Exercises explained
Clear, educational guides to foundational exercises — what each is for, the movement pattern, kit and the muscles and qualities it develops.
A note on training information
Browse exercises
Each entry links to the sports, physical qualities and muscles it relates to.
Band pull-apart
A simple pulling exercise where you stretch a resistance band across your chest to work the upper back.
Bench press
A pressing exercise lying on a bench, lowering a weight to the chest and pushing it back up.
Bent-over row
A pulling exercise where you hinge forward and row a weight toward your torso.
Bicep curl
An isolation exercise where you bend the elbows to lift a weight toward the shoulders.
Bird dog
A core exercise on hands and knees where you extend opposite arm and leg while staying steady.
Bulgarian split squat
A single-leg squat where the back foot is raised on a bench behind you.
Burpee
A full-body exercise combining a squat, a plank, and a jump in one flowing movement.
Calf raise
A movement where you press up onto the balls of your feet to work the calves.
Chin-up
A pulling exercise similar to a pull-up but with palms facing you, involving the biceps more.
Dead bug
A floor core exercise where you extend opposite arm and leg while keeping your back settled.
Deadlift
A hinge movement where you lift a weight from the floor by driving your hips forward to stand tall.
Farmer’s carry
A loaded carry where you walk while holding a heavy weight in each hand.
Glute bridge
A floor exercise where you lift your hips by squeezing your glutes with your feet planted.
Goblet squat
A squat variation where you hold a single weight close to your chest for balance and control.
High knees
A running-in-place cardio drill where you lift the knees high with a quick rhythm.
Hip hinge
The foundational bending-at-the-hips pattern that underpins deadlifts, swings and picking things up.
Hip thrust
A loaded hip-extension exercise with your upper back on a bench and a weight across the hips.
Inverted row
A horizontal pulling exercise where you pull your chest to a fixed bar while lying back beneath it.
Jump rope
A cardio exercise where you swing a rope under your feet and jump over it in a steady rhythm.
Jump squat
An explosive squat variation where you spring off the floor at the top of the movement.
Jumping jack
A rhythmic cardio move where you jump the feet out and swing the arms overhead, then back in.
Kettlebell swing
A dynamic hinge where you swing a kettlebell to shoulder height using a snap of the hips.
Lunge
A single-leg movement where you step forward and bend both knees to lower your body.
Mountain climber
A dynamic exercise where you drive your knees toward your chest one at a time from a plank.
Overhead press
A standing press that drives a weight from the shoulders to overhead until the arms lock out.
Pike push-up
A push-up variation with hips high that shifts the emphasis onto the shoulders.
Plank
A core-holding exercise where you keep your body in a straight line supported on forearms and toes.
Pull-up
A vertical pulling exercise where you hang from a bar and pull your chin above it.
Push-up
A classic upper-body pushing exercise where you lower and press your body up from the floor.
Romanian deadlift
A hinge variation focused on the back of the legs, lowering the weight without returning it to the floor.
Russian twist
A rotational core exercise where you twist your torso from side to side while seated and leaning back.
Side plank
A core hold on one forearm and the side of the foot that targets the muscles along your side.
Sit-up
A classic core exercise where you lift your torso from the floor toward your knees and back down.
Squat
A foundational lower-body movement where you bend at the hips and knees to lower down and stand back up.
Step-up
A movement where you step up onto a raised platform one leg at a time and step back down.
Superman
A back-focused exercise where you lie face down and lift your arms and legs off the floor.
Tricep dip
A pushing exercise where you lower and raise your body using your arms on parallel bars or a bench.
Wall sit
A holding exercise where you sit against a wall with no chair, holding a squat position still.
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