1.1.b. The structure and function of the muscular system - Location of major muscle groups — OCR GCSE Physical Education
Verified courseTeaching note checked against the official specification.
1.1.b. The structure and function of the muscular system - Location of major muscle groups explained
This item tests whether you can name each listed muscle group, place it on the body and link it to a sporting action.
Read the full explanation
Learn location by region: deltoid caps the shoulder; trapezius spans the upper back and neck; latissimus dorsi sweeps across the lower back to the armpit; pectorals sit on the chest; biceps are at the front of the upper arm and triceps at the back; abdominals run down the front of the trunk; quadriceps are at the front of the thigh and hamstrings at the back; gluteals form the buttocks; gastrocnemius is the calf muscle. Then attach an action: deltoid lifts the arm in a swimming recovery, gastrocnemius plantar-flexes the ankle in a sprint take-off, quadriceps extend the knee in a football kick. In a multiple-choice question, eliminate options that put a muscle in the wrong region or pair it with an action it cannot produce.
Your focus
- Name all eleven listed muscle groups accurately.
- Locate each muscle group on the human body by region.
- Apply each muscle group to a realistic example from physical activity or sport.
1.1.b. The structure and function of the muscular system - Location of major muscle groups exam tips
Marking Points
- Names the deltoid as the muscle covering the shoulder joint and links it to raising or rotating the arm.
- Places the trapezius across the upper back and neck and links it to lifting or rotating the shoulder girdle.
- Identifies the latissimus dorsi on the lower back and side of the trunk and links it to pulling the arm downward, as in a swimming pull.
- Locates the pectorals on the chest and links them to pushing or drawing the arm across the body.
- Distinguishes the biceps at the front of the upper arm from the triceps at the back and links each to elbow flexion and extension respectively.
- Places the abdominals on the front of the trunk and links them to flexing the spine or stabilising the core.
- Separates the quadriceps at the front of the thigh from the hamstrings at the back and links each to knee extension and knee flexion respectively.
- Locates the gluteals at the buttocks and links them to hip extension, as in driving forward in a sprint.
- Identifies the gastrocnemius as the calf muscle and links it to plantar flexion at the ankle, as in a jump take-off.
Examiner Tips
- 💡Learn each muscle with a body-region label and one sporting action so a question can be answered from either direction.
- 💡When options name actions, check the joint the muscle crosses before choosing.
- 💡Use elimination: reject any option that puts a listed muscle in the wrong body region.
- 💡Rehearse the full list of eleven muscle groups so none is forgotten under exam pressure.
Common Mistakes
- Places the hamstrings at the front of the thigh; correct this by locating them at the back of the thigh, opposing the quadriceps.
- Confuses the latissimus dorsi with the trapezius; correct this by keeping the latissimus dorsi on the lower back and side of the trunk and the trapezius on the upper back and neck.
- Assigns the gastrocnemius to the thigh; correct this by placing it in the calf of the lower leg.
- Links the biceps to straightening the elbow; correct this by linking the biceps to elbow flexion and the triceps to extension.