What Muscle Groups Should You Work Together for Maximum Results?
Key takeaways:
Experts recommend strength training to work all major muscle groups at least twice a week.
You can target any muscle groups in the same workout. But pairing muscles that work together, like chest and triceps, improves workout efficiency and builds balanced strength across your body.
Choose a workout split — like full-body or upper/lower — to effectively target major muscle groups and reach your fitness goals.
Table of contents
Knowing which muscle groups to work together can help you reach your fitness goals — whether you want to build muscle, gain strength, or lose fat. Targeting the right muscle groups could make your workouts more efficient and give your muscles time to recover.
Learn the best muscle group pairings for optimal results.
What are the different muscle groups?
There are more than 600 skeletal muscles in the body. Before we delve into the best way to target them, let's take a closer look at the different muscle groups.
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Many fitness experts plan workouts that target the following major muscle groups.
Chest
The pectoralis major is the largest and strongest chest muscle. It moves your arms and shoulders with help from the pectoralis minor.
Back
There are many back muscles. The largest are the latissimus dorsi (lats), which move your arms and stabilize your spine. The trapezius (traps) help move your neck, upper back, and shoulders. Other key muscles include the rhomboids, which pull your shoulders together and down.
Shoulders
Several muscles support the ball and socket shoulder joint. These include the rotator cuff muscles that cup the front of your shoulder and help lift and rotate your arms. The deltoids on the outside of the shoulder joint help move your arms in all directions.
Arms
The biceps in the front of your upper arm bend your elbow and rotate your forearm. The triceps in the back of your upper arm straighten your arm. Smaller muscles in the forearm and wrist help control hand and finger movements.
Abdominals
The abdominal muscles are between the ribs and pelvis on the front of your body. These muscles include the obliques, rectus abdominis, and transverse abdominis. Together, the abdominals support your trunk, allowing for twisting and flexing of the spine.
Push-up vs. bench press: Find out which strength exercise is best for your upper-body workouts.
Front squat vs. back squat: Learn the pros and cons to decide which lower-body exercise to do on leg day.
Reps and sets: Is there a magic number to reach your strength training goals? Here's what experts say about how many reps and sets you should do.
Legs
The upper leg includes the gluteal muscles (glutes) that stabilize your pelvis and legs during movement. The quadriceps (quads) at the front of the thigh straighten your knee. The hamstrings at the back of the thigh bend the knee. And the iliopsoas help flex your hips.
Lower down, the calf muscles power walking, running, and jumping.
Which muscle groups are best to work together?
There aren't any widely accepted rules about the best muscle groups to work together. But many combinations often target muscle groups that have shared or complementary functions during various movement patterns.
Chest, shoulders, and triceps
The chest, shoulders, and triceps are built to work as one unit, said Josh York, a certified personal trainer and the CEO of GYMGUYZ, an in-home personal training service. This means that activating one muscle group automatically recruits the others.
Michelle Porter, a NASM-certified personal trainer, said that "training these muscles together is efficient since they're all involved in [pushing] motions." They work together during pushing movements such as push-ups and overhead presses.
Take the bench press, for example. The pectorals (chest) help power the arms forward. The deltoids (shoulders) stabilize your arms as you lift the weight. And the triceps (arms) extend the elbows as you reach the top of the press.
Back and biceps
You can think of the back and biceps as close friends. They work together during pulling movements, York said. Examples include bent-over rows, pull-ups, and lat pull-downs.
Porter noted the benefits of training your back and biceps. It “boosts pulling strength, improves posture, and supports overall shoulder health," she said.
Working these muscle groups with weighted exercises can also enhance grip strength. A firm grip is critical for exercises and everyday tasks like carrying heavy objects. It’s also linked to better overall health and lifespan.
Quads, hamstrings, and glutes
It’s best to train these three large lower-body muscles together, said Michael Betts, personal trainer and director of TRAINFITNESS. This approach develops balanced leg strength and power, Betts said. It also ensures that one muscle group doesn't get more attention than the others.
For example, focusing too much on your hamstrings and neglecting your quadriceps is a common workout mistake. It can lead to muscle imbalances that hurt your performance and increase your risk of injuries.
The quads, hamstrings, and glutes work as a unit during functional movements, said Betts. These movements involve multiple joints and mimic everyday activities like squatting and lunging. Exercises that engage these muscles can improve functional strength and make your workouts more efficient.
Abs and core
When most people think about core strength, they think “abs.” But there’s more to it than these stomach muscles.
"Your core is more than just your abs," said Maria Vasquez, a NASM-certified personal trainer with Mywowfit. "It includes the muscles around your back, hips, and pelvis, and it impacts how you sit, bend, and lift weight. [These muscles] also create a strong foundation for other exercises so you need to engage them together."
Strengthening your core can improve your balance, posture, and athletic performance. Several exercises — such as planks, crunches, and mountain climbers –– work the abs and other core muscles.
Examples of workout splits
You can structure your workouts once you know which muscle groups you want to target. Here are a few common workout splits.
Full-body split
A full-body workout split is designed to train all major muscle groups in one workout. You do exercises that engage core, upper, and lower-body muscles.
Experts recommend doing large muscle group exercises first. So, in a full-body workout, you might do squats, shoulder presses, and finish with bicycle crunches.
This approach is versatile and a great option for beginners or those short on time. You can train 2 to 3 times a week and give your muscles time to recover.
Upper/lower split
This workout split separates upper- and lower-body strength training workouts. For example, on an upper-body day, you might work your:
Chest
Shoulders
Triceps
Back
Biceps
On a lower-body day, you would target your:
Hip flexors
Glutes
Quads
Hamstrings
Calves
You can also engage ab and core muscles during upper- and lower-body sessions.
With this split, you can work all major muscle groups at least twice weekly. That makes it ideal for those who like to train 4 or 5 days a week, said Porter. It also has a built-in recovery plan. Your lower-body muscles get a break when you work your upper body and vice versa.
Push/pull/legs split
The push/pull/legs method divides your training into upper- and lower-body workouts. Here's how it works:
Push workouts target upper-body muscles that push weight away from your body. This includes the chest, triceps, and shoulders.
Pull workouts target upper-body muscles that pull weight toward your body. The pulling muscles include the back and biceps.
Leg day workouts target lower-body muscles such as the glutes, quads, and hamstrings.
You'll train 5 to 6 days a week to work each muscle twice weekly. Betts said this approach is best for advanced lifters trying to build muscle.
Frequently asked questions
Technically, you can train any muscles in the same workout. However, pairing large muscle groups — like the back and legs — may make you tire out more quickly, Porter said. And fatigue can lead to poor form, she added. Still, other factors influence how quickly you fatigue. The key is to choose a workout plan with exercises, reps, and sets tailored to your fitness level and goals.
The most effective gym split for muscle growth may depend on your experience level. However, Vasquez generally recommends the upper/lower split. Alternating between upper and lower-body days gives each muscle group time to recover. But you can still work major muscle groups twice weekly — ideal for growth.
No, your muscles need time to rest and recover between workouts. This allows your muscles to repair the damage from exercise, so they return bigger and stronger. Wait at least 1 to 2 days before targeting the same muscles again.
Start with compound movements that target large muscle groups, such as the bench press, squat, and deadlift. These exercises require more energy and coordination than those that target smaller muscles, Porter said. By doing compound movements first, you can ensure that you have the energy to perform your sets with proper form before fatigue sets in, York explained.
The bottom line
Your body is made up of several major muscle groups, including the chest, back, arms, and legs. You can work any muscle groups in the same workout. But some may pair better than others. Try working muscle groups –– such as the back and biceps –– that have shared or complementary functions. Structure your workouts into a split that targets each muscle group at least twice weekly.
Why trust our experts?
References
American Council on Exercise. (n.d.). Bent-over row.
American Council on Exercise. (n.d.). Mountain climbers.
American Council on Exercise. (n.d.). Seated lat pulldown.
American Council on Exercise. (n.d.). Seated overhead press.
Baig, M. A., et al. (2023). Anatomy, shoulder and upper limb, pectoral muscles. StatPearls.
Bohannon, R. W. (2019). Grip strength: An indispensable biomarker for older adults. Clinical Interventions in Aging.
Chang, A., et al. (2023). Anatomy, bony pelvis and lower limb: Femur. StatPearls.
Henson, B., et al. (2023). Anatomy, back, muscles. StatPearls.
Human Kinetics. (n.d.). Utilize proper workout structure and exercise order.
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