The 3 best muscle groups to train for increased strength

Learn which muscle groups are the best muscle groups to train to increase your strength fast and effectively.

Large vs. small muscle groups

The human body consists of both large and small muscle groups. Back muscles are seen as a large muscle group, while your calves are a small muscle group.

The term muscle group is used instead of just muscle, because the muscles in question consist of more than one muscle that work together. Your calf muscles for example are composed of the Soleus and the Gastrocnemius muscles.

By using the Soleus muscle you are able to raise your heels while your knees are bent (at a 90 degrees angle), like for example when you are seated. The Gastrocnemius muscle allows you to raise your heels while you are standing.

The percentage of the surface of the body that muscles cover and the amount of muscles that work together in a muscle group determine whether muscle groups are considered large or small.

Which muscle groups are best to train for increasing strength?

When it comes to strength training, it is best to focus on training large muscle groups instead of small ones.

The logic behind this is:

  1. If you train a large muscle group, you will automatically be training smaller ones which are required for either assistance or stabilization. For example, you will automatically be training your Biceps muscles when you train your Back muscles.
  2. The potential for increasing muscle mass and thus also strength is far greater if you train large muscle groups than small muscle groups. Your back covers a larger surface than your calves, so you have a far greater potential in muscle mass increase in your back compared to your calves.

So for increased strength, it is best to train the larger muscle groups of your body.

The 3 best large muscle groups to train for increased strength

While the human body consists of several large muscle groups, I’ve found the following 3 the best to train if you want to increase your strength:

  1. Back
  2. Chest
  3. Quadriceps femoris (muscles on the front of the upper leg)

If I could add a fourth one I would choose Hamstrings (muscles on the back of the upper leg), simply because when training muscles to become stronger, you should always try to keep the strength of opposite muscles or muscle groups in balance.

The Chest muscles balance the Back muscles, and the Hamstring (Biceps femoris) muscles balance the Quadriceps femoris.

So, when you think strength increase, think train large muscle groups instead of small muscle groups.

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