Any personal trainer will tell you that the key to getting the most out of your gym session is knowing what areas of your body you're working.
But a new study reveals a whopping three quarters of Brits are unable to locate basic body muscle groups and therefore fail to focus on key areas when working out.
The study of 2,000 people, conducted by Virgin Active, revealed that nearly 50% had no idea what triceps were.
A third of those surveyed couldn’t say where in the body the pectorals were located and nearly 10% thought their glutes were in their stomach.
The body confusion continued with 60% struggling to locate their quadriceps - thinking they can be found in the arm, the stomach or even their nose rather than the upper leg.
Only 25% knew that the deltoids were located in the shoulder, with over 10% thinking they were in the upper leg and 32% admitting they had absolutely no idea.
Alarmingly, 75% of those surveyed revealed that they had an "average to poor" understanding of the different muscle groups they are exercising when working out, with half saying they focused purely on the stomach, arms or upper legs, ignoring other muscles.
“The results show just how much of an opportunity there is for us to build knowledge about our own bodies, and how to improve our movement and wellbeing just by being more conscious of what we are trying to achieve," said Andy Birch, Head of Fitness for Virgin Active.
"Modern lives lead us to being increasingly sedentary and the data shows we’re not only unsure of the names and locations of these muscles, but that as a result, we are not exercising our whole body, instead becoming overly focused on specific areas and falling into routines that we are comfortable with."
The top 5 least recognised muscles were:
1. Masseter (the jaw) – 85%
2. Brachioradialis (the lower arm)– 73%
3. Gastrocnemius (the lower leg) – 67%
4. Rotator Cuff (the shoulder) – 58%
5. Biceps femoris (the upper leg) – 52%
Londoners surveyed had the best knowledge of muscle groups, while those from the Midlands were the most confused.
Understanding the body is key to getting the most from your workout. If you've made the effort to go to the gym, you deserve to get the results you want.
We previously spoke to Kieran Fisher, managing director of Bodybuilding Warehouse, to find out about the common gym mistakes to avoid if you want to see the best results.
Scroll through the slideshow for his tips...
