Exercise Selection and Choice
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Choosing which exercises to include — strengthening all 12 major muscle groups, and picking exercises based on goals, sport movements, and injury-prone areas.
Detail
Selection of Exercise. For balanced muscle development and to reduce the risk of injury, it is essential to strengthen the 12 major muscle groups:
| 1. Trapezius | 5. Erector Spinae | 9. Quadriceps |
| 2. Deltoids | 6. Triceps | 10. Glutes / Hip |
| 3. Pectorals | 7. Biceps | 11. Calves |
| 4. Latissimus Dorsi | 8. Abdominals | 12. Hamstrings |
If possible, it is advisable to also train the obliques and adductors/abductors. Training major muscle groups is necessary for comprehensive muscle development; training some muscles and excluding others typically produces poorer overall results and may lead to muscle injuries.
Choice of Exercise (Fleck & Kraemer, 1997). When designing a resistance program, the choice of exercise is usually related to one or more of these reasons:
- a. The muscles you want to develop;
- b. The specific muscular movement related to the sport activity; and
- c. Those areas of the body most prone to injury.
Every time you change the angle of an exercise you functionally change that exercise. You can also change an exercise as you cycle through the year.
For major muscles such as pectorals, lats, and quads, 2 exercises are selected at the novice level.
Key facts
- 12 major muscle groups must be strengthened: trapezius, deltoids, pectorals, lats, erector spinae, triceps, biceps, abdominals, quadriceps, glutes/hip, calves, hamstrings.
- Also advisable: obliques and adductors/abductors.
- Choice of exercise is based on: target muscles, sport-specific movements, injury-prone areas.
- Changing the angle functionally changes the exercise.
- Novice level: 2 exercises for major muscles (pecs, lats, quads).
Connections
- Exercise Categories — Structural, Supplementary, Body-Part — structural, supplementary, and body-part classifications.
- Exercise Order / Order of Exercises — the order in which selected exercises are performed.
- Principle of Muscle Balance — train all major groups for balance.
- Principle of Specificity (SAID) — sport-specific movement selection.
- Body Shape — Somatotypes (Endomorph / Mesomorph / Ectomorph) — for athletes, "the specific muscular movement related to the sport activity" also includes moving the athlete's build toward their sport's typical somatotype range.
- Body Frame Types (T/A/O-Frame) — Dated Terminology, Modern Equivalent — the same idea for a general/aesthetic goal: choosing exercises to balance an individual's frame proportions.
- Resistance Exercise Selections for Different Training Levels — the concrete novice/ intermediate/advanced exercise table this variable resolves to in practice.
Sources
Keep this lesson, or ask how it applies to you.
Educational content only — not medical advice. Always consult a qualified professional for individualized guidance, especially around injury, pregnancy, or medical conditions.