When you’re working out, are you the type of person who does what they fancy on the day? Or are you the sort of person who would prefer to plan their workouts so that all of the major muscle groups are covered over the course of a week?

Either way is perfectly fine – you absolutely do you. But if you’re interested in structuring your weekly workout plan so that you ensure you’re working each part of your body, then here’s how! 

The importance of muscle grouping

There are six main muscle groups in the body:

• Shoulders
• Back
• Chest
• Arms 
• Abs
• Legs 

Our muscles require rest days in order to repair, and it’s actually this process of repair that makes them grow. All the tiny tears we create in our muscles when we exercise them are repaired via a repair mechanism that involves layering on extra muscle fibres which creates muscle growth. So exercising one group whilst allowing another group to rest makes sense. 

Understanding which muscle groups can be worked on together is important when planning workouts that cover them all. 

However, there aren’t many exercises that mean you’re only exercising one group at a time. For example, performing squats will target your thigh muscles and glutes (the muscles in your bottom) but you’ll also be using your core muscles and muscles in your lower back in order to perform the movement. 

Therefore, it makes sense to exercise certain muscle groups together, often those that are close together, whilst resting the others. 

What muscle groups should I exercise together?

There is no right or wrong way to pair muscle groups in order to work out, it’s really down to personal preference. If you like, you can work one of the six muscle groups each day for six days and use the seventh day as a rest day. 

But if you’re looking to pair muscle groups, and perhaps workout three or four days a week, the following pairings all make sense:

• Day 1 – legs
• Day 2 – back and arms
• Day 3 – abs
• Day 4 – chest and shoulders  

Or,

• Day 1 – chest and shoulders
• Day 2 – legs and abs
• Day 3 – back and arms 

How to exercise each muscle group

Wherever you are on your OYG plan, you’ll notice that each one of our 12, three times a week plans are designed to target all of your major muscle groups. 

But Own Your Goals is so much more than just your beginner, intermediate or advanced plan. We have lots of additional workouts too! For example, our six week Strength Plan covers lower, upper and full body workouts, so that you’re working groups of muscles together, whilst giving others a rest. 

Or, if you’re going “off plan” and choosing different daily exercise routines, then our individual workouts such as those in our Toned in 10 section target all areas of the body.

To get you started, here’s our suggestions for each major muscle group:

• Shoulders – All Around the Shoulders 
• Back – Back Focus 
• Chest – Pilates Dynamic Flow Challenge – Upper Body Sequence 
• Arms – Arm Blast 
• Abs – Toned in 10 Abs 
• Legs – Legs and Booty Burner 

Enjoy!