Know Your Muscles
To make the most of your resistance training, you need to know the basics of what the major muscle groups are and what they do.
In training, we usually categorize the muscles according to their location on the body. Lower Body refers to the muscles in the legs, Upper Body refers to the muscles in the arms and back, and Core usually means the muscles in your torso (such as your abdominals and obliques).
Check out the charts below to see the major muscle groups in the body.
As you perform your Resistance Training workouts, try to learn the muscles that you are using and see if you can name them.
Knowing which muscles should be used and having a good connection to them will help you to make the most out of your training. As you get more advanced in your training, you’ll learn to recognize what if feels like for the different muscles to be engaged. Learn more about the major muscle groups below.
Lower Body Muscles:
Quadriceps: The Quadriceps muscles run along the front of your thighs and are responsible for knee extension (straightening out your leg). Squats and Step Ups are great exercises for strengthening this muscle group.
Hamstrings: The Hamstrings are the muscles on the back of your thighs, and are responsible for knee flexion (being your knee). Squats and Step Ups are good for strengthening the Hamstrings.
Calves: The Calves muscles (soleus and gastrocnemius) run along the back of your leg from your ankle to your knee. They allow you to point your foot (plantar flexion). Step Ups and Calf Raises are great for strengthening the Calves.
Glutes: The Glutes are an important group of muscles in your hips and bottom. The Gluteus Maximus run along your bottom, and are responsible for keeping your body upright from the hips. They also bring your leg backwards. The Gluteus Medius and Minimus are located in the sides of your hips, and are responsible for lifting your leg to the side and rotating your leg from the hip. Many exercises use this muscle group, for example Squats, Step Ups, and Deadlifts.
Upper Body Muscles:
Pecs: The Pecs (Pectoralis major and Pectoralis minor muscles) are your chest muscles. They bring your shoulders forward, and are worked during Planks, Pushups, and Chest Presses. For most people, this muscle group is tight from sitting at a desk or computer all day. It's important to stretch this muscle group for good posture in addition to strength training (we'll cover Mobility training towards the end of the week).
Deltoids: The Deltoids are your shoulder muscles that bring your arms up and out away from your body. These muscles assist during many upper body exercises like Planks, Pushups, and Chest Presses. You can strengthen them by performing Overhead Presses or Side Raises.
Biceps: The Biceps brachii are the muscles running along the upper interior part of your arm. They are responsible for elbow flexion--bending the elbow. They assist during many exercises, such as the Lat Pull Downs and Lat Rows. You can focus on them with Biceps Curls.
Triceps: The Triceps brachii muscles run along the back of your upper arm, and they activate for elbow extension (straightening out the elbow). They are helpers in exercises like Planks, Pushups, and Chest Presses, and you can focus work on them with the Triceps Dips and Triceps Kickback Exercises.
Upper Body (Back) Muscles
Lats: The Lats (or Latissimus Dorsi) muscles are the large muscles that run under your armpits and insert in the back. They activate to bring your arms close to your body, and are assisted by the Teres Major muscle. Lat Pull Downs, Lat Rows, and Pullovers are all great exercises for the Lats.
Traps: The Traps (or Trapezius) muscles are a triangle-shaped muscle-group in your upper back and neck. They move your shoulders up and backwards, and can be targeted with exercises like Shrugs and Upright Rows.
Teres Minor & Infraspinatus: These external shoulder rotator muscles are important muscles for the stability of your shoulders. They are part of a larger group of rotator muscles (which include the supraspinatus and subscapularis) that work together to rotate your shoulders and keep them in healthy alignment while you exercise. We work these muscles with exercises like the Bent Arm Pull-Aparts and other External Shoulder Rotation exercises (with bands, cables, or weights).
Erector Spinae (not depicted in the diagram above): Your Erector Spinae muscles run alongside your spine and are responsible for keeping your body upright. They are important for good posture. Strengthen the Erector Spinae muscles with exercises like Supermans, Swimmers, and Bridges.
Core Muscles:
Abs: The Abdominals (rectus abdomis) are the muscles that run along the front of your torso and connect your ribs to your hips from the front. They are the muscles used when you perform a Crunch. They stabilize your core in nearly all exercises--so it's important to keep them strong!
Obliques (internal and external): Your Obliques muscles run along the sides of your torso and help you to twist and bend sideways at the waist. Like the Abdominals, your Obliques are an important stabilizing muscle group that activates in almost all compound exercises. Strengthen them with exercises like Russian Twists, Reclined Knee Drops, Bicycle Crunches, & Standing Side Bends.
Try to develop an awareness of which muscle groups are firing while you perform your resistance training exercises. When you perform a set, ask yourself Where did I feel the work? Point to the muscles you felt working and try to name them.
Knowing which muscles you should be feeling and noticing when they are working or not working will help you to perform the exercises with proper form. It will also help you in the future when you learn new exercises.
About the Author
Jayd Harrison is an author, health coach, and online personal trainer from the Raleigh-Durham area of North Carolina. Over the last decade, she has helped individuals to find their strength and build a healthy lifestyle through personal training, group fitness, and online fitness content. Check out her blog, Youtube channel, and Jaydigains Twitch channel to learn more. Subscribe to the email list to stay up-to-date and receive special offers on Jayd Harrison Fitness & Wellness services and products.
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