Exercise library

The classic barbell squat, a cornerstone lower-body strength lift.

A squat loaded from the hips by a belt, so the legs work with nothing on the spine.

A squat to a box, which fixes the depth and teaches sitting back into the hips.

A single-leg squat that builds the quads and glutes and exposes imbalances.

A single-leg cable movement that isolates the glutes through hip extension.

A cable hip hinge that teaches the pattern and loads the glutes, back-friendly.

A full-body pull from the floor, one of the best total strength builders.

A crossing-behind lunge that biases the glute medius and the outside of the hip.

A squat with the bar on the front of the shoulders, quad-focused and upright.

A floor-based hip extension for the glutes: the regression of the hip thrust.

A hamstring curl done with your own bodyweight on a glute ham developer.

A dumbbell or kettlebell squat held at the chest, great for learning the pattern.

A barbell hip hinge that builds the hamstrings, glutes and back with light loads.

A machine squat on an angled sled that loads the quads hard with the back supported.

A seated machine for the glute medius, the side-hip muscle that stabilises every step.

A seated machine that trains the inner thigh through a range other lifts never touch.

A hip-extension movement that loads the glutes directly.

A sideways lunge that trains the adductors and hip range that forward work misses.

A machine isolation exercise that targets the quadriceps directly.

A machine squat pattern that lets you load the legs with a supported back.

Calf raises done on the leg press sled, with the load off your spine.

A machine isolation exercise that trains the hamstrings' knee-bending role.

A brutal bodyweight eccentric with strong evidence for reducing hamstring injuries.

A full-depth squat on one leg, the benchmark for lower-body strength without a barbell.

A partial deadlift from blocks or pins, training the top half with heavier loads.

A hip extension with the torso fixed, training glutes and hamstrings with a light spine.

A backwards-stepping lunge that is kinder to the knees than the forward version.

A hip-hinge that targets the hamstrings and glutes through the stretch.

A bent-knee calf raise that targets the deeper soleus muscle.

A machine hamstring curl performed with the hips flexed, training the hamstrings at length.

A one-legged hinge that trains hamstrings, glutes and balance in one movement.

A knees-forward squat that stretches and loads the quads through a long range.

A squat on a fixed bar path, useful for training close to failure without a spotter.

A stationary lunge that loads one leg at a time without the balance tax of a rear-foot-elevated stance.

The main isolation exercise for the calves, emphasising the gastrocnemius.

Stepping onto a box on one leg: simple, scalable and highly transferable.

A wide-stance deadlift that shortens the range and shares load with the hips and quads.

A deadlift from inside a hexagonal bar: easier on the back and simpler to learn.

A travelling single-leg lunge that builds the quads and glutes and challenges balance.

An isometric squat hold against a wall, measured in seconds rather than reps.

A dumbbell shoulder press with a rotation, working the front and side delts through a longer range.

A dip on a counterweighted machine, so you can train the pattern before you own it.

A triceps dip with the hands behind you on a bench and the feet on the floor.

The benchmark horizontal press for chest, shoulders and triceps.

A cable isolation movement that trains the chest through a big stretch and squeeze.

A lateral raise against a cable, keeping tension on the side delt from the first inch.

A triceps extension with the arms overhead, loading the long head at full stretch.

A bench press with the hands closer in, biasing the triceps.

A bench press on a declined bench, emphasising the lower chest.

A push-up with the feet raised, loading the upper chest and shoulders harder.

A narrow-hand push-up that shifts the work onto the triceps.

A bodyweight vertical press for the lower chest, triceps and shoulders.

A bench press with dumbbells, giving greater range and even side-to-side loading.

A vertical press with dumbbells that builds the shoulders through a full range.

A bench press from the floor, cutting the bottom range and sparing the shoulders.

A raise to the front that isolates the anterior deltoid.

A bench press on an incline that emphasises the upper chest and shoulders.

An upper-chest press with dumbbells: full range, even sides, friendly shoulders.

A push-up with the hands raised, the standard way to earn a full one.

An angled press with one end of a barbell anchored, kind to cranky shoulders.

The key isolation exercise for the side delts and shoulder width.

A guided pressing machine: the safest way to push a chest set close to failure.

A seated lateral raise with the resistance curve handled by the machine.

A guided vertical press: the safest way to push shoulders close to failure.

A standing vertical press that builds strong, capable shoulders.

An extension performed with the arms overhead, the strongest stretch position for the triceps.

A machine fly that isolates the chest with a guided arc and constant tension.

A bodyweight overhead press, done in an inverted V with the hips high.

A scalable bodyweight press for the chest, shoulders and triceps.

A lying triceps extension that loads the long head of the triceps at length.

A bench press on rails, letting you train close to failure with no spotter.

A cable isolation exercise for the triceps.

A vertical pull to the chest that trains the side deltoids and traps together.

An overhead press seated on the floor with legs straight, with nothing to cheat with.

A pull-up with a counterweight or band: the direct road to the real thing.

A barbell biceps curl that lets you load the arms with the most weight.

A hinged horizontal pull that builds a thick, strong back.

A biceps curl with constant tension from top to bottom.

A row with your chest on a pad: all back, no lower-back fatigue.

An underhand vertical pull that hits the lats hard and the biceps harder.

A seated single-arm curl braced against the thigh, the strictest curl there is.

The classic isolation exercise for the biceps.

An old-school lift that takes the lats and chest through a long overhead stretch.

A single-arm horizontal pull that builds the back and evens out imbalances.

A cable pull to the face that builds the rear delts and upper-back health.

A neutral-grip curl that builds the biceps and the brachialis and forearms.

A curl on an incline bench, loading the biceps in its stretched position.

A bodyweight row under a fixed bar, scalable from beginner to hard by foot position.

A cable vertical pull, the scalable stand-in for the pull-up.

A chest-supported row on a fixed path, easy to load heavily and hard to cheat.

A single-arm row on the end of a landmine bar, hitting the lat through a long arc.

A barbell row from a dead stop on the floor, each rep starting fresh.

A curl on an angled pad that removes the swing and loads the biceps at length.

A bodyweight vertical pull and a benchmark of relative upper-body strength.

An isolation movement for the rear deltoid, the most commonly neglected shoulder head.

A dumbbell row from a push-up position, where the core pays for every rep.

A curl with the palms down, training the brachialis and the top of the forearm.

A row lying face down on a raised bench, with the lower back taken out entirely.

A supported horizontal pull with constant cable tension for the mid-back.

A direct trap-builder, elevating the shoulders against load.

A one-armed pulldown with a longer range and no strong side compensating.

A curl leaning face down on an incline bench, strict through the top half.

A cable pullover that isolates the lat with no help from the biceps.

A heavy, neutral-grip row for thickness through the mid-back.

A small-range forearm curl that builds grip endurance and forearm size.

A demanding anti-extension exercise using a rolling wheel.

A posterior-chain movement for the lower-back muscles, glutes and hamstrings.

An alternating crunch with rotation, working the obliques as well as the abs.

A four-point drill training anti-rotation and spinal control.

A loadable crunch that lets you progressively overload the abs.

A rotational cable movement training the obliques through a full range.

A side plank with the top leg on a bench, loading the adductors hard.

The basic abdominal curl: a short range, done properly, for the rectus abdominis.

A floor-based anti-extension drill that teaches bracing without loading the spine.

A simple hang from a bar for grip, shoulder health and decompression.

A full-body lowering from shoulders to toes, the hardest classic ab movement.

A hanging leg raise with the knees bent, the step before straight legs.

A hanging movement that trains the lower abs through hip flexion.

A gymnastics isometric that trains a rigid, braced trunk position.

A supported hold with straight legs out in front, at parallel bars or on the floor.

A floor leg raise, the accessible step toward hanging work.

A plank with alternating knee drives, part core work and part conditioning.

An anti-rotation exercise that trains the core to resist twisting.

An isometric hold that trains the core to resist extension and stay rigid.

A crunch from the bottom up: the pelvis curls toward the ribs, not the other way.

A seated rotational core exercise: popular, and more often done badly than well.

An isometric hold that trains the obliques and lateral trunk stability.

A full curl from the floor to upright, training abs and hip flexors together.

A face-down hold or lift for the muscles along the back of the spine.

A simultaneous leg raise and crunch that folds the body into a V.

Walking with heavy weight in both hands: grip, trunk and work capacity in one.

Carrying weight at shoulder height: brutal on the trunk and upper back.

A walk with the load locked out overhead, brutal for shoulder stability.

A carry with an awkward, shifting load hugged to the chest.

Driving a loaded sled forward: hard conditioning with almost no soreness afterwards.

A one-sided carry that forces the trunk to resist sideways bending.

A strongman carry with a loaded frame on the back, the heaviest carry there is.

A jump onto a raised platform, training explosive leg power.

A maximal horizontal jump: a simple, measurable test of lower-body power.

A drop to the floor, a push-up and a jump, done as fast as you can repeat it.

The Olympic lift: floor to shoulders, then shoulders to overhead.

A drop from a box straight into a maximal jump, the classic plyometric.

A clean started from the thigh, teaching the pull without the floor set-up.

A hinge-driven pull that lands the bell in the rack position on the forearm.

An explosive hip hinge that builds power and conditioning at once.

An overhead slam that trains fast trunk flexion and doubles as conditioning.

An explosive pull from the floor to the shoulders: the classic power lift.

An overhead press with a leg drive, letting you move more than a strict press.

Floor to overhead in one movement, the fastest lift in the gym.

A front squat straight into an overhead press, the most demanding barbell combination.