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A compound pressing movement targeting the shoulders, upper chest, and triceps by pressing a barbell overhead from shoulder level. It is the truest test of upper body pressing strength, with no bench to brace against and the whole trunk working to keep the bar stacked. Strength built here shows up everywhere: bench, dips, and every […]
A partial deadlift from an elevated starting position in a rack, targeting the upper portion of the deadlift with heavier loads than a full pull allows. Starting at knee height removes the hardest part of the lift, letting the traps, lats, and grip handle overloaded weight through the lockout. It is a targeted upper back […]
An isolation exercise targeting the upper trapezius muscles by elevating the shoulders against resistance. The traps respond to heavy loading, and the barbell delivers more of it than anything else in the library. Straight up, pause, straight down covers everything the exercise has to offer; the rest is just adding weight over time.
A compound shoulder exercise that targets the lateral deltoids and upper traps by pulling a barbell vertically along the body. It is one of the few compound movements that loads the side delts directly, letting them work with more weight than raises allow. A shoulder-width grip and stopping at chest height keep it productive and […]
A bodyweight triceps exercise performed with hands on a bench behind you. It needs nothing but a bench and loads the triceps through a big range, which makes it a staple for home training and the tail end of arm sessions. Foot position is the built-in difficulty dial: bent knees for easier reps, straight legs […]
The bent over barbell row is the heaviest horizontal pull most lifters will do and the standard counterweight to pressing volume. Hinged forward with the bar hanging beneath you, every rep asks the lats, rhomboids and traps to draw the elbows back while the spinal erectors hold the torso angle steady. It builds thickness through […]
A compound back exercise performed bent over with dumbbells, targeting the lats, rhomboids, and biceps. The dumbbells let each side of the back work independently and allow a longer pull than a barbell, which stops at the torso. It is the row of choice for home training and for anyone whose lower back prefers dumbbells […]
A chest pressing exercise using cables for constant tension, targeting the pectorals, front deltoids, and triceps. Unlike a dumbbell press, the cables keep pulling sideways at lockout, so the chest stays loaded at the top of the rep where free weights go quiet. It is also friendlier on cranky shoulders, since the line of resistance […]
A bicep curl performed using a cable machine for constant tension throughout the movement. Unlike a dumbbell, the cable pulls on the biceps just as hard at the bottom and top of the rep as it does in the middle, which adds up to more total tension per set. That constant load makes it especially […]
A cable curl with a rope attachment using a neutral grip to target the brachialis and brachioradialis alongside the biceps. It combines the arm-thickening benefits of the hammer grip with the cable’s constant tension, so the forearms and brachialis stay loaded from the first inch of the rep to the last. The rope also lets […]
