Muscle guide

Your muscles and what they do

You don't need to memorise anatomy to train well — but knowing roughly where a muscle sits and what its job is makes every exercise make more sense.

Front and back, at a glance

Most training splits are just a way of sharing these groups across the week. Pushing muscles sit mostly on the front (chest, shoulders, triceps), pulling muscles on the back (lats, traps, biceps), and your legs and core do work in almost everything.

See how the week splits up →

Chest (pectorals)

Front of the body

Brings your arms forward and across your body, and helps you push things away.

In everyday life: Pushing a heavy door, a pram or a shopping trolley.

Push-Up Bench Press Overhead Press

Shoulders (deltoids)

Front of the body

Lifts your arms out to the side, forward and overhead, and keeps the shoulder joint stable.

In everyday life: Putting a bag in an overhead locker or reaching a top shelf.

Push-Up Bench Press Pull-Up Bicep Curl Overhead Press Bent-Over Row Plank

Biceps

Front of the body

Bends your elbow and turns your palm upward.

In everyday life: Carrying groceries or picking up a child.

Bench Press Pull-Up Bicep Curl Bent-Over Row

Triceps

Back of the body

Straightens your elbow — the other half of every push.

In everyday life: Pushing yourself up off the floor or out of a low chair.

Push-Up Bench Press Overhead Press

Forearms and grip

Front of the body

Controls your wrist and how hard you can hold on to something.

In everyday life: Opening jars, carrying luggage, holding a heavy bag longer.

Pull-Up Bicep Curl Deadlift

Traps (trapezius)

Back of the body

Shrugs and steadies your shoulder blades, supporting your neck and upper back.

In everyday life: Holding your head up comfortably at a desk all day.

Pull-Up Overhead Press Bent-Over Row Deadlift

Lats (latissimus dorsi)

Back of the body

Pulls your arms down and back — the big muscles of every pulling movement.

In everyday life: Pulling a door open or climbing.

Pull-Up Bent-Over Row Deadlift

Lower back (spinal erectors)

Back of the body

Keeps your spine long and braced when you bend, lift or sit upright.

In everyday life: Lifting a box off the floor without pain the next day.

Lunges Bent-Over Row Deadlift Plank

Abs (rectus abdominis and deep core)

Front of the body

Braces your middle so force can travel between your upper and lower body.

In everyday life: Standing tall, coughing, sneezing, twisting to look behind you.

Squat Lunges Push-Up Pull-Up Deadlift Plank Sit-Up

Obliques

Front of the body

Twists and side-bends your torso, and resists twisting when you carry weight on one side.

In everyday life: Carrying one heavy bag without leaning over.

Lunges Plank Sit-Up

Glutes

Back of the body

Extends your hip — the strongest muscle group in your body.

In everyday life: Standing up, climbing stairs, sprinting for a bus.

Squat Lunges Deadlift Plank

Quads (quadriceps)

Front of the body

Straightens your knee and controls you on the way down.

In everyday life: Walking downhill and getting out of a low couch.

Squat Lunges Plank

Hamstrings

Back of the body

Bends your knee and helps your glutes extend your hip.

In everyday life: Walking, running, and slowing your leg down each step.

Squat Lunges Deadlift

Adductors (groin)

Front of the body

Pulls your legs toward each other and stabilises your hips when you squat.

In everyday life: Side-stepping, changing direction, staying steady on one leg.

Squat

Calves

Back of the body

Points your toes and pushes you off the ground.

In everyday life: Every step you take, plus standing on tiptoes.

Squat Lunges