When it comes to strength training, there are many ways to structure a program, but many people find it helpful to pair certain muscle groups together. Working out different body parts on different days gives your muscles more rest between workouts and helps prevent overtraining. There is no right way to group your muscles together, and you may want to experiment with a few different pairings until you find one that works best for you. However, some popular muscle group combinations include:
- Chest and shoulders
- Back and arms
- Legs and abdominals
- Quads and hamstrings
- Glutes and abdominals
- Biceps, triceps, and shoulders
When deciding which muscle groups to work out together, its important to consider the movement patterns that work them in training. For example, pushing muscles include the chest, shoulders, and triceps, while pulling muscles include the lats, traps, rhomboids, biceps, rear delts, and forearms. Squatting muscles include the quads, hamstrings, and glutes, while hinging muscles include the hamstrings, glutes, back, and forearms.
If youre a beginner, sticking to the six basic muscle groups (chest, shoulders, back, arms, abs, and legs) is enough to build a great workout plan that can help you improve your fitness. If youve already been lifting for a while, you may want to be more specific with the muscles you target when building your program.
Ultimately, the best way to find the right muscle group split for you is to trial a few different approaches and stick with the muscle group combinations that work best for you and your goals.