Exercise Library — 80+ Exercises with Instructions
Searchable exercise database with 80+ exercises. Click any exercise to view instructions, primary and secondary muscles worked, equipment needed, and technique cues. Filter by muscle group, equipment, or movement type.
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Building an Effective Programme from the Exercise Library
A well-constructed training programme balances compound movements (which drive overall strength and muscle mass) with isolation exercises (which address muscle detail and correct imbalances). The compound lifts — squat, deadlift, bench press, overhead press, and row — should form the foundation of every session, performed first when you are freshest and strongest. They recruit the largest muscle mass, allow the heaviest loading, and produce the greatest stimulus for whole-body adaptation. Research by Schoenfeld (2014) confirmed that multi-joint movements produce superior anabolic hormonal responses compared to single-joint exercises. The isolation exercises that follow are used to address specific muscles that may be under-stimulated by compound work alone — for example, lateral raises for middle delts, incline curls for long head bicep, and leg curls for hamstring isolation. A ratio of 3–4 compound exercises per session, followed by 2–4 targeted isolations, covers the needs of the vast majority of strength and hypertrophy trainees successfully.
Frequently Asked Questions
Top 6 compound exercises: (1) Back Squat — quads, glutes, hamstrings. (2) Deadlift — posterior chain. (3) Bench Press — chest, front delt, triceps. (4) Barbell Row — upper back, lats, biceps. (5) Overhead Press — shoulders, upper chest, triceps. (6) Pull-Up/Chin-Up — lats, biceps, core. These cover nearly every major muscle group and should form the foundation of any effective programme. Beginners who master these 6 lifts will outperform those doing complex exercise selection every time.
Compound: multiple joints and muscle groups simultaneously (squat, deadlift, bench). Allow heavier loads, greater total muscle recruitment, higher hormonal stimulus, higher calorie burn. Isolation: single joint/muscle (bicep curl, lateral raise, leg extension). Best for targeting specific muscles, correcting imbalances, or accumulating volume for lagging body parts. Optimal ratio: 60–70% compound + 30–40% isolation work. Beginners should prioritise compound almost exclusively for the first 6–12 months.
Beginners: 4–6 exercises/session, 2–3 sets each. Focus on compound movements. Intermediate: 6–8 exercises, 3–4 sets, including 2–3 isolation exercises. Advanced: 8–12 exercises, 4–5 sets on key lifts. Weekly volume targets: Beginners 8–12 sets/muscle. Intermediate 12–16 sets. Advanced 16–22 sets. Quality and progressive overload are more important than exercise variety — programme hopping between 10+ exercises per session is a common beginner mistake.
Chest: Bench Press (flat to slight incline). Quads: Squat or Leg Press. Hamstrings: Romanian Deadlift. Glutes: Hip Thrust or Bulgarian Split Squat. Lats: Weighted Pull-Up or Lat Pulldown. Upper Back: Chest-Supported Row or Face Pull. Shoulders: Seated OHP. Biceps: Incline DB Curl (long head stretch). Triceps: Overhead Extension (long head). Core: Dead Bug or Plank with limb extensions. Calves: Standing Calf Raise (full ROM).