Strength Training Routine
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Strength Training Basics

Before beginning any type of strength training program, whether at home, school or a gym, you should know the major muscle groups in the body. An effective strength training program will exercise all of the major muscle groups in your body - chest, back, abdominals, upper legs, lower legs, biceps, triceps and shoulders. Below are suggested exercises that target each one.

Muscle Groups

Chest Muscles

The Chest muscles (pectoralis major and minor) are the muscles across the top part of our rib cage and that are used in pushing motions.

Push-ups are a great way to build chest muscles and can be done just about anywhere with no equipment. Weight-lifters do bench presses, dumbbell flies and other exercises to build these muscles as well.

Back Muscles

Back muscles (lattisimus dorsi or “lats”, teres major and minor, and spinus erectus “lower back muscles”) are used in movements where we perform pulling and lifting motions.

Pull-ups, narrow grip chin ups and various weight exercises are very good back exercises. Some can be done with a simple pull-up bar and most gyms have lat pull-down machines, low row machines and other equipment that also target the back muscles.

Abdominal Muscles

The Abdominal muscles ("abs") are below the chest in the lower part of the mid-section. They include the transverse abdominal, rectus femoris, external oblique, internal oblique and psoas major muscles.

These muscles are important core muscles of our body. They allow us to twist our 'trunks' and they also support good posture and balance the movement of our back muscles. Doing regular sets of crunches can even increase your agility and help reduce back pain.

Upper Leg Muscles

The Hamstrings are on the back of the upper leg and include three different muscle groups (biceps femoris, semitendinosus and semimembranosus). Hamstrings pull the lower leg up when you bend your knees and are one of the main muscles used in running, walking, sprinting and lifting.

You can do stiff-legged dead lifts, lying or seated leg curls to strengthen this group.

The Quadriceps are on the front of the upper leg and include four separate muscles (rectus femoris, vastus intermedius, vastus medialis and the vastus lateralis).

Leg lifts (both bent and straight), squats and lunges (stationary or walking) are good quadriceps exercises. Strong “quads” can also take some strain off the knee and reduce or minimize some types of knee pain.

Lower Leg Muscles

The Calf muscles are two different muscle groups (gastrocnemius and soleus). They are used when we stand on our “tippy toes” or the push-off motion often used in walking, running or sprinting.

Calf raises, both with or without weights and/or with both legs or one leg at a time, are a great way to strengthen your calf muscles.

Arm Muscles

The Bicep muscles are on the front part of the upper arm and are probably one of society’s more overly-focused muscle groups - pumped up biceps goes beyond their practical use.

Curling with heavy books, dumbbells or a weighted bar and chin-ups are great ways to build the bicep muscles.

The Tricep muscles (triceps brachii) are located on the back of the upper arm.

Body dips are a good tricep exercise and can be done between two chairs or on gym body-dip bars. The motion of pushing the body’s weight up targets the tricep muscle group.

The Shoulder muscles (deltoids or “delts”) move the upper arm up and down, help in throwing and in lifting things overhead.

Shoulder muscles can be strengthened with push-ups, pull-ups and seated bench press exercises and, in more advanced exercises, hand stand push-ups.

Strengthening and toning the body’s major muscle groups will make us fitter and it will allow us to perform life’s daily activities easier. With some basic exercises, you can build and maintain a healthy and attractive body without having to be a body-builder or gym-fanatic!