What Muscle Groups Are Targeted in Gymnastics? Which Body Parts Benefit the Most?

Gymnastics for fitness and strength building

What muscles are we exercising when doing gymnastics?

Depending on the sport practised, certain areas of the body will be worked harder than others, but what about when you do gymnastics? Will you tone and refine your figure by doing gymnastics? Below is a list of the muscles and muscle groups strengthened and sculpted by gymnastics!

Upper limbs (shoulders, arms and forearms)

• Biceps: These muscles are located on the front of the arm and are surrounded by two joints (scapulo-humeral, elbow). The biceps comprise two muscles(long biceps and short biceps) which help flex and rotate the arms.
• The triceps: Located on the inside of the arm, they comprise three muscles (the vastus lateralis, the vastus medialis and the long head of the triceps) which complement the flexor role of the biceps brachii. The triceps allow the forearm to be extended.

Trunk and pelvis (Chest, stomach and back)

• The abdominal muscles : These are made up of several layers of muscle(rectus abdominis, external oblique, internal oblique, transverse), whose function is to flex and rotate the trunk.
• The muscles of the back: The back groups together more muscles such as the trapezius, the dorsalis major, the rhomboids, the infraspinatus and the round muscle. These muscles play a variety of roles. From the dorsal to the lumbar muscles, they ensure the mobility of the arms and shoulder, maintain posture and protect the spine.

Lower limbs (buttocks, thighs and calves)

• Buttocks: Located at the intersection of the lower limbs and the trunk, the gluteal muscles(gluteus maximus, gluteus medius and gluteus minimus) are among the largest and most powerful muscles in the body. In particular, they provide mobility for the thigh and support for the pelvis.
• The quadriceps: These are located at the front of the thigh. The quadriceps are each made up of 4 muscles (the vastus femoris or rectus femoris, the vastus lateralis, the vastus medialis and the vastus intermedius). These muscles facilitate flexion of the thigh on the hip and extension of the leg on the thigh.
• The hamstring muscles: Located on the back of the thigh, there are four of these muscles(biceps femoris, semitendinosus and semitendinosus). They ensure flexion of the leg and extension of the thigh.
• Calf muscles: Also known as the sural triceps, the calf muscles are made up of 3 muscle groups, including the soleus and the gastrocnemius. These muscles help the foot to extend down the leg

Gymnastics is a demanding physical activity that works the whole body. Although there are different forms of gymnastics, each with its own particularities, they all have one thing in common. They mainly involve the buttocks, thighs, arms, abs and back.