Giulia Ralph is a qualified Nutritionist, Strength & Conditioning Coach, Weightlifting Coach, and Personal Trainer. She has a Bachelor of Health Science in Nutrition and a Post-Graduate Certificate in Human Nutrition.
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Knowing which muscle groups to work together can rest your concerns about maximizing workouts. Of course, knowing which muscle groups, when worked out together would bring you the best results, whether you seek mass, fitness, or full-body routines, is difficult.
Discover the muscle groups, how they help each other, and why you should work specific muscles together to enhance your workout. Then, it’s about planning how many days you exercise and which splits better suit your needs.
The major muscle groups include well-known areas, such as (17):
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The major muscle groups are a good starting point, but you must know more about targeted workouts, why they matter, and exercises to use before diving into schedules. Discover the guidelines that help you set a muscle group workout schedule.
The Victoria Department of Health states that you have 600 muscles in your body, including three kinds that work together to help you function in daily activities (11):
The American Heart Association recommends working each muscle group at least twice weekly and resting the group for 48 hours between workouts (15). Targeting each muscle group in specific exercises at least twice weekly is excellent.
Those groups should be rested from targeted exercise for 48 hours between workouts allowing the muscle fibers to heal. Beginners will benefit from targeting specific muscle groups on different days. For example, target your legs on Mondays and then again on Wednesdays.
In summary, determine whether you want to work out two, three, four, or five days weekly, which will help you choose the split next. You must also select your days according to your needed rest days. Follow the two-day rest as a beginner to avoid injury or overuse (15).
Depending on your goals, various workout combinations can help you work the right muscle groups together. Let’s see which workout combinations work which muscles together to help you split your routines.
Opposing workout combinations to target muscle groups that improve daily functions are great for 3-day and 5-day routines. Exercising muscles that pull and push, such as the triceps and biceps, in one workout combination will help improve both functions equally.
Working the pull muscles too hard may overuse them while ignoring the push muscles, a form of myopathy (11). Myopathy is a collective term for any muscle disorder or imbalance. However, other types of workout combinations may also improve muscle group exercises.
Examples of antagonist training combinations to use on different days:
Complementary training means you use workout combinations on different days to target larger muscle groups that support the movement of smaller groups (21). It works well for 2-day, 3-day, and 5-day workout routines.
Smaller muscle groups help larger muscles perform specific movements. This split type allows you to work on smaller muscle groups by combining them with larger groups. The combinations are complicated. Examples of complementary muscle groups to target on different days include:
The upper-lower split is another popular choice and works for 3-day weekly routines. Remember to train each muscle group twice weekly while resting them for 48 hours between workouts (15). Hence, this split works better for someone exercising every second day.
This wouldn’t work well for someone exercising five days weekly as some exercises target multiple groups. For example, the back squat muscles worked include everything down your posterior chain (9). You hit the calves, core, back, and hamstrings at once. How can you do any exercise that targets those groups the next day?
Examples of upper-lower split combinations to use every second day:
Read more: Effective and Simple Bicep Workouts at Home, no Equipment.
Choosing a split is one step. You’ll also choose exercises that target different muscle groups to include in your split. Some exercises train multiple muscle groups, but the main target lies within the categories below.
Back muscles aren’t always on the exercise schedule. They include the trapezius, latissimus dorsi, levator scapulae, and rhomboids (2). Here are 20 back exercises to target this muscle group in your workout combinations include:
The biceps are a muscle group on their own, composed of a long and short head (3). The biceps play an important role and should work in opposition to the triceps. These 20 exercises will work the biceps in a split:
The chest muscles are large muscles composed of the pectoralis major and minor. Interestingly, the incline pushup muscles target different portions of the chest from the regular pushup (8). You work the lower chest, deltoids, pecs, and triceps. You can use many chest exercises to target the muscles, but variations can also help target others for a complementary split. These 20 exercises will target the chest muscles:
The core muscles include the transversus abdominus, obliques, rectus abdominus, erector spinae, quadratus lumborum, and hip muscle groups, including the hip flexors (4). Here are 20 exercises that target various muscles around the abs, obliques, and core:
Leg muscle exercises should target the hamstrings, quads, glutes, calves, and tibialis anterior (13). Use these 20 exercises to target various leg muscles in your chosen split:
Shoulder muscles include the three deltoid components as well as muscles of the rotator cuff (subscapularis, supraspinatus, infraspinatus, teres minor) (14). Use these 20 exercise ideas to target the shoulder muscle groups as part of a split routine:
The triceps brachii is the main muscle you work out when targeting the triceps, which consists of three portions (19). It’s an ideal muscle to use in complementary or antagonist splits. Here are 20 exercises to add to your splits to target the triceps:
The American Heart Association recommends one set of 8-12 reps for each muscle group (15). It’s a good place for beginners to enjoy split workout combinations to target muscle groups together. Advanced trainers or anyone seeking hypertrophy in their groups can constantly increase the sets and reps or weight.
Hypertrophy refers to the increase in muscle fiber size (23). A well-planned training program that includes appropriate sets, reps, and load following a progressive overload can contribute to hypertrophy. Other factors also need to be considered, such as nutrition, sleep, and adequate rest. Progressive overload can be achieved by adding more sets and reps to your split routines every week. Also, slowly increase your weights using dumbbells, barbells, or kettlebells.
The Mayo Clinic suggests starting with weights you can comfortably lift 12-15 times before feeling muscle fatigue (20). Muscle fatigue is when you feel like you can barely lift it again. Then, gradually increase your weights in muscle group workouts as you gain strength.
Research in the National Library of Medicine highlighted that volume and loading are key factors in hypertrophy and strength results. (12). 5 exercises per muscle group may be an effective dose for results. However, you may also see some results with fewer exercises or sets per muscle group.
As suggested, you could include five exercises to target a specific muscle group twice weekly with five sets in your split (15). For example, one set of band curls, hammer curls, and drag curls on Mondays and another set for Spider curls and Zottman curls on Thursdays give you five sets for the week.
This would help beginners target muscle groups enough each week. However, advanced trainers can do more group exercises whenever they target that group. Beginners may do five exercises per group weekly, while advanced trainers can do five per group daily.
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Follow step two to determine how many days you want to work out. Then, follow the examples below. The 3-day and 5-day schedules follow the antagonist split, while the 4-day schedule does an upper-lower split. Customize the splits to suit you if you want complimentary sessions.
You can then choose any exercise per muscle group. However, follow the recommended 8-12 reps per set (15). Start with two sets in week one and three in week two to get the muscles tired enough and progressively improve your workout.
A 3-day schedule is ideal for working muscle groups together on alternative days because it allows your muscles to recover (15). This example schedule works on the antagonist split by focusing on three antagonist groups daily. The exercises may focus on smaller muscle groups within the seven major types. However, this example follows the antagonist split:
The 4-day schedule allows you to use the upper-lower split on alternating days because you can rest specific muscle groups every second day (15). You’ll split different lower and upper body muscle groups on alternating days. An example could look like this:
The best muscle group combinations to work out together in a 5-day schedule are for individuals who have time to exercise different muscle groups on alternate days. But first, let’s understand the realistic side of working various muscle groups five days weekly.
No, a 5-day split is ideal if you have the time. As a beginner, you should exercise a different muscle group on consecutive days (15). So, using the 5-day split is fantastic. Also, advanced trainers can get more workouts, sets, reps, and loads per workout.
Men’s Health suggests experienced trainers could work out five days weekly (7). It might help promote hypertrophy when your muscles have adapted and are more efficient in repairing themselves (5). However, beginners should avoid exercising the same muscles on consecutive days, and regardless of fitness level, individuals require adequate rest for proper recovery; a 5-day split can be a suitable option to support (15).
The 5-day example is much simpler. Here’s an example of using an antagonist 5-day split with two exercises per opposing muscle group:
The Stucky Chiropractic Center states that 80% of low back pain symptoms reported are experienced by women (24). Incorporating regular back strengthening exercises can be an effective method of helping to reduce pain experienced.
Tight back muscles may be caused by sedentary lifestyles, sitting at a desk for hours, or sitting wrong (18). Exercising your back muscles may prevent or improve bad posture. Meanwhile, the Cleveland Clinic also recommends pelvic floor muscle exercises be included regularly(10).
Pelvic floor muscles form a part of your baseline core muscle group (4). Be sure to add core and back muscles to your split. The antagonist or complementary splits would help train the muscle groups together. Alternatively, pair the groups with their opposing groups.
Read more: Calories Burned Lifting Weights for 30 Minutes Every Day.
Training 3-5 days weekly while targeting different muscle groups on alternate days could build muscle mass (7). However, beginners should ensure ample muscle rest for 48 hours before targeting the same groups weekly (15). Even two days of strength training per week can help build muscle.
Three days’ rest can be a suitable amount, depending on the individual. Singapore researchers found that consecutive and non-consecutive training days didn’t show significant muscle repair differences (5). Beginners can stick to the 48-72-hour rest, but advanced trainers seeking to bulk muscle mass could shorten rest periods to 24 hours.
Exercising 12 hours per week could enhance your health The Daily Mail states that 12 or more hours a week of aerobic exercise could help decrease your risk of heart disease, diabetes, and cancer (6). However, general guidelines suggest that at least 150 minutes of aerobic exercise and two weekly strength training sessions support health. The Mayo Clinic suggests 90 minutes of strength training weekly is enough (16). Use both forms of training if you want to reach 12 hours weekly or meet the general minimum guidelines as a realistic starting point.
The best exercises that work multiple muscle groups are full-body routines. Medical News Today suggests squats, burpees, lunges, and stair-climbing as better whole-body workouts (22). They work multiple muscle groups in one exercise.
Designing routines for muscle groups to work together requires following all five steps. Then, use the example schedules to inspire yours. Remember to start at a suitable and achievable level and progressively increase variables such as duration, volume, frequency, and intensity over time.
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