Let's take a deeper look into the major muscle groups of the upper body.
Biceps
Triceps
Deltoid
Pectoralis Major
As you can see in the picture, the bicep is located in the front of your upper arm. Your bicep is used in many daily activities. Can you think of any activity that might utilize this muscle daily? Some common things that use this muscle are carrying bags or packages (grocery shopping), picking up objects from the ground, and opening a door to name just a few. Challenge yourself to see if you can think of additional things or activities you might do that use this muscle.
The tricep muscle is located behind the bicep muscle, in the back of the upper arm. When you use your bicep, the tricep muscle acts as a stabilizer. The same is true in the reverse: when the tricep is being used, the bicep acts as a stabilizer. It is very important that both of these muscles are equally strong so that they don't have to compensate for one another. Challenge yourself to see if you can think of an exercise with either a dumbbell or barbell that would focus primarily on this muscle.
Your deltoid is located above your tricep and bicep and extends up over your shoulder as shown in the picture. This muscle is used when lifting items over your head in any direction. Can you think of activities or daily tasks where this is necessary? If you cannot, can you think of an exercise you might do to increase the strength of this muscle?
A common, less professional term for the pectoralis major are the pecs or your chest muscles. It is ok to use these terms; however, please make sure you know the professional term for this muscle and use it throughout the course if prompted for it. As shown in the image, doing a bench press with either dumbbells or a barbell is a common exercise that increases the endurance or strength of this set of muscles.
