Abs
Rectus abdominis. A single sheet, but upper vs lower emphasis depends on whether your pelvis or ribs move.
The parts
What you're actually training.
Exercises
Ranked by directness on abs.
Plank
Whole-trunk brace. If only your shoulders burn, brace harder with the abs.
Cable Crunch
Six-pack burn, with load you can actually progressively overload.
Dead Bug
Deep ab brace that builds the kind of strength you actually use in lifts.
Decline Crunch
Upper abs cooking - better range than a floor crunch.
Hollow Hold
Whole-front burn - abs holding the body's weight.
V-up
Both halves of the rectus abdominis hammering together.
Hanging Leg Raise
Lower abs cramping by rep 8.
Ab Wheel Rollout
Abs working harder than any crunch - and the lats and lower back joining the party.
- Abs
Also involves this muscle
Lifts that pull this muscle in as a supporter.
Chest
Push-up
Chest and triceps. If lower back fires, brace harder.
Forearms
Dead Hang
Forearms working from the second you let go of your bodyweight; shoulders decompressing in a good way.
Obliques
Russian Twist
Burn down both sides of the waist.
Traps
Farmer's Carry
Traps, forearms, abs, even glutes all working at once.
Quads
Goblet Squat
Quad load with a built-in posture coach.
Obliques
Side Plank
Oblique burn down the side of the trunk; glute med on the bottom side fires too.
Obliques
Suitcase Carry
Off-side obliques burning by step 20.
Obliques
Pallof Press
Deep core brace; you can feel it from your obliques down to your glutes.
Lower back
Bird Dog
Deep brace through the trunk; balance challenge wakes up the stabilizers.
Front delts
Landmine Shoulder Press
Front delt work without overhead joint stress.
Glutes
Reverse Lunge
Front-leg glute and quad. Easier on the knees than a forward lunge.
Obliques
Cable Woodchop
A diagonal rotational force through the trunk — obliques contracting on the pull and resisting on the return.
Biceps
Chin-up
Even split between hard bicep contraction and lat squeeze under the armpit.
Glutes
Barbell Hip Thrust
A glute squeeze you'll feel for the next two days.
Glutes
Walking Lunge
Front-leg glute and quad doing the work; deep stretch on the back leg's hip flexor.
Glutes
Kettlebell Swing
Glute and hamstring slam at the top of every rep; lungs cooked by rep 20.
Glutes
Single-leg Hip Thrust
One glute screaming; the other one watching.
Obliques
Landmine Rotation
A large, smooth rotational arc powered by the hips and obliques — like swinging a heavy club through a clean arc.
Quads
Bulgarian Split Squat
Burning quad and a deep glute stretch on the front leg.
Front delts
Overhead Press
Front shoulder pumps; abs and glutes firing as the body's stabilizer.
Chest
Archer Push-up
Most of your bodyweight on one pec; closest thing to a one-arm push-up without the joint risk.
Hamstrings
Single-leg Romanian Deadlift
Hamstring stretch + glute med fire on the standing leg.
Obliques
Copenhagen Plank
Inner thigh and obliques screaming together; a strength you didn't know you needed.
Quads
Back Squat
Whole leg pump, especially the front. Should NOT feel it in the lower back.
Quads
Front Squat
Quad pump like nothing else. Upper back works hard just holding the position.
Quads
Pistol Squat
Total single-leg domination - quad, glute, balance system all maxed.
Lats
Muscle-up
Pulling phase like a tight chin-up, transition like a folded-up triceps press.