Exercise library: every lift on this site, by body area and by equipment

Every lift that has its own page on this site is listed here, 69 in all. Each line is the exercise, the equipment it uses, and how it's done in one sentence, taken from its page's short answer. The link goes to the full guide: how to do it, what it trains, and the versions, faults and sets that page covers.

The library is sorted two ways. First by body area, which is how most people look for a lift. Then by equipment, for a home gym with only dumbbells, a hotel gym with only cables, or a living room with nothing. A lift that works with more than one kind of kit appears under each.

If you're deciding what to put in a week rather than how to do one lift, start with compound exercises, which explains the movement patterns a week needs, and the free workout plans, which put them in order. New to the words? The glossary defines them.

Legs: quads, shins and the front of the thigh (17)

• Bodyweight squat (bodyweight): Shoulder-width stance, arms forward, sit as deep as your heels stay down. Start to a bench; once twenty reps are easy, slow the lowering, pause at the bottom or add a weight.
• Box squat (barbell, dumbbell, kettlebell): Squat back and down to a box set at about parallel, pause without relaxing, then stand.
• Bulgarian split squat (dumbbell, bodyweight): Back foot on a knee-high bench, lower until the back knee nearly touches the floor, drive up through the front foot. A longer step and a slight lean shift the work to the hips.
• Front squat (barbell, dumbbell): The bar across the front of the shoulders, elbows high, torso upright, straight down between the heels. Trains the legs much like a back squat with a lighter bar.
• Goblet squat (dumbbell, kettlebell): One dumbbell or kettlebell held against your chest; sit down between your heels with your elbows inside your knees, then stand. The beginner's squat, and the step before the barbell.
• Hack squat (cable and machine): Back flat on the pad, feet in the middle of the platform, lower to at least parallel and press up through the whole foot.
• Leg extension (cable and machine, bodyweight): Knees lined up with the pivot, pad just above the ankles, straighten to nearly locked, then lower slowly to a deep knee bend. Don't skip the bottom half.
• Leg press (cable and machine): Back and hips flat on the pad, lower to about a right angle or deeper without the hips lifting off the seat, then press. Feet higher shifts work to the glutes; lower, to the front of the thigh.
• Lunges (bodyweight, dumbbell): A long step, both knees bent to about 90 degrees, front heel down, push through the front foot to stand. Start with bodyweight reverse lunges, then hold dumbbells.
• Overhead squat (barbell, dumbbell, kettlebell): A squat with the bar held overhead on straight arms, wide grip, as deep as you can keep it over the middle of your feet.
• Pistol squat (bodyweight): A squat on one leg with the other held straight out in front, heel flat. Build to it with box and assisted versions.
• Squat (barbell, dumbbell): Shoulder-width stance, brace, sit down between your heels as deep as you can hold the position, then stand. Depth matters: full range built more strength and leg muscle than partial reps.
• Step-ups (dumbbell, bodyweight): One whole foot on a box about knee height, stand up through that heel and let the back foot follow, step down under control. After your squat or hinge.
• Sumo squat (dumbbell, kettlebell, barbell): Feet well outside the shoulders, toes turned out, a weight held between the legs; sit straight down between the heels. The wide stance changes inner-thigh and glute activity.
• Tibialis raises (bodyweight, dumbbell, kettlebell, cable and machine): Back against a wall with the heels about a foot out, lift the toes as high as you can toward the shins, then lower slowly. The muscle on the front of the shin.
• Wall sit (bodyweight): Back flat against a wall, slide down until the thighs are about level with the floor, knees over the ankles, and hold while breathing normally.
• Zercher squat (barbell): The bar cradled in the crooks of the elbows, hands together, torso upright, squat straight down.

Glutes, hamstrings and hips (12)

• Back extension (cable and machine, bodyweight): Pad just below the hip bones, heels hooked, hinge forward from the hips with the back held still, rise until the body forms one line. The 45-degree bench and the glute version.
• Deadlift (barbell): Learn the hip hinge first: hips back, knees slightly bent, back straight, then stand by driving the hips forward. Then pick the conventional, trap-bar or Romanian version.
• Glute bridge (bodyweight, dumbbell, barbell, cable and machine): On your back with the knees bent and feet flat, push through the heels until the body is straight from shoulders to knees, pause, then lower. The floor version of the hip thrust.
• Glute kickback (cable and machine, bodyweight): Brace against the machine or cable column and drive one leg straight back from the hip until it lines up with the body, without arching the lower back; lower it slowly.
• Good mornings (barbell, dumbbell, kettlebell, bodyweight): The bar across the upper back, hips back and bow forward until the hamstrings are stretched or the torso nears parallel, then drive the hips forward. Start light.
• Hip abduction and adduction machines (cable and machine): Pads on the outsides of the knees and push apart as far as you can control, or pads inside the knees and squeeze together. The outer and inner thigh machines.
• Hip thrust (barbell, dumbbell, cable and machine, bodyweight): Upper back against a bench, the weight across the hips, drive up until the thighs are level with the floor and the shins vertical, then lower under control.
• Kettlebell swing (kettlebell): Hinge to the bell, hike it back between the thighs, then stand up hard so the hips, not the arms, send it to about chest height. A hinge you snap, not a squat you lift.
• Leg curl (cable and machine, bodyweight): Seated if you have the choice: knees at the pivot, pad just above the heels, curl down and back as far as it goes, return slowly to nearly straight.
• Nordic curl (bodyweight): Kneel with the heels held down, body straight, and lower yourself forward as slowly as you can, catching yourself with your hands.
• Romanian deadlift (barbell, dumbbell, kettlebell): Knees slightly bent, push the hips back and let the weight slide down the legs until the hamstrings are fully stretched, then drive the hips forward to stand. The hinge as its own lift.
• Single-leg RDL (dumbbell, kettlebell, bodyweight): The same hinge on one foot, soft knee, dumbbell in the opposite hand, free leg reaching straight back, hips square to the floor.

Chest (9)

• Bench press (barbell): Eyes under the bar, feet flat, shoulder blades pulled back, grip wider than the shoulders. Lower under control to the chest, press back up, add weight in small steps.
• Chest fly (dumbbell, cable and machine): Arms wide with a slight, fixed bend at the elbow, bring the hands together in a wide arc, open only until you feel a stretch. Keep it after your presses.
• Chest press machine (cable and machine): Seat set so the handles line up with the middle of the chest, back against the pad, press to straight arms and return under control.
• Dips (bodyweight): On parallel bars with straight arms, lower until the upper arms are about level with the floor, then press up. No bars: bench dips, then assisted dips and negatives.
• Dumbbell bench press (dumbbell): Dumbbells on the thighs, lie back as you bring them to the chest, press to straight arms, lower to about chest level. With the floor press as the no-bench version.
• Dumbbell pullover (dumbbell, cable and machine): Lying on a bench with one dumbbell over the chest, lower it in an arc behind the head until the upper arms are level with the ears, then pull it back over the chest.
• Incline bench press (barbell, dumbbell): The bench at about 30 degrees, shoulder blades back and down, lower the bar or dumbbells to the upper chest just below the collarbones, press back up over the shoulders.
• Landmine press (barbell): One end of a barbell wedged in a corner, the other held at the shoulder and pressed up and forward to a straight arm. Standing or kneeling, one arm or two.
• Push-ups (bodyweight): Hands a little wider than the shoulders, body straight from head to heels, chest close to the floor and press back up. Start on a counter or bench if the floor is too hard; raise the feet once it isn't.

Back (9)

• Barbell row (barbell): Hinge to between 45 degrees and parallel, back flat, pull the bar in a straight line to the lower ribs, lower to straight arms with the torso still the whole set.
• Dumbbell row (dumbbell): One hand and one knee on a bench, back flat, pull the elbow back past the ribs and close to the side, lower to a straight arm. A chair or your thigh works without a bench.
• Inverted row (bodyweight): Hang under a bar set at about hip height, hands a little wider than the shoulders, body straight, pull the chest to the bar. Body angle sets the difficulty.
• Lat pulldown (cable and machine): Thighs locked under the pad, hands one to two shoulder-widths apart, pull the bar to the top of the chest with the elbows driving down, let it rise to straight arms.
• Muscle-up (bodyweight): A pull-up, a turn of the wrists over the bar and a dip, in one move. An advanced skill: train the parts first with high pull-ups, straight-bar dips and slow negatives.
• Pull-up (bodyweight): Hang with straight arms, pull the shoulder blades down, pull until the chin clears the bar, lower all the way. Slow negatives, bands, the assisted machine and pulldowns build the first one.
• Seated cable row (cable and machine): Feet on the platform, sit tall, pull the handle to the stomach with the elbows close, then let the arms go long without rounding forward. Lean back a little, no more.
• Straight-arm pulldown (cable and machine): Facing a high cable with the arms long and elbows slightly bent, sweep a bar or rope in an arc from head height down to the thighs, then let it rise.
• T-bar row (barbell, cable and machine): Straddle a barbell anchored at one end, hook a handle under the plates, hinge until the chest faces the floor, and row the handle to the stomach. Free-standing or chest-supported.

Shoulders (8)

• Arnold press (dumbbell): Seated, dumbbells in front of the shoulders with the palms facing you, press up while turning the palms forward, reverse the turn on the way down.
• Dumbbell shoulder press (dumbbell): A dumbbell at each shoulder, palms forward or turned slightly in, brace, press to straight arms over the shoulders and lower to shoulder height. Seated or standing.
• Face pulls (cable and machine, dumbbell): A rope at about face height, pulled toward the forehead with the elbows high, finishing with the hands beside the ears and the knuckles turned back.
• Lateral raises (dumbbell, cable and machine): Light dumbbells at the sides, raise the arms out to shoulder height with the elbows nearly straight and the palms facing the floor at the top, lower slowly.
• Overhead press (barbell, dumbbell, cable and machine): Bar on the front of the shoulders, forearms upright, brace and squeeze the glutes, press straight up with the head moving back just enough, then bring the head through so the bar finishes over it.
• Push press (barbell, dumbbell): The bar on the front of the shoulders, a dip of a few inches with the torso upright, then a drive from the legs and a press the rest of the way to straight arms.
• Rear delt fly (dumbbell, cable and machine): Hinged forward with dumbbells, or seated at the reverse pec deck, elbows slightly bent, sweep the arms out and back until they line up with the body, lower slowly.
• Upright row (barbell, dumbbell, cable and machine): A bar or dumbbells in front of the thighs, pulled straight up the body with the elbows leading until the elbows reach about shoulder height, then lowered.

Arms (4)

• Concentration curl (dumbbell): Seated and leaning forward, the back of one upper arm braced against the inner thigh, curl the dumbbell toward the shoulder without moving the upper arm, lower until straight.
• Hammer curls (dumbbell, cable and machine): A curl with the palms facing the thighs and the thumbs up, elbows still at the sides. A second curl, after the regular one.
• Preacher curl (barbell, dumbbell, cable and machine): Armpits on the top edge of the pad, the backs of the upper arms flat on it, curl up and lower until the arms are almost straight.
• Tricep pushdown (cable and machine): A rope or bar on a high cable, elbows pinned to the sides, press down until the arms are straight, let the forearms rise to a right angle.

Core (8)

• Ab wheel rollout (other kit): Kneel holding the wheel under the shoulders, brace, roll forward as far as you can without the lower back sagging, pull it back with the midsection.
• Bird dog (bodyweight): On hands and knees, reach one arm forward and the opposite leg back until both are level with the body, back flat and hips level, hold, return, switch.
• Cable crunch (cable and machine): Kneel facing a high pulley with the rope beside the head, curl the ribs toward the hips without sitting the hips back, come up slowly.
• Dead bug (bodyweight): On your back with the arms up and the hips and knees at 90 degrees, keep the lower back on the floor and slowly lower one arm and the opposite leg, return, switch.
• Hollow body hold (bodyweight): On your back with the lower back pressed into the floor, lift the shoulders and straight legs a few inches with the arms reaching past the head. Hold only while the lower back stays down.
• Mountain climbers (bodyweight): From a high plank, drive one knee toward the chest, then switch, hips level. Slow for the core, fast for the lungs.
• Plank (bodyweight): Forearms on the floor with the elbows under the shoulders, glutes squeezed, hips tucked so the body makes one straight line. Hold only as long as the line holds, then make it harder rather than longer.
• Russian twist (bodyweight, dumbbell): Sit, lean back, chest tall, and turn side to side. Turn the ribcage, not just the arms; a dumbbell or a ball adds load.

Conditioning (2)

• Burpees (bodyweight): Squat, hands down, jump or step back to a plank, come back in, stand or jump up. With the easier versions and the sets.
• Sled push (other kit): Load the sled so it keeps moving, hold the handles with the arms long, lean into a straight line from head to back foot, and drive with short, quick steps. Rest until you can push hard again.

By equipment

The same 69 lifts, grouped by what they need.

Barbell (20): Barbell row, Bench press, Box squat, Deadlift, Front squat, Glute bridge, Good mornings, Hip thrust, Incline bench press, Landmine press, Overhead press, Overhead squat, Preacher curl, Push press, Romanian deadlift, Squat, Sumo squat, T-bar row, Upright row, Zercher squat.

Dumbbell (32): Arnold press, Box squat, Bulgarian split squat, Chest fly, Concentration curl, Dumbbell bench press, Dumbbell pullover, Dumbbell row, Dumbbell shoulder press, Face pulls, Front squat, Glute bridge, Goblet squat, Good mornings, Hammer curls, Hip thrust, Incline bench press, Lateral raises, Lunges, Overhead press, Overhead squat, Preacher curl, Push press, Rear delt fly, Romanian deadlift, Russian twist, Single-leg RDL, Squat, Step-ups, Sumo squat, Tibialis raises, Upright row.

Cable and machine (26): Back extension, Cable crunch, Chest fly, Chest press machine, Dumbbell pullover, Face pulls, Glute bridge, Glute kickback, Hack squat, Hammer curls, Hip abduction and adduction machines, Hip thrust, Lat pulldown, Lateral raises, Leg curl, Leg extension, Leg press, Overhead press, Preacher curl, Rear delt fly, Seated cable row, Straight-arm pulldown, T-bar row, Tibialis raises, Tricep pushdown, Upright row.

Bodyweight (28): Back extension, Bird dog, Bodyweight squat, Bulgarian split squat, Burpees, Dead bug, Dips, Glute bridge, Glute kickback, Good mornings, Hip thrust, Hollow body hold, Inverted row, Leg curl, Leg extension, Lunges, Mountain climbers, Muscle-up, Nordic curl, Pistol squat, Plank, Pull-up, Push-ups, Russian twist, Single-leg RDL, Step-ups, Tibialis raises, Wall sit.

Kettlebell (9): Box squat, Goblet squat, Good mornings, Kettlebell swing, Overhead squat, Romanian deadlift, Single-leg RDL, Sumo squat, Tibialis raises.

Other kit (2): Ab wheel rollout, Sled push.

How to use the library

A library is not a workout. Pick a plan first and use these pages to learn the lifts it asks for; how to start lifting weights picks six movements for a beginner: a squat, a hinge, a push, a pull, a carry or core move, and a machine you like. When a lift stalls, progressive overload covers how to add weight, reps or sets, and the workout log is where last week's numbers live.

Every guide here is free, like everything else on this site; the free resources page lists the plans, PDFs and calculators in one place. If you'd rather have someone pick the lifts for your week and watch the numbers, coaching is what that looks like.