Are You Training All of Your Muscle Groups? Here’s How to Do it—And Why it Matters

Chances are you have a favorite muscle group to train—even if you don’t totally realize it. For example, you may be a runner who knows the importance of a strong lower body, or feel your strongest when knocking out biceps curls. And sure, having a go-to muscle group to train can make your workouts more enjoyable and take the guesswork out of your training. But if you want to be a well-rounded athlete and avoid injury or overuse, you need a workout plan that hits all your major muscle groups. 

The best way to achieve this balanced strength training plan? Understanding what muscle groups to work out together so you make the most out of your precious gym time. The best workout plans will ensure you hit the major muscle groups—chest, back, abs, legs, shoulders, and arms—each week, says Peloton instructor Ben Alldis. That may sound like more body parts than you have days in the week to work out, but with strategic pairing and intention, you can hit them all with ease. 

Here’s your perfectly balanced strength training plan (don’t worry, rest days are included), with bonus advice from Ben on why you should care about what muscle groups you should work out together.

Why Is It Important to Strengthen All of Your Muscle Groups, Anyway?

Whether you’re a classic example of someone who skips leg day or new to strength training in general, it’s important to understand the why behind your new full-body workout strategy. Your muscles, FYI, are soft tissues in the body that help you move, breathe, swallow, and digest—all of the classic life-supporting functions. You can strengthen your muscles with consistent strength training, whether that’s by lifting weights, using resistance bands, loading up the barbell, or even crushing some bodyweight exercises. 

Here are the benefits of strengthening all of your muscles, without neglecting any of the major groups.

Reduce Risk of Injury

Not only does resistance training make you stronger, but it also improves your mobility—a.k.a. your ability to move a joint through its full range of motion, with control. Having that extra mobility is key to preventing injuries; for example, if you have poor mobility in your lower body joints (like your knees and ankles), you’re prone to falls, which can be especially catastrophic as you age. 

Address Muscle Imbalances

Also key to reducing your risk of injury: training all of your muscle groups regularly. If you only focus on your hamstrings, for example, and neglect to strengthen your core or quads, you run the risk of muscular imbalances. Muscular imbalances can lead to injury because your stronger muscles may overcompensate for deficits in your weaker muscles, disrupting movement patterns and stressing your muscles and joints.

Improve Proprioception

Finally, strength training can help improve your proprioception—a fancy term for how you’re aware of your body in space and how that awareness influences your autonomic reactions. Strength training is a type of mindfulness, after all; you’re building a mind-body connection and tuning into your muscles’ every movement to maintain proper form and gauge your effort level. As you become more physically aware of your muscles and your movement, your proprioception will naturally improve as well, improving your balance and reaction times in both fitness and in everyday life. (Trust us, if you’re a klutzy person naturally, strength training can be major in avoiding trips and falls.)

Here’s Exactly How Often to Work Out Your Muscle Groups

Let’s get down into the details of your new training plan. To start, aim to hit each muscle group at least once during the week. This type of schedule is known as a body part split, meaning a strength training schedule in which you separate your muscle groups into workouts on different days. This way, your muscles are able to recover fully and you’re still able to hit your workouts. 

If once a week per muscle group is all you’ve got time for, you’re in a good place; Ben says above all else, the strength training plan that will deliver the most results is the one you’re consistent with and enjoy. However, if you want to advance your strength training, focusing on each muscle group twice a week will help you get there.

“Training each muscle group twice a week is more beneficial because of muscle protein synthesis, which is essentially the process your muscles go through after a workout to build additional muscle mass,” Ben says. “After a resistance training workout, protein synthesis remains elevated for roughly 36 to 48 hours in most individuals. By training each muscle group twice a week, you’re able to maximize protein synthesis response while avoiding interfering with recovery since your volume per session isn’t excessive.”

Full Body Strength Classes vs. Body Part Splits

Not sure if the body part split schedule is right for you? Turns out, there are some different benefits to both incorporating full body strength training classes versus isolated body parts during the week that may help you shape your goals.

“If you’re looking for muscle growth, more frequent training sessions with higher volumes per week [i.e., focusing on that twice a week per muscle group model] is going to be better than a full body workout,” he says. On the other hand, “To maximize calorie burn or improve functional strength, less frequent full body workouts may work best.” And in order to make sure you’re working out all the major muscle groups during your , you can be intentional about including complex, full body exercises (think: squat to press or a deadlift-row combo).

Keep in mind that body part split workouts generally require more days working out throughout the week. So if time is a precious commodity for you, start with full body workouts or get into a program that helps outline the work that needs to be done for you.

Your Sample Body Part Split Workout Schedule to Hit Every Major Muscle Group

Ready to start working? Follow this schedule outlined by Ben or adapt it to fit your own lifestyle (for example, if you’re training for a marathon, you may put leg day further away from your Saturday long run). Make sure each muscle group enjoys a variety of movement patterns—that is, you’re incorporating both push and pull motions. Start with 3 sets of 10 reps of the movements you choose, adjusting as needed based on your goals.

Monday: Chest

Your chest performs all the major pushing movements you need to get through your daily life (like pushing yourself up on the edge of a pool or pushing a stroller). To work out your pectoral muscles, pick and choose from these chest-centric exercises.

Tuesday: Back

Fun fact: Your low back is actually a part of your core—yes, even though you can’t see your back muscles in the mirror like you can your abs. Just like your abdominal muscles, your back muscles support your spine and keep you upright. Try these back exercises on your next back day.

Wednesday: Abs

Your core muscles—your abdominals, your obliques, and more—are essential for keeping you upright. What’s more, a strong, stable core empowers your limbs to move safely and fluidly. These are the best core exercises to hit during your next abs workout.

Thursday: Legs

Say it with us: Never skip leg day. Not only will you look a tad unbalanced if you only work out your upper body muscle groups, but you’ll also struggle with everyday activities like walking up steep stairs or lifting a heavy bag off the ground. These leg day exercises are well worth your gym time.

Friday: Shoulders and Arms

Upper body, we meet at last. For strong shoulders and athletic arms, these are some of the movements to hit on a weekly basis.

How to Make Training Multiple Muscle Groups Part of Your Routine

To make sure you’re hitting all the muscle groups you need to work out together and not neglecting or focusing on one too much, Ben shares how to build a weekly strength training plan that will keep you accountable and help you get stronger:

And for the cardio junkies who love getting their heart rate up: Yes, cardio workouts can count as leg day (especially if you’re crunched for time), but if you want to gain muscle size and/or strength, you still need to do strength training. “Cycling and running are repetitive. It’s one movement over and over again, so it’s not hitting as many muscle fibers as a strength training class would,” Ben says. “There’s also limited resistance with cardio, which means you won’t gain as much muscle or power as you would from increasing resistance over time with a strength training class or program.”

Strength training can be intimidating, but don’t worry—the Peloton community and coaches are here to cheer you on. You can learn what muscle groups to work out together with programs like his Intermediate 3-Day Split. For beginners, Ben recommends a full body strength training program (try Total Strength 2 with Andy Speer) to help hone your skill development and set you up for long-term success.