on that specific muscle group.
The research on whether MJE or single-joint exercises are better for strength training is mixed. Some studies suggest that single-joint exercises may promote greater muscle hypertrophy because they are easier to learn and have less reliance on neural factors. On the other hand, some authors recommend MJE for maximizing muscle strength as they enable a greater magnitude of weight to be lifted. However, one study found that both types of exercises were equally effective in increasing muscle strength and size in untrained men.
Ultimately, the selection between MJE and single-joint exercises should consider individual factors such as equipment availability, movement specificity, individual preferences, and time commitment. Additionally, it is recommended to focus on proper form and include a warm-up before performing MJE to enhance flexibility and reduce the risk of injury.
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Isolation exercises
They are also beneficial for athletes who overuse certain muscles in their sport, leading to underdevelopment or weakness in other areas. Bodybuilders can also use isolation exercises to target specific muscle groups. These exercises allow for controlled attention over exactly which muscles are being worked on and built, which is what makes them so useful for bodybuilding and advanced strength training.
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Frequently asked questions
There are three types of muscles in your body: cardiac, smooth, and skeletal. The skeletal muscles are the ones that people usually focus on when working out.
For the chest, you can do bench presses, push-ups, chest presses, and weighted dips. For the back, try deadlifts, lat pulldowns, dumbbell rows, and superman exercises. For the arms, you can do hammer curls, overhead triceps extensions, chair dips, and forearm exercises.
There is no right or wrong way to create a strength training routine. You can pair certain muscle groups together to make your workouts more efficient. For example, you can train chest and triceps together, or biceps and chest. You can also focus on upper body, lower body, core, and legs. Consult a certified personal trainer to develop a tailored training plan for your needs.
