Exercise Directory: List of Strength Training Exercises

Here you will find our complete list of strength training exercises.

All strength training exercises have detailed instructions, muscles worked, and a video demonstration.

All exercise descriptions are also available for free in our workout log app.

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Feel free to use these exercise descriptions, images, and videos on your website as long as you link to us as the source.

Muscle Directory: Complete List of All Exercises

Here is our complete list of strength training exercises, sorted by muscle group.

Chest Exercises

1. Bar Dip
2. Bench Press
3. Cable Chest Press
4. Close-Grip Bench Press
5. Close-Grip Feet-Up Bench Press
6. Decline Bench Press
7. Dumbbell Chest Fly
8. Dumbbell Chest Press
9. Dumbbell Decline Chest Press
10. Dumbbell Floor Press
11. Dumbbell Pullover
12. Feet-Up Bench Press
13. Floor Press
14. Incline Bench Press
15. Incline Dumbbell Press
16. Incline Push-Up
17. Kneeling Incline Push-Up
18. Kneeling Push-Up
19. Machine Chest Fly
20. Machine Chest Press
21. Pec Deck
22. Push-Up
23. Push-Up Against Wall
24. Push-Ups With Feet in Rings
25. Resistance Band Chest Fly
26. Smith Machine Bench Press
27. Smith Machine Incline Bench Press
28. Standing Cable Chest Fly
29. Standing Resistance Band Chest Fly

Shoulder Exercises

1. Band External Shoulder Rotation
2. Band Internal Shoulder Rotation
3. Band Pull-Apart
4. Barbell Front Raise
5. Barbell Rear Delt Row
6. Barbell Upright Row
7. Behind the Neck Press
8. Cable Lateral Raise
9. Cable Rear Delt Row
10. Dumbbell Front Raise
11. Dumbbell Horizontal Internal Shoulder Rotation
12. Dumbbell Horizontal External Shoulder Rotation
13. Dumbbell Lateral Raise
14. Dumbbell Rear Delt Row
15. Dumbbell Shoulder Press
16. Face Pull
17. Front Hold
18. Lying Dumbbell External Shoulder Rotation
19. Lying Dumbbell Internal Shoulder Rotation
20. Machine Lateral Raise
21. Machine Shoulder Press
22. Monkey Row
23. Overhead Press
24. Plate Front Raise
25. Power Jerk
26. Push Press
27. Reverse Cable Flyes
28. Reverse Dumbbell Flyes
29. Reverse Machine Fly
30. Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Press
31. Seated Barbell Overhead Press
32. Seated Smith Machine Shoulder Press
33. Snatch Grip Behind the Neck Press
34. Squat Jerk
35. Split Jerk

Bicep Exercises

1. Barbell Curl
2. Barbell Preacher Curl
3. Bodyweight Curl
4. Cable Curl With Bar
5. Cable Curl With Rope
6. Concentration Curl
7. Dumbbell Curl
8. Dumbbell Preacher Curl
9. Hammer Curl
10. Incline Dumbbell Curl
11. Machine Bicep Curl
12. Spider Curl

Triceps Exercises

1. Barbell Standing Triceps Extension
2. Barbell Lying Triceps Extension
3. Bench Dip
4. Close-Grip Push-Up
5. Dumbbell Lying Triceps Extension
6. Dumbbell Standing Triceps Extension
7. Overhead Cable Triceps Extension
8. Tricep Bodyweight Extension
9. Tricep Pushdown With Bar
10. Tricep Pushdown With Rope

Leg Exercises

1. Air Squat
2. Barbell Hack Squat
3. Barbell Lunge
4. Barbell Walking Lunge
5. Belt Squat
6. Body Weight Lunge
7. Box Squat
8. Bulgarian Split Squat
9. Chair Squat
10. Dumbbell Lunge
11. Dumbbell Squat
12. Front Squat
13. Goblet Squat
14. Hack Squat Machine
15. Half Air Squat
16. Hip Adduction Machine
17. Landmine Hack Squat
18. Landmine Squat
19. Leg Extension
20. Leg Press
21. Lying Leg Curl
22. Pause Squat
23. Romanian Deadlift
24. Safety Bar Squat
25. Seated Leg Curl
26. Shallow Body Weight Lunge
27. Side Lunges (Bodyweight)
28. Smith Machine Squat
29. Squat
30. Step Up

Back Exercises

1. Back Extension
2. Barbell Row
3. Barbell Shrug
4. Block Snatch
5. Cable Close Grip Seated Row
6. Cable Wide Grip Seated Row
7. Chin-Up
8. Clean
9. Clean and Jerk
10. Deadlift
11. Deficit Deadlift
12. Dumbbell Deadlift
13. Dumbbell Row
14. Dumbbell Shrug
15. Floor Back Extension
16. Good Morning
17. Hang Clean
18. Hang Power Clean
19. Hang Power Snatch
20. Hang Snatch
21. Inverted Row
22. Inverted Row with Underhand Grip
23. Jefferson Curl
24. Kettlebell Swing
25. Lat Pulldown With Pronated Grip
26. Lat Pulldown With Supinated Grip
27. One-Handed Cable Row
28. One-Handed Lat Pulldown
29. Pause Deadlift
30. Pendlay Row
31. Power Clean
32. Power Snatch
33. Pull-Up
34. Rack Pull
35. Seal Row
36. Seated Machine Row
37. Snatch
38. Snatch Grip Deadlift
39. Stiff-Legged Deadlift
40. Straight Arm Lat Pulldown
41. Sumo Deadlift
42. T-Bar Row
43. Trap Bar Deadlift With High Handles
44. Trap Bar Deadlift With Low Handles

Glute Exercises

1. Banded Side Kicks
2. Cable Pull Through
3. Clamshells
4. Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift
5. Dumbbell Frog Pumps
6. Fire Hydrants
7. Frog Pumps
8. Glute Bridge
9. Hip Abduction Against Band
10. Hip Abduction Machine
11. Hip Thrust
12. Hip Thrust Machine
13. Hip Thrust With Band Around Knees
14. Lateral Walk With Band
15. Machine Glute Kickbacks
16. One-Legged Glute Bridge
17. One-Legged Hip Thrust
18. Romanian Deadlift
19. Single Leg Romanian Deadlift
20. Standing Glute Kickback in Machine
21. Step Up

Ab Exercises

1. Cable Crunch
2. Crunch
3. Dead Bug
4. Hanging Leg Raise
5. Hanging Knee Raise
6. Hanging Sit-Up
7. High to Low Wood Chop with Band
8. Horizontal Wood Chop with Band
9. Kneeling Ab Wheel Roll-Out
10. Kneeling Plank
11. Kneeling Side Plank
12. Lying Leg Raise
13. Lying Windshield Wiper
14. Lying Windshield Wiper with Bent Knees
15. Machine Crunch
16. Mountain Climbers
17. Oblique Crunch
18. Oblique Sit-Up
19. Plank
20. Side Plank
21. Sit-Up

Calves Exercises

1. Eccentric Heel Drop
2. Heel Raise
3. Seated Calf Raise
4. Standing Calf Raise

Forearm Flexors & Grip Exercises

1. Barbell Wrist Curl
2. Barbell Wrist Curl Behind the Back
3. Bar Hang
4. Dumbbell Wrist Curl
5. Farmers Walk
6. Fat Bar Deadlift
7. Gripper
8. One-Handed Bar Hang
9. Plate Pinch
10. Plate Wrist Curl
11. Towel Pull-Up

Forearm Extensor Exercises

1. Barbell Wrist Extension
2. Dumbbell Wrist Extension

Cardio Exercises & Equipment

1. Rowing Machine
2. Stationary Bike

The Best Strength Training Exercises for Every Body Part

This is our recommended list of the best strength training exercises for every major muscle group.

These are time-tested classics that have proven their effectiveness both in the trenches and in the research labs. Which exercise is best for you will depend on your anatomy, background, and preferences, but this list should give you a starting point.

For most of the muscle groups below, we try to list at least one compound exercise and one isolation exercise. By combining two or three of the strength exercises listed for each muscle group, you should be able to work most of the muscle fibers of the target muscles effectively.

Chest

1. Bench Press
2. Incline Dumbbell Press
3. Bar Dips
4. Standing Cable Chest Fly

Read more about the best chest exercises.

Shoulders

1. Overhead Press
2. Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Press
3. Dumbbell Lateral Raise
4. Reverse Dumbbell Fly

Read more about the best shoulder exercises.

Back

1. Deadlift
2. Lat Pulldown
3. Pull-Up
4. Barbell Row
5. Dumbbell Row

Read more: How to Train Your Back Muscles

Biceps

1. Barbell Curl
2. Dumbbell Curl
3. Hammer Curl

Read more: How to Train Your Biceps

Triceps

1. Barbell Lying Triceps Extension
2. Overhead Cable Triceps Extension
3. Tricep Pushdown
4. Close-Grip Bench Press

Read more about the best tricep exercises.

Quadriceps

1. Squat
2. Hack Squats
3. Leg Extension
4. Bulgarian Split Squat

Read more: How to Train Your Quad Muscles

Hamstrings

1. Seated Leg Curl
2. Lying Leg Curl
3. Romanian Deadlift

Read more: How to Train Your Hamstring Muscles

Glutes

1. Squat
2. Hip Thrust
3. Romanian Deadlift
4. Bulgarian Split Squat

Read more: How to Train Your Glute Muscles

Abs

1. Cable Crunch
2. Hanging Leg Raise
3. High to Low Wood Chop
4. Crunch

Read more: How to Train Your Abs

Calves

1. Standing Calf Raise
2. Seated Calf Raise

Read more: How to Train Your Calf Muscles

Related articles:

• How Many Exercises Should You Do per Muscle Group?
• Top 20 Bodybuilding Exercises for Every Muscle Group
• Top 20 Powerlifting Exercises For Strength & Mass

What Are the Four Basic Strength Training Exercises?

The four basic strength training exercises refer to the four fundamental movements of resistance training.

They are four movements that, together, cover a large part of what we can do with our bodies.

The idea is that if you do at least one exercise for each fundamental movement, you will have worked almost all your major muscle groups.

At least one exercise from each of these four basic movements should be included in every comprehensive strength training program.

The four fundamental movements are:

• Push something away from you. Examples: bench press, overhead press, push-ups, machine chest press.
• Pull something towards you. Examples: pull-ups, lat pulldown, barbell row, dumbbell row, cable row.
• Hip hinge. Examples: deadlift, good morning, Romanian deadlift, clean, kettlebell swing.
• Squat. Examples: squat, front squat, Bulgarian split squat, goblet squat, leg press.

Push, pull, hinge, and squat. That’s it.

Generally speaking:

• Pushing exercises work your chest, shoulders, and triceps.
• Pulling exercises work your lats, traps, and biceps.
• Hip hinge exercises work your lower back, glutes, and hamstrings.
• Squat exercises work your quads, glutes, and adductors.

Pick one exercise from each category and train it once or more per week, and you will have an excellent strength training program for basically your entire body.

• If you train with a barbell and pick one exercise from each category, it might be bench press, barbell row, deadlift, and squat.
• If you train with kettlebells, it might be kettlebell press, kettlebell row, kettlebell swing, and goblet squat or front squat with the kettlebells in the rack position.
• If you train with machines, it might be chest press, machine row, back extension, and leg press.

Additions to the Four Basic Movements

Can’t we leave a nice thing alone?

Alright.

If you want to get fancy, there are two things you can add.

1. Abdominal Training

While the back of your core gets plenty of training in most hip hinge and squat exercises, your abs and obliques (the front and sides) don’t.

To rectify this, you could add an ab exercise from the list of exercises above.

2. Vertical and Horizontal Pushing and Pulling

For even more comprehensive upper body training, you could split up the pushing and pulling movements into horizontal and vertical planes of motion.

• Horizontal movements have your arm working about 90 degrees out from your body, i.e. where the arm would be horizontal if you were standing upright. Examples:
  • Horizontal pushes: bench press, dumbbell chest press, and push-ups.
  • Horizontal pulls: barbell row, dumbbell row, and cable row.
• Vertical movements have your arm working over your head. Examples:
  • Vertical pushes: overhead press, dumbbell shoulder press, and kettlebell press.
  • Vertical pulls: lat pulldown and pull-up.

Horizontal and vertical movements will emphasize slightly different muscles, or different regions in large muscles, and can thus lead to more complete training.

What Makes a Strength Training Exercise Good For Building Muscle?

An exercise is effective for building muscle if it:

• Works the muscle through a long range of motion.
• Is stable enough for your muscle power to be the limiting factor, and not your balance.
• Trains multiple muscles simultaneously (these exercises are often called compound exercises).

Of course, you don’t have to train several muscles in the same exercise, but it is time-effective to use compound exercises as they will help you train all your major muscle groups more quickly.

Is There One Exercise That Works the Entire Body?

Not that we’re aware of. But …

A lot of people would say the deadlift.

While the deadlift certainly uses a lot of muscle mass at the same time, it doesn’t work all major muscle groups.

The deadlift primarily works your posterior chain: your glutes, lower back, hamstrings, adductors, traps, and of course grip.

This leaves out the muscles in your upper arms, shoulders, lats, and abdominals. Your quads aren’t worked very effective either.

Another exercise that comes to mind is the clean and jerk (or clean and press). The clean and jerk basically combines a deadlift-like movement with an overhead jerk, adding some work for your legs, shoulders and arms.

You might argue, however, that the clean and jerk is actually two exercises combined (the clean and the jerk), and thus not “one exercise for the whole body”.

No matter how you slice it, both the deadlift and clean and jerk are still two fantastic exercises, and if one of them was all you ever did, you would still do pretty good.

Are Free Weight Exercises Better Than Machines?

Free weights refer to all kinds of training equipment that isn’t attached to something. The most common ones being barbells, dumbbells and kettlebells.

Machines refer to training equipment that is fixed in one way or another. For example, it could be machines for leg presses or leg extensions, or smith machines.

While some may preach the superiority of one or the other, the truth is that free weights and machines both have their pros and cons that you should consider when planning your training.

To learn which is better for your goals, check out our article on free weights vs. machines.

Which Are the Most Popular Exercises?

We analyzed millions of workouts from hundreds of thousands of users of our workout tracker to find the most popular exercises. You can see the results in the article: The Most Popular Gym Exercises for Men & Women.

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