Every lift is a movement pattern first. Learn the big patterns, then the variations make sense.
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5 lessons · ~27 min · in this order- 1Back SquatsThe high-bar back squat: the bar sits across the upper back, and the three vasti, gluteus maximus and adductor magnus drive you up from as deep as you can control.Begin →
- 2Deadlifts (bent knee)Lift a bar from the floor to standing by pushing the floor away and driving your hips forward, with straight arms and a braced back that holds its natural curve. Hips, knees and back all work hard. Start with a trap bar or a light load from blocks, and add weight only while your back position holds.7 min
- 3Bench PressFlat horizontal-adduction press driven by the sternal pectoralis major, with anterior deltoid, triceps and serratus anterior assisting; the chest mass exercise and one of the three powerlifts.2 min
- 4Bent-Over Barbell RowHinge forward with a neutral back and pull the bar to your lower ribs. The lats and teres major drive the pull, the rear delts and mid-back finish it, and your back muscles hold the hinge the whole time, so it is a heavy row with a real low-back demand.8 min
- 5Strict Overhead Press (Military Press)Stand tall, brace, and press the bar from your collarbones to straight arms overhead with no leg drive, moving your head out of the way and back under the bar. The front deltoid leads, the side deltoid, triceps and the muscles that rotate the shoulder blade upward help, and your trunk holds you rigid.7 min
Every Exercises topic
85 topics
- Alternate Dumbbell Curls1 minExercise · Alternating dumbbell biceps curl, paired with barbell curls as the major-muscle biceps exercise for muscle balance.
- Back Extensions1 minExercise · Spinal-extension exercise for the erector spinae (sacrospinalis).
- Back Squats3 minExercise · The high-bar back squat: the bar sits across the upper back, and the three vasti, gluteus maximus and adductor magnus drive you up from as deep as you can control.
- Barbell Hip Thrust8 minApplied lesson · With your upper back on a bench and a padded bar across your hips, drive your hips up until your body is straight from knees to shoulders. It loads the glutes hardest at the top. In training, it builds the glutes about as well as the squat, but it builds the thighs less.
- Behind Neck Press1 minExercise · Behind-the-neck overhead press for the anterior deltoid — explicitly NOT recommended because it involves too much external rotation.
- Bench Dip1 minExercise · Triceps dip variation hitting all three heads of the triceps via elbow extension.
- Bench Press2 minExercise · Flat horizontal-adduction press driven by the sternal pectoralis major, with anterior deltoid, triceps and serratus anterior assisting; the chest mass exercise and one of the three powerlifts.
- Bent Over One Arm Rows (Dumbbell, Neutral Grip)1 minExercise · Single-arm dumbbell row (neutral grip) working the latissimus dorsi (lower lats).
- Bent-Over Barbell Row8 minApplied lesson · Hinge forward with a neutral back and pull the bar to your lower ribs. The lats and teres major drive the pull, the rear delts and mid-back finish it, and your back muscles hold the hinge the whole time, so it is a heavy row with a real low-back demand.
- Bicep Curls (Barbell)1 minExercise · The basic barbell (or cable) biceps curl — the major-muscle-balance biceps exercise in the FSU strength-conditioning program.
- Bulgarian Split Squat7 minApplied lesson · With your back foot on a bench behind you, lower straight down on your front leg until your back knee nears the floor, then stand. Your front leg does about 85% of the work. It trains the quads and glutes one side at a time with much less load on the bar than a back squat.
- Butt Blaster1 minExercise · Machine glute exercise (Butt Blaster) training the gluteus maximus via hip extension.
- Chin-ups1 minExercise · Body-weight pull-up working the latissimus dorsi; grip orientation shifts the emphasis between upper and lower lats.
- Concentration Curls1 minExercise · Single-arm seated dumbbell curl listed in the "contracted" position of the Positions-of-Flexion biceps chart.
- Cross Over Cables1 minExercise · Standing cable crossover flye for the sternal pectoralis major; trunk angle changes the emphasis and the secondary muscles.
- Crunches1 minExercise · The basic spinal-flexion abdominal exercise placed in the "contracted" position of the Positions-of-Flexion abs chart; targets the rectus abdominus.
- Deadlifts (bent knee)7 minApplied lesson · Lift a bar from the floor to standing by pushing the floor away and driving your hips forward, with straight arms and a braced back that holds its natural curve. Hips, knees and back all work hard. Start with a trap bar or a light load from blocks, and add weight only while your back position holds.
- Decline Presses1 minExercise · Declined chest press (MEO sternal pecs) — listed but noted as not important to perform.
- Dips1 minExercise · Body-weight (or assisted) dip working the pectoralis major, triceps and anterior deltoid — but causing extreme shoulder hyperextension, so ROM is limited to 45 degrees.
- Donkey Calf Raises1 minExercise · Bent-at-the-hip calf raise (G, S) emphasizing the gastrocnemius; ensure a vertical motion rather than pivoting around the axis.
- Dumbbell Flyes7 minApplied lesson · The fly trains the chest by bringing the arms together in a wide arc with the elbows held slightly bent and still. It uses far less weight than a press because of the long lever, and it builds chest size on its own. Use it beside a press, and lower only to a stretch you can control.
- Dumbbell Kickback1 minExercise · Bent-over dumbbell triceps kickback emphasizing the lateral and medial heads; placed in the "contracted" position of the triceps Positions-of-Flexion chart.
- Dumbbell Shoulder Extensions1 minExercise · Dumbbell shoulder-extension/horizontal-abduction movement for the under-trained posterior deltoid.
- Dumbbell Step-Up7 minApplied lesson · Holding dumbbells, put one foot on a box or bench and drive through it to stand on top, then step down under control. It's a simple single-leg lift for the quads and glutes. Box height and step direction change which muscles work most.
- Farmer's Carry7 minApplied lesson · Pick up a heavy weight in each hand and walk tall. The farmer's carry trains grip, upper back and the whole trunk at once, with the trunk muscles stiffening to keep you upright while you walk. Carry one weight on one side (the suitcase carry) to make your trunk resist side-bending.
- Flat Dumbbell Bench Press8 minApplied lesson · The dumbbell bench press trains the chest, front shoulders and triceps like the barbell bench, with about 15% less weight, the same chest and front-shoulder activity, and each arm working on its own. Lower under control to a comfortable stretch, press straight up, and add load only while your shoulders stay settled on the bench.
- French Press1 minExercise · Overhead French press — an excellent exercise to train the long head of the triceps.
- Front Arm Raises1 minExercise · Front (forward-flexion) raise isolating the anterior deltoid, with trapezius, clavicular pec and serratus anterior assisting.
- Front Squats1 minExercise · Squat with the bar held in front (front bar placement), working all four quads with adductor and glute assistance.
- Glute-Ham Developer1 minExercise · Glute-ham developer (GHD) exercise listed as a hamstring/hip-extensor movement and as an intermediate low-back exercise.
- Glute-Ham-Gastroc Raises1 minExercise · Glute-ham developer raise working three joints — hip (upper hamstrings + glutes), knee (lower hamstring + gastrocnemius), and back extension (erector spinae).
- Good Mornings1 minExercise · Bent-forward barbell hip-hinge for the hamstrings and erector spinae; placed in the "midrange" position of the Positions-of-Flexion hamstrings chart.
- Hack Squats1 minExercise · Machine hack squat emphasizing vastus lateralis and intermedius plus the adductors; intermediate quad exercise.
- Hammer Curls1 minExercise · Neutral-grip ("hammer") curl that targets the long head of the biceps and brings the brachialis and brachioradialis strongly into play.
- Hanging Leg Raises1 minExercise · Hanging leg raise that works the rectus abdominus together with the hip flexors (iliopsoas, pectineus, rectus femoris).
- Hip Abduction1 minExercise · Outer-hip machine movement training the gluteus medius and gluteus minimus; also listed as the vastus medialis exercise.
- Hip Adduction1 minExercise · Inner-thigh machine movement training the five hip adductors (pectineus, adductor brevis/longus/magnus, gracilis).
- Hip Drop (Pelvic Drop)4 minExercise · Stand single-leg on a step edge and let the opposite hip drop below level under control, then hike it back up — the classic gluteus-medius rehab drill that trains the exact frontal-plane hip control a Trendelenburg gait lacks. Also called the "pelvic drop" or "hip hike" in the rehab literature — not to be confused with "hip dips," the common slang term for the soft-tissue indentation below the hip, which is a body-shape feature, not an exercise.
- Hip Extensions1 minExercise · Machine hip-extension movement training the gluteus maximus and hamstrings.
- Hip Flexion1 minExercise · Machine hip-flexion movement training the four major hip flexors (iliopsoas, rectus femoris, tensor fascia lata, sartorius), also engaging the abdominals.
- Horizontal Tricep Extension With Rope1 minExercise · Rope cable triceps extension performed horizontally, emphasizing the lateral head.
- Incline Bench Press1 minExercise · Inclined press biasing the upper (clavicular) pectoralis major, with anterior deltoid, triceps and serratus anterior assisting.
- Incline Calf Raises1 minExercise · Incline calf raise (G, S) training the gastrocnemius and soleus via plantar flexion; an intermediate calf selection.
- Incline Seated Dumbbell Curls1 minExercise · Seated incline dumbbell curl that biases the outer (lateral / long) head of the biceps brachii, with brachialis and brachioradialis assisting.
- Incline Sit-ups1 minExercise · Sit-up on a decline/incline bench working the rectus abdominus and external obliques; the more upward travel, the more the hip flexors take over.
- Internal/External Shoulder Rotation1 minExercise · Light-resistance internal and external rotation movements that train the four rotator-cuff (SITS) muscles.
- Inverted Squat1 minExercise · Machine inverted-squat (TK Inverted) supplementary quadriceps exercise.
- Kettlebell Swing1 minExercise · A ballistic hip-hinge that propels a kettlebell forward using a powerful hip snap — building posterior-chain power and conditioning.
- Lat Pulldown8 minApplied lesson · Pull the bar to your upper chest in front of your face, with your shoulder blades drawn down. An overhand grip one to two times shoulder width works the lats about equally well, so pick the width that lets you use full range, and skip behind-the-neck pulls.
- Lateral Raises1 minExercise · Standing/seated arm abduction raise emphasizing the medial deltoid (true abduction involving all three heads plus supraspinatus).
- Leg Curl (Hamstring Curl)2 minExercise · Machine knee-flexion exercise isolating the hamstrings (biceps femoris, semitendinosus, semimembranosus), with the hip stabilized.
- Leg Extension1 minExercise · Machine knee-extension isolating all four quads; a rotary (open-chain) movement with specific knee-joint alignment notes.
- Leg Presses (45 degree)1 minExercise · 45-degree leg press working the quads and adductors; a supplementary substitute for the squat with no spinal compression.
- Low-Bar Squat2 minExercise · Bar rests low across the posterior deltoids, forcing more forward lean and hip hinge than the high-bar back squat — shifting emphasis to the glutes, hamstrings, and adductor magnus, at some cost to knee-dominant quad (rectus femoris) involvement.
- Lunges1 minExercise · Lunge emphasizing the adductors and gluteus maximus, with the quads assisting; a key gluteus maximus exercise.
- Lying Tricep Extension1 minExercise · Lying triceps extension emphasizing the long head; more effective on a decline bench with an EZ-curl bar.
- Narrow Grip Bench Press1 minExercise · Close/narrow-grip bench press emphasizing the lateral and medial triceps heads, with the long head assisting.
- One Arm Tricep Pushdown (Reverse Grip)1 minExercise · Reverse-grip single-arm cable pushdown working all three triceps heads — described as one of the best triceps exercises.
- Overhead Tricep Extension (Dumbbell)1 minExercise · Overhead dumbbell triceps extension working all three heads via elbow extension.
- Pec Deck1 minExercise · Machine pec-deck flye; performing it with a slightly bent elbow gives a stronger contraction for the sternal pectoralis and anterior deltoid.
- Preacher Curls1 minExercise · Biceps curl performed over a preacher (Scott) bench, listed in the "stretch" position of the Positions-of-Flexion biceps chart.
- Pullovers2 minExercise · Shoulder-extension pullover listed for the latissimus dorsi and flagged "not effective" for the chest by the source — but current EMG research finds the opposite: it's primarily a chest exercise, more effective for pecs than lats.
- Push-ups1 minExercise · Body-weight pressing exercise for the chest, triceps and anterior deltoid; an example of shoulder-joint extension.
- Reverse Crunches1 minExercise · Lower-abdominal crunch bringing the pelvis toward the ribs; also listed as a hip-flexor exercise.
- Reverse Curls1 minExercise · Pronated-grip curl that trains the forearm extensors/brachioradialis; an intermediate forearm exercise.
- Romanian Deadlift8 minApplied lesson · Hold a bar at arm's length, keep your knees softly bent, and push your hips back until you feel a strong hamstring stretch, then drive your hips forward to stand. It trains the hamstrings and glutes through a long range. The cable pull-through teaches the same hinge with a lighter load.
- Rope Crunches1 minExercise · Kneeling cable crunch with a rope attachment, flexing the spine to work the rectus abdominus with oblique assistance.
- Seated Calf Raises1 minExercise · Bent-knee calf raise that isolates the soleus (which crosses only the ankle) via plantar flexion.
- Seated Rows1 minExercise · Seated cable row; a neutral grip emphasizes the lats (shoulder extension), while a pronated grip emphasizes the traps, rhomboids and posterior delts.
- Shoulder Shrugs1 minExercise · Scapular-elevation shrug isolating the upper trapezius, with rhomboid assistance.
- Side Bends1 minExercise · Lateral trunk-flexion exercise training the obliques and quadratus lumborum, with erector spinae assisting.
- Side Lying Horizontal Abduction1 minExercise · Side-lying dumbbell raise that isolates the posterior deltoid through its key movement, horizontal abduction.
- Sissy Squats1 minExercise · Body-weight knee-dominant squat that works all four quadriceps; placed in the "stretch" position of the Positions-of-Flexion quad chart.
- Squats7 minApplied lesson · The squat is the main multi-joint lower-body lift. The knees and hips extend together, driven by the three vasti, the glutes and the adductors. Squat to at least thighs-parallel, deeper if you control it with a braced trunk and heels down, and let your knees travel forward over your toes as they naturally do.
- Standing Barbell Curls1 minExercise · Standing barbell curl working the short and long heads of the biceps; the classic exercise used to demonstrate the cheat system and biceps strength curve.
- Standing Calf Raises1 minExercise · Straight-knee calf raise that loads the gastrocnemius (which becomes ineffective when the knee is flexed) via plantar flexion.
- Stiff-Legged Deadlift1 minExercise · Straight-leg hip-extension deadlift that trains the hamstrings (knee stabilized), with glutes and erector spinae assisting.
- Straight Barbell Curls (narrow grip)1 minExercise · Narrow-grip straight-bar curl that works the short head, long head, brachialis and brachioradialis as primary muscles.
- Strict Overhead Press (Military Press)7 minApplied lesson · Stand tall, brace, and press the bar from your collarbones to straight arms overhead with no leg drive, moving your head out of the way and back under the bar. The front deltoid leads, the side deltoid, triceps and the muscles that rotate the shoulder blade upward help, and your trunk holds you rigid.
- Supinated Dumbbell Curls1 minExercise · Dumbbell curl performed with supination, working the long and short heads of the biceps; dumbbells are excellent for the supination movement.
- T-Bar Row1 minExercise · T-bar rowing movement for the lats and traps; lean forward as the bar comes toward the upper pecs to allow proper movement.
- Tricep Pushdowns1 minExercise · Cable triceps pushdown working all three heads; the basic/major-muscle triceps exercise and a novice selection.
- Trunk Twists (Rotary Torso)1 minExercise · Seated machine torso rotation (rotary torso) working the obliques and erector spinae; rotates the torso ~40 degrees with hips fixed.
- Upright Rows1 minExercise · Upright row training all three parts of the trapezius (and used for medial-deltoid work via upright rowing), with deltoid and arm-flexor assistance.
- Wrist Curls1 minExercise · Forearm flexor exercise working the flexor carpi ulnaris and flexor carpi radialis via wrist flexion.
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