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There is no right or wrong way to create a strength training routine. However, pairing certain muscle groups together can help make your workouts more efficient.

A complete training program should include a combination of exercises that help improve your strength, flexibility, endurance, and balance.

Strength training can help improve the health of bones, muscles, and connective tissue and your blood glucose and lipid levels. The Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans recommends strength training at least twice weekly for optimal health.

There are many ways to structure a strength training program, but pairing certain muscle groups together could help you maximize the benefits of each workout.

Keep reading to learn more about optimal muscle group combinations and ways to set up your weekly training schedule.

There are three types of muscles in the body:

  • Cardiac: These refer to your heart muscles, which help keep you alive.
  • Smooth: These help control involuntary functions, such as constricting blood vessels.
  • Skeletal: These are muscles that you target in the gym and that help your body move. They make up about 40% of your body weight

When fitness experts talk about the body’s major muscle groups and develop training programs, they often refer to skeletal muscles. These include:

These muscle groups are also divided into more specific muscles. For instance:

Many exercises will work at least two different muscle groups together, while others can isolate specific muscles.

Compound exercises work several muscle groups at once or require movement in more than one joint to complete a movement. These are called multi-joint exercises (MJE), and include squats, bench press, deadlift, and shoulder press.

Isolation exercises, also known as single-joint exercises (SJE), target a more specific muscle within a muscle group. However, several muscles may still work together to perform the movement.

For instance, the bicep curl is a common exercise to target the bicep muscles. Several muscles help your body flex at the elbow, such as your brachialis, which is beneath your biceps, and brachioradialis, which is a large muscle in your forearm. Other stabilizer muscles in your shoulders and core also help you efficiently lift the weight.

The authors of a 2023 study note that the research on whether MJE or SJE are better for strength training varies widely and is mixed. Similarly, research on the order in which these exercises should be performed is mixed.

The best exercises to include in your workouts will depend on many factors, such as your body composition and goals. Many strength training programs include a combination of both types of exercises.

Research varies widely on how to group your muscles together and organize workouts throughout the week.

One key factor when deciding on which muscles to group together is recovery, which is vital for muscles. Some research suggests it could take 48 hours for your muscles to fully recover after resistance training.

Another thing to consider is how many strength-training sessions you have weekly.

If you resistance train twice weekly, consider doing a full-body workout that prioritizes MJE to target every muscle group. During the 48 hours between your full-body sessions, engage in aerobic activities like walking, jogging, and cycling to help keep your heart healthy.

If you have 3 or 4 days of weekly resistance training, you can be more specific about the muscles you train together. This is often referred to as a workout split.

Many people find it helpful to pair muscle groups that are close together. Here are some examples of how to split your weekly workouts:

Examples for beginners

Here’s one example of how you could combine your muscle groups together using the six basic groups we listed above:

Example for advanced lifters

If you’ve been lifting for a while, you may want to be more specific with the muscles you target when building your program.

Here’s an example of how you could combine muscle groups using the more detailed groups we outlined:

  • Day 1: chest, shoulders, triceps, forearms
  • Day 2: calves, hamstrings, quadriceps, glutes
  • Day 3: biceps, back, abdominals, traps, lats
  • Day 4: rest

Remember, you don’t always need a separate exercise for each muscle group. For example, a compound exercise like the squat uses your:

  • hamstrings
  • quadriceps
  • glutes
  • back
  • abdominals

Here’s an example of how you could structure your weekly schedule:

Monday: arms and shoulders

  • push-ups: 3 sets of 8 reps
  • biceps curls: 3 sets of 8 reps
  • shoulder press: 3 sets of 10 reps
  • bench dips: 2 sets of 12 reps
  • lateral raises: 3 sets of 10 reps

Wednesday: legs

  • barbell back squats: 3 sets of 8 reps
  • dumbbell lunges: 2 sets of 10 reps
  • Romanian deadlifts: 3 sets of 8 reps
  • step-ups: 2 sets of 12 reps
  • calve raises: 3 sets of 12 reps

Friday: back, chest, and abdominals

  • dumbbell bench press: 3 sets of 8 reps
  • dumbbell fly: 3 sets of 8 to 10 reps
  • bicycle crunches: 3 sets of 20 reps
  • one-arm dumbbell rows: 3 sets of 8 reps
  • dumbbell bent-over rows: 3 sets of 8 reps
  • crunches: 3 sets of 20 reps

There are several different forms of resistance training, including:

Research suggests that all forms of exercise are beneficial and the best form for you might depend on factors like your goals, personal preferences, and what’s available to you.

If you want to include free weight training in your program, consider sticking to a weight you can lift comfortably for 8 to 12 repetitions. As you get stronger, you can lower the number of reps and increase the weight.

Here are some exercises you can perform to target each muscle group.

Many people enjoy the freedom of creating their own workout plans, but a certified personal trainer may help you develop a tailored training plan for your needs. They could also show you how to perform exercises properly so you can safely do them on your own later.

Some people find hiring a personal trainer helps them stay motivated and makes working out more fun. A trainer can keep you accountable and make sure that you’re working at an appropriate intensity for your current fitness level.

There are many ways you can structure your weekly workout to get results. Many people find it helpful to separate their strength training workouts by muscle group to give their muscles more time to recover.

It’s a good idea to give yourself a two-day break between strength training workouts to avoid overtraining.

If you don’t have access to a gym, there are plenty of great strength training exercises you can do at home using household items, resistance bands, or your body weight.