What Muscles Do You Work During Fitness Training? Which Body Parts Get the Most Benefit?

Fitness training for fitness and strength building

What muscles are we exercising during fitness training?

Depending on the sport you practice, certain areas of the body will be called upon more than others, but what about when you do fitness? Will you tone and refine your figure with fitness? Below is a list of the muscles and muscle groups that can be strengthened and sculpted by fitness!

Upper limbs (shoulders, arms and forearms)

• Shoulder muscles: These are the muscles that connect the arm to the rest of the body. These include the rotator cuff muscles (subscapularis, infraspinatus, petit rond, supraspinatus), trapezius, deltoid, grand dentle and angular. These muscles enable arm and shoulder mobility (rotation, elevation).
• Biceps: These muscles, located on the front of the arm, are surrounded by two joints (scapulohumeral, elbow). The biceps comprise two muscles (long biceps and short biceps) that help flex and rotate the arms.
• The triceps: Located on the inner side of the arm, they comprise three muscles (vastus lateralis, vastus internus and long head of triceps) which complement the flexor role of the biceps brachii. The triceps allow forearm extension.

Trunk and pelvis (Chest, stomach and back)

• Abdominals: 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.
• Back muscles: The back groups together muscles such as the trapezius, the dorsalis major, the rhomboids, the infraspinatus and the round muscle. These muscles play a wide variety of roles. From the dorsal to the lumbar, they ensure arm and shoulder mobility, postural support and protection of the spine.

Lower limbs (glutes, thighs and calves)

• Glutes: 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.
• Quadriceps: Located at the front of the thigh, the quadriceps is made up of 4 muscles (vastus femoris or rectus femoris, vastus lateralis, vastus medialis and vastus intermedius). These muscles facilitate flexion of the thigh over the hip, as well as extension of the leg over the thigh.
• Hamstring muscles: Located on the back of the thigh, there are four hamstring muscles (biceps femoris, semitendinosus and semitendinosus). They ensure leg flexion and thigh extension.
• Calf muscles: also known as the sural triceps, the calf muscles comprise 3 muscle fascicles, including the soleus and gastrocnemius. These muscles help extend the foot down the leg

Even if fitness training covers a number of different disciplines, each with its own particularity, this discipline remains above all an excellent exercise for strengthening muscles. Fitness training mainly works the lower limbs (glutes, thighs, calves) with equipment and accessories such as the step, skipping rope and aquabiking. Others, such as the elliptical trainer, weight training, yoga and rowing machines, work the upper body (arms, shoulders), abdominal muscles and back. In the gym, at home, alone or in a group, the key is to choose the physical activity best suited to your needs.