The Best Muscle Group Combinations to Work Out Together for Size and Strength

Some of the best muscle group combinations include back + biceps, chest + back, and quad + hamstrings + glutes.

But you can make equally good gains with more unconventional combos.

Here’s how you choose the right muscle combos to train together, why they work, and where they fall short. Plus: workouts you can run right now in our workout log app.

Are There Best Muscle Group Combinations to Work Out Together?

There’s no special combination of muscle groups you must train together that increases muscle protein synthesis 23% more.

But with the right workout structure, you can attack your big lifts, get enough quality sets in, and still avoid overlapping fatigue three days into your workout week.

Train Muscles That Work Together (Or Don’t Interfere)

When I create a workout split, I build it around one of two things.

The first is that I combine muscles that work together, even help each other out.

An example would be a chest, shoulders, and triceps workout. These guys cooperate when you do a push exercise like the bench press or overhead press.

Another is back and biceps, which work together in rows and pulldowns.

Those combinations are both part of a push/pull/legs split, one of the most popular and effective splits, as the first two days.

They’re time-efficient, too, by the way, because you’ve already warmed up and partially fatigued the smaller muscles when you get to them.

The second thing I build workout splits around is that I pick muscles that don’t compete (much) with each other.

Two examples here would be chest and back, or legs and shoulders. Performance remains high even in high-volume workouts with several big muscle groups because one gets to rest while the other works.

The chest + back combo is a classic from programs like the Arnold split.

What you don’t want to do is to pick combinations that create too much fatigue, either right now during your workout or as buildup over time. Deadlifts today and squats tomorrow? There may be better ways to do it.

The Best Muscle Group Combinations (Plus Workouts)

Let’s get down to brass tacks. This is what we’re here for.

Let me go through the best muscle groups to train together, with sample workouts. These workouts are all in the StrengthLog app.

1. Chest, Shoulders, and Triceps

The classic push day.

These guys are all involved in pressing exercises. Bench press, incline press, overhead press, dips, machine presses, and push-ups – you name it.

Does this combination work? Of course, and the proof is in the pudding. This is the push day of a push/pull/legs (PPL) routine, and hands-on experience tells us it’s super effective for both strength and bodybuilding.

Benefits and Drawbacks

I can think of at least two benefits.

• Once you’ve done your heavy chest presses, your triceps and front delts are already ready to rock. You don’t have to go through the rigmarole of warming up all over again.
• You train all your pressing muscles on the same day and get a proper break to recover before your next push workout.

Any drawback? Yes, the big one being fatigue overlap.

If you start with a heavy chest session, your shoulders will be semi-fried when you get to them. And don’t get me started on the triceps.

The solution is prioritization.

If you need shoulder mass, train your delts first. If your pecs take priority, start with them. And so on. Just because it’s usually called a “chest, shoulders, and triceps” workout doesn’t mean you have to train them in that order.

1.1 Chest and Triceps & Shoulders and Triceps

If you want shorter workouts, chest + triceps and shoulders + triceps are even better options. Or you might want to focus extra on chest or shoulders, and therefore move it into its own session.

Personally, I prefer this because if I do a high-volume chest and shoulder workout, I can’t really push the muscle I train last as hard as I want to.

Chest, Shoulders, and Triceps Workout

This is a great Push Day Workout for both muscle and strength.

It’s available for free in our workout log app, where you can watch exercise demonstrations and track your reps and weights.

Exercise	Sets	Reps
Bench Press	3	6
Overhead Press	3	8
Incline Dumbbell Press	3	10
Dumbbell Lateral Raise	3	12
Dumbbell Chest Flyes	2	12
Barbell Lying Triceps Extension	3	15

Do it as part of a PPL routine or as a standalone push workout in whatever split you prefer.

(We also have a chest and triceps workout and a chest and shoulder workout if you want to focus on only two push muscles at a time.)

2. Back and Biceps

Back and biceps is another classic combo.

A back day always involves pulling. Rows, pull-ups, pulldowns, machine rows, cable rows – you name it. And they all involve your biceps to some degree.

Training biceps after back is kind of a no-brainer because they’re already warm and primed. Just like chest, shoulders, and triceps make up the push day of a PPL split, back and biceps are the second P, or pull.

But it also works great if you do bro split-type training 4–6 days per week and want a dedicated pull day.

Benefits and Drawbacks

Back and biceps training just flows. You can start with heavy back movements, move into more controlled rowing and pulldown work, then finish with curls.

It can also be easier on your elbows than curling randomly throughout the week. You consolidate your elbow flexion work into one pull session. If you have elbows that complain, this can make a noticeable difference.

The only real drawback I can think of is that your direct biceps training inevitably suffers when they’re already tired from back work. It doesn’t really matter for growth, though – a muscle doesn’t know what an exercise is, only that you put it through enough mechanical tension.

Even if you struggle to build your biceps, I wouldn’t train them first in a back and biceps (or biceps and back I guess it would be) workout. Your biceps will be a limiting factor when you get to your rows and pulldowns.

If your biceps are lagging, I’d rather add a separate biceps session later in the week. Not only can you focus more on them when you actually train them, you also get an extra workout that stimulates growth.

Back and Biceps Workouts

I bring you not one but two great back and biceps workouts.

The first is our Pull Day Workout, free in the StrengthLog app.

Exercise	Sets	Reps
Deadlift	3	5
Barbell Row	3	8
Lat Pulldown	3	10
Dumbbell Row	3	10
Face Pull	2	12
Barbell Curl	2	10
Preacher Curl	2	15

This one is also fantastic as part of a PPL routine, but works just as well with any other split.

The second is our Back and Biceps Workout Routine.

It is a premium workout, meaning it requires a subscription to StrengthLog to follow in-app (you can activate a 14-day free trial to check out our premium features).

Exercise	Sets
Pull-Up or Lat Pulldown	4
Barbell Row	4
Cable Seated Row	4
Dumbbell Shrug	3
Back Extension	3
Barbell Curl	3
Hammer Curl	3
Preacher Curl	3

This one has more volume and is intended for a slightly more experienced lifter and for more bodybuilding-style training.

For the number of reps, check out the workout in the app.

3. Chest and Back

Chest and back make up one of the best combinations for high-quality upper-body work. My favorite, too, if I’m doing a 3-day split.

They don’t compete like chest and triceps or back and biceps do, so you can train both hard in the same workout, even though we’re talking big muscles that require a lot of energy.

This combo is extra great for bodybuilding and supersets (you can go back and forth between chest and back and save a ton of time).

Benefits and Drawbacks

These are so-called opposing muscle groups: chest pushes, back pulls. While your chest rests, your back can work, pretty much without any lingering fatigue, and vice versa.

That makes it great for supersets (two exercises, like bench presses and barbell rows, back-to-back) or alternating sets (chest, rest, back, rest, chest, and so on). You don’t build more muscle training like this, but it definitely keeps things moving; you can reduce your training time by ~40% with supersets.¹

And if you want extra arm training, you get a bonus arm workout when you train chest and back, because your triceps and biceps are involved in pushing and pulling. These indirect sets are often counted as 0.5 compared to 1 for direct sets.²

As for drawbacks, well, a chest and back workout is demanding, even without competition between the muscles. They’re both large muscle groups, and if you train both with a lot of sets, your workouts will become long, and your performance can fall off.

Chest and Back Workout

We have a terrific chest and back superset workout in the app – or rather, three of them: a beginner, an intermediate, and an advanced workout.

The beginner workout is free to follow in-app and looks like this:

Exercise	Sets	Reps
Bench Press + Barbell Row	2	8–10
Incline Dumbbell Press + Lat Pulldown	2	10
Standing Cable Chest Fly + Cable Seated Row	2	10–12
Finisher: Dumbbell Pullover	2	10

The intermediate and advanced versions (premium) feature higher volume and more advanced programming.

You can easily do this workout as a straight-set session, too – all the chest exercises first, then the back exercises (or vice versa). You finish with pullovers, which work both muscle groups.

4. Quads, Hamstrings, and Glutes

Leg day usually means quads, hamstrings, and glutes (plus adductors, but not everyone needs to train them specifically, as they get their fair share of work in squat-type exercises).

You can split these guys up, of course – many advanced lifters do – but a complete, dedicated leg day makes sense because most lower-body compounds involve several of them at once anyway.

Squats, leg presses, lunges, Romanian deadlifts, hip thrusts, and split squats all have overlap between the quads, hamstrings, and glutes (although squats and leg presses involve hamstrings far less than many think)

Benefits and Drawbacks

The main benefit is simplicity. You cover your entire lower body in one session, which is great if you only want to train legs 1–2 times per week. Splitting things up means one (or two) more workout(s), and not everyone wants or has time for that.

As for downsides, you’ll know it when you feel it hit. Full leg days are brutal when you train hard, especially if you do a lot of sets, too.

If you train quads hard first, your hamstring work may suffer, simply from systemic fatigue, even if there isn’t a huge overlap between muscles.

You can’t really prioritize everything in a complete leg day workout, so for advanced lifters, I do like splitting things up. Try separating quads and hamstrings if your training quality suffers.

Also, a heavy lower-body workout can and will affect the rest of your training week. Heavy squats drain recovery, and if you also do heavy deadlifts on back day, you’ll have to plan accordingly.

Leg Day Workout

Two leg workouts for your quads, hamstrings, glutes, and more.

First, our Leg Day Workout covers all major muscle groups in your lower body and is free to follow in the StrengthLog app.

Exercise	Sets	Reps
Squat	3	6
Romanian Deadlift	3	8
Bulgarian Split Squat	3	10
Seated Leg Curl	3	12
Leg Extension	3	12
Standing Calf Raise	3	15

Train it once or twice per week as part of a PPL routine, an upper/lower split, or as a stand-alone leg workout.

And hey, you even get some calf training. But I’m not going to lie: three sets aren’t going to grow them if you don’t have good calf genes (and who does?). If you’re looking to prioritize your lower legs, give my guide How to Build Big Calves a look for a dedicated calf routine and my best tips.

Next up, our Bodybuilding Leg Workout (premium). More sets, more volume, more experience recommended.

Exercise	Sets
Lying Leg Curl	4
Squat	5
Leg Press	4
Bulgarian Split Squat	3
Leg Extension	3
Seated Leg Curl	3
Romanian Deadlift	3

It also fits into most types of workout splits, although I wrote it with a body-part (bro) split in mind, where you train each muscle group once a week.

5. Shoulders and Arms

Shoulders and arms day is a favorite with bodybuilders because… it’s shoulders and arms. We’re talking delts, biceps, and triceps (or delts plus biceps or triceps). And potentially forearms.

Beginners probably don’t need a shoulders and arms day, but it can be useful for intermediates and above who already train chest and back hard. It’s a mainstay in an Arnold split.

Benefits and Drawbacks

The biggest benefit (apart from the pump) is focus.

On push day, you usually train shoulders and triceps after chest. On pull day, you train biceps after back. That’s great, but it does leave your arms and delts with the leftovers.

But with a dedicated day, you train your delts and arms when you (and they) are fresh, which can be a semi-big deal if they’re lagging. Plus, it’s easier to recover from than a heavy chest/back day or leg session.

On the flip side, you have potential weekly overlap. The benefit I just mentioned can be a downside, too: another reason why beginners don’t need to train shoulders and arms on their own day. They get enough work for these muscles anyway.

I really enjoy training shoulders and arms together, but you do have to be careful with junk volume. More sets only help if you can recover from them. And if you add this extra work without managing volume, your elbows and shoulders may not like it.

Shoulders and Arms Workout

Do we have a Shoulders and Arms Workout in the StrengthLog app? Yes, we do.

Exercise	Sets
Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Press	4
Dumbbell Lateral Raise	3
Upright Row	3
Reverse Dumbbell Flyes	3
Barbell Curl	4
Hammer Curl	3
Concentration Curl	3
Barbell Lying Triceps Extension	4
Overhead Cable Triceps Extension	3
Triceps Pushdown	3

Check out the app for the rep scheme of this premium workout.

If you enjoy an Arnold split, this workout works great on the third day (Arnold did chest + back on day 1, legs on day 2, and shoulders + arms on day 3).

6. Chest and Biceps & Back and Triceps

Less common than training chest and triceps or back and biceps together, these combinations prioritize arms more.

This way, your biceps and triceps are always relatively fresh when you train them, but there is a risk of overlap. I like this setup, though, as long as you arrange the week so recovery isn’t an issue.

Benefits and Drawbacks

Flipping the script and doing chest + biceps and back + triceps means your arms will be much fresher when you get to them. It can be a nice tweak for bodybuilders who need to bring up lagging arms.

The potential downside is that training biceps right after chest can leave them sore for your upcoming back session, where you need them again. Same with triceps and your next chest/shoulder pressing session. This isn’t automatically a problem, but you do have to plan your workout week accordingly.

Also, this combo pretty much invites you to do some kind of bro split, unless you want to pair shoulders with legs. A legs and shoulders workout is definitely doable – I’ve done them – but it won’t let you prioritize your lower body.

Overall, I don’t think this setup is inherently superior to the common push and pull combos, but it’s worth trying if you prioritize arms. And, personally, I prefer it simply because I don’t enjoy training arms as much if they’re already tired when I start.

Chest and Biceps & Back and Triceps Workouts

Why not give one of these complete workouts a go if you want to try these more unconventional pairings?

Both are written for relatively experienced lifters and bodybuilders (not recommended for beginners) and for building maximal muscle mass.

Chest and Biceps Workout

Exercise	Sets
Bench Press	4
Incline Dumbbell Press	4
Standing Cable Chest Fly	3
Push-Up	3
Barbell Curl	4
Hammer Curl	4
Incline Dumbbell Curl	4

Back and Triceps Workout

Exercise	Sets
Barbell Row	4
Lat Pulldown	4
Seated Cable Row	4
Shrug	3
Back Extension	3
Barbell Lying Triceps Extension	4
Overhead Cable Triceps Extension	4
Pushdown

Both these workouts are superb as parts of an arm-focused body-part split.

Other Muscle Group Combinations to Work Out Together

Are other combinations than these trash?

Of course not. I train hamstrings with shoulders right now, and I really like it. That one’s not available in our app (yet), but these combos are:

• Back and Shoulder Workout (same benefits as training back with chest: very little overlap)
• Legs and Shoulders Workout (I briefly mentioned this one earlier)
• Shoulders and Abs Workout (abs can be trained with anything)
• Glutes and Hamstrings Workout (if you want a party in the rear without inviting the quads)

Follow These Workouts in StrengthLog

You’ve heard me yapping about this “StrengthLog app” for a while now.

It’s our workout app, where you can log your workouts, follow our proven workouts and programs, and track your progress.

The app makes it super easy to keep track of your weights and reps and make sure you’re on the right path.

Many of our workouts and programs are free to follow in-app, but some include advanced programming and require a subscription.

You can activate a free 14-day trial in the app, no strings attached and no funny business.

Final Rep

You don’t automatically build more muscle and strength by training certain muscle groups together.

That being said, some combinations make more sense than others.

The best ones are those that let you train hard, recover, and progress, without interference or overlap.

But don’t overcomplicate it. Pick a split that fits your schedule, and put your priority muscles first. And have fun.

Want to make everything easier? Pick one of our ready-to-go workouts and hit the gym.

Thanks for reading, and good luck with your training.

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Last reviewed: 2026-09-04

References

1. Sports Med. 2025 Apr;55(4):953-975. Superset Versus Traditional Resistance Training Prescriptions: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis Exploring Acute and Chronic Effects on Mechanical, Metabolic, and Perceptual Variables.
2. Sports Med. 2026 Feb;56(2):481-505. The Resistance Training Dose Response: Meta-Regressions Exploring the Effects of Weekly Volume and Frequency on Muscle Hypertrophy and Strength Gains.