By Team Muscletrail
10 September, 2022
The Right Way to Target Muscle Groups
Pairing muscle groups together during exercise is beneficial on multiple levels. It is a common approach followed by all exercise enthusiasts to gain more specific results. It is also convenient to work on certain muscle groups in a day and on others on a different day as it gives your muscles the time to rest and heal between the next round of training.
Although it is not necessary to exercise only after targeting muscle groups, it can bring in better results, while giving you a better understanding of your own body. Before telling you about how to target muscle groups for growth and strength, let me tell you a bit more about muscle groups in general.
Muscle Groups: Types
There are three different types of muscles in our body, which perform different functions –
- Cardiac muscle - Thess muscles control the heart movements.
- Smooth muscle - Smooth muscles are responsible for taking care of involuntary functions in the body.
- Skeletal muscle - Skeletal muscles remain in close contact with your bones and help with body movement.
These different types of muscles can be found in different parts of the body. Some of them are the chest, legs, shoulders, arms, abdominals, and back. These parts can also be divided into further categories for more region-specific exercises.
What Muscle Groups Should I Target?
Pairing muscle groups may seem like some complicated task but there is really no major right or wrong in it. A lot of it also depends upon individual comfort and body. More often than not, people pair up muscle groups that lie in close proximity to each other. For example, you can work on your lower body one day, and your upper body the next day. When you’re working on your upper body, you can work your arms, and shoulders together as it makes sense to work those in one go.
Pairing up muscle groups and working on them like that helps to give the muscle groups the rest they need to recover. It will also ensure that you’re not overworking them. Here are some examples beginners can take a cue from –
- You can work on your back, abdominals, and arms one day.
- The next day, work on your legs.
- On the third day, work on your chest and shoulders, and so on.
Such a simple plan can be a great routine for a beginner to work on muscles in a targeted manner.
Now, I will tell you about some exercises that work great for certain muscle trail groups.
Exercises for Muscle Groups
If you want to work out in a more meaningful way, here are some muscle group-specific exercise recommendations –
- Arms - For arms, exercises like pull-ups, tricep dips, and biceps curls work great.
- Shoulders - Work on your shoulders using a resistance band during your shoulder press exercise. Besides that, you can also do seated shoulder press, and straight-arms plank.
- Chest - To work on the chest, try bench press using dumbbells, push-ups, and chest press using resistance bands.
- Back - One-arm dumbbell rows and resistance band pull-apart are great for working on the back.
- Legs - For legs, do squats, lunges, and calf raises.
- Abdominal - Crunches, raises, and planks work great for the abdominal muscles.
Note that these are only some of the many suggestions for targeting the major muscle groups. These exercises can be done in many different ways together. You can combine your own favourites together or talk to a professional for a more insightful workout plan.
Conclusion
So, that’s how you target muscle groups. Remember that targeting muscle groups and working on them can look different for beginners and experts. Don’t rush it and maintain your own pace. Never overtrain yourself and take sufficient rest between your exercise sessions to keep up your momentum and consistency.