What Muscles Do You Work When Scuba Diving? Which Body Parts Get the Most Benefit?

Scuba diving for fitness and strength building

What muscles are we exercising when scuba diving?

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

Scuba diving muscles the 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), as well as the trapezius, deltoid, grand dentle and angular muscles. 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.

Scuba diving helps tone chest, stomach and back muscles

• 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, dorsalis major, rhomboid, infraspinatus and round. 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.

Underwater diving tones the gluteal muscles, thighs and calves

• Quadriceps: Located at the front of the thigh, the quadriceps is made up of 4 muscles (vastus 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

IN SUMMARY:

Diving is a sport that allows you to work several muscle groups in the lower limbs. The pounding of the fins combined with the resistance of the water means deep work for the glutes, thighs and calves. As for the arms, shoulders, abs and back, they are all put to the test during the numerous movements in the water.