Every exercise,
explained.

Hold one bell at chest height, elbows under it. Feet slightly wider than hips, toes turned out a little.

Sit back, chest tall, knees track over toes.

Knees caving in and heels lifting as the weight climbs. Widen the stance slightly and push the floor apart with your feet.

Bar on the upper back, hands where the shoulders allow. Brace before you unrack, not after.

Brace before you unrack. Depth consistent every rep — don't chase lower on light sets and cut it on heavy ones.

Depth changing with the load: deep on warm-ups, short when it gets heavy. Pick a depth you can hit on your top set and use it on every set.

Bar across the front delts, elbows high, fingertips under the bar. The rack position holds the bar, not the hands.

Elbows high. Stop the set the moment they drop.

Letting the elbows fall, which rounds the upper back and dumps the bar forward. When they drop, the set is finished — that's not a judgement call.

Start standing. Soft knees, then push the hips back — the knee angle barely changes from there.

Push the hips back, bar close to the legs. Stop when the hamstrings run out of stretch — not when you reach the floor.

Turning it into a squat: knees bend and hips drop instead of travelling back. The bar should stay in contact with the thigh the whole way down.

Dumbbells in front of the thighs, soft knees. Same hinge as the barbell version with a friendlier learning curve.

Hinge at the hips, slight knee bend, dumbbells stay close to the legs.

Letting the dumbbells drift away from the body, which turns it into a lower-back exercise. They should brush the thighs on the way down.

Bar over mid-foot, shins close. Take the slack out of the bar before you pull.

Reset every rep. No touch-and-go on heavy sets.

Hips shooting up first, so the bar leaves the floor with a rounded back and straight legs. Chest and hips rise together.

Stand in the middle of the bar, handles beside the hips. Hips slightly higher than a conventional pull.

Heavy, 2 RIR. Drive the floor away.

Hips shooting up first, so it becomes a stiff-leg pull. Chest and hips should rise at the same rate.

Shoulder blades on the bench edge, bar over the hips, feet placed so the shins are vertical at lockout.

Ribs down, chin tucked. Full lockout, two-second squeeze at the top.

Overextending the lower back at lockout to fake extra range. The rep finishes when the hips are level, not when the spine arches.

On your back, heels close to your hips, feet flat. Ribs down before the first rep.

Squeeze glutes hard at the top, avoid arching the lower back.

Finishing the rep with the lower back instead of the glutes. If you feel it in your spine, tuck the ribs and tilt the pelvis under before you lift.

Pad just below the hip crease so the hips can move freely. Start from a fully lowered position.

Round up one vertebra at a time, squeeze glutes at the top. Glutes finish the movement, not the lower back.

Hyperextending past a straight line at the top. The rep ends when your body is straight — going further only loads the spine.

Split stance, both feet on the floor, torso upright. Feet stay planted for the whole set.

Control the descent, drive through the mid-foot.

Stride too short, so the front knee travels far past the toes and the torso pitches forward. Step further out until the shin is close to vertical at the bottom.

Rear foot on a bench, front foot far enough forward that the shin is close to vertical at the bottom.

Front foot far enough forward that the front knee stays over the mid-foot. Keep quality high.

Front foot too close to the bench, which turns it into a knee-dominant grind. Step further forward until the bottom feels supported rather than pinched.

Same position as the Bulgarian split squat — the name changes, the lift doesn't. Rear foot elevated, front shin near vertical.

Start with the weaker leg and match reps on the stronger side.

Training the strong leg first and letting the weak side chase it. Whatever the weaker leg manages is the number for both.

Stand tall, dumbbells at your sides. Pick a lane long enough that you don't turn mid-set.

Long stride, torso upright, control the knee on the way down.

Short stride with a forward-leaning torso, which shifts everything to the knee. Step further and let the hip do the work.

Hands under the shoulders, body in one line from head to heels, glutes and abs on before the first rep.

Stop 1–2 reps before your form breaks down.

Hips sagging or the head reaching for the floor ahead of the chest. If the line breaks, the set is over — do the rest on an incline.

Hands on a bench or bar, body in one line. The higher the surface, the easier the rep.

Elbows at 45°, full lockout at the top.

Hips sagging before the chest arrives, so the lower back takes the load. If you can't hold one line, raise the surface until you can.

Feet planted, shoulder blades pulled back and down into the bench, bar over the mid-chest.

Feet planted, shoulder blades retracted, controlled touch. Controlled down, explosive up.

Bouncing the bar off the chest and flaring the elbows to 90°. Touch under control, elbows around 45°.

Dumbbells over the lower chest, shoulder blades pinned. Set them before you start, not once you're pressing.

Shoulder blades pinned back and down. Elbows at 45°, not flared.

Letting the shoulders roll forward at the bottom, which puts the joint in the worst position under the most load.

Bench at 30°. Steeper turns it into a shoulder press.

Bench at 30°, not steeper. Control the lowering.

Setting the bench too upright, which moves the work off the chest and onto the front delts.

Bench at 30°, bar to the upper chest, elbows tucked. A shoulder-friendly angle for contact sports.

Elbows tucked to 45°. Shoulder-friendly angle for contact sports.

Flaring the elbows wide and touching too high on the chest, which loads the front of the shoulder.

Bar on the front delts, elbows slightly in front of the bar, glutes and abs braced before the first rep.

Squeeze glutes, ribs down. No layback.

Leaning back to turn it into an incline press. If the ribs flare and the lower back arches, the weight is too heavy.

Seated or standing, dumbbells at ear height, wrists stacked over the elbows.

Brace your core, avoid arching the lower back. Brace hard — no lower back arch to move the weight.

Arching the lower back to get the weight up. If the arch appears, drop the load or sit down with back support.

Half-kneeling, bar end in the hand on the same side as the down knee. Ribs down before you press.

Ribs down, glute squeezed on the down leg.

Letting the torso rotate and the ribs flare to add reach. The trunk position is half the exercise.

Standing tall, light dumbbells, slight bend in the elbows held throughout.

Lead with the elbow, stop at shoulder height. Light, strict, high reps.

Swinging the weight up with the torso. If the body moves, the side delt has stopped working — halve the weight.

Sit tall, slight knee bend, chest up. Let the shoulder blades travel forward at the start.

Pull elbows back, squeeze shoulder blades together.

Rowing with the lower back — the torso swings backwards to finish the rep. Keep the torso still and let the arms and shoulder blades work.

Hinge to a fixed torso angle, bar hanging under the shoulders. That angle is set before the first rep and doesn't change.

Torso angle fixed. If it rises to move the bar, it's too heavy.

The torso rising through the set to help the bar up. That's a different exercise, and a lighter bar does the intended one better.

One hand and knee on the bench, back flat, dumbbell hanging straight down.

Avoid rotating the torso, pull to the hip. Anti-rotation is half the exercise.

Letting the torso twist open to add range. Keep the shoulders level and pull to the hip, not the armpit.

Chest on an inclined bench so the torso can't help. Arms hanging straight down at the start.

Pause one second at the top of every rep.

Rushing the top and skipping the pause. The bench removes momentum on purpose — using speed instead puts it back.

Bar at hip height, body straight, heels on the floor. Walk the feet out to make it harder.

Drive elbows down and back, chest to the bar.

Hips sagging so the chest never reaches the bar. Raise the bar until you can hold a straight line and touch every rep.

Rope at upper-chest height, elbows high, hands split apart as you pull.

Pull to the forehead, thumbs back. Light weight, strict. Shoulder insurance.

Going too heavy and turning it into a row. This one is volume and position, never load.

Thighs locked under the pads, chest proud, slight lean back held constant.

Drive the elbows down to the ribs. Chest stays proud.

Leaning back further and further to move the weight. Fix the lean at the start and keep it for the whole set.

Full hang at the bottom, shoulders active. Load on a belt or between the feet.

Full hang to chin over bar. Add load as soon as you clear 8 clean reps.

Cutting the bottom of the rep short once it gets heavy. Half a pull-up with weight is worth less than a full one without.

A weight in each hand, arms hanging. Set your posture before you take the first step.

Tall posture, shoulders back, grip hard the whole way.

Letting the shoulders round and the ribs flare as fatigue arrives. When posture goes, the carry is finished — put them down.

One weight, one side. Walk without leaning away from it — that resistance is the whole point.

Heavy, no lean. Trains the trunk the way sport actually loads it.

Leaning away from the weight to make it easier, which removes the side-bend resistance the exercise exists for.

Forearms under shoulders, feet hip width. Set the position before the clock starts.

Ribs down, straight line from head to heels.

Hips riding high, which turns it into a rest — or hips dropping, which hands the work to the lower back. Hold less time in a good position rather than longer in a bad one.

Elbow under the shoulder, feet stacked, hips lifted into a straight line.

Hips stacked, don't let your hips sag.

Rolling the top hip forward, which turns it into a front plank on one arm. Keep the shoulders and hips in one vertical plane.

On your back, arms up, knees at 90°. Press the lower back into the floor before you move anything.

Lower back stays pressed into the floor throughout.

Reaching further than you can control, so the lower back lifts off the floor. Shorten the range until it stays down.

Stand side-on to the cable, hands at the sternum. The cable wants to rotate you — it doesn't get to.

Resist the rotation — that's the whole exercise. Anti-rotation. Resist, don't push.

Treating it as a chest press and letting the torso turn. The arms move; the ribcage doesn't.

Hang with the shoulders active, legs still. Kill any swing before the first rep. Bend the knees to regress it.

Strict, no swing. Curl the pelvis, don't just lift the legs.

Lifting the legs without curling the pelvis under, so the hip flexors do all of it and the abs do almost nothing.

Side plank position, top leg on a bench. Start with the knee supported and progress to the ankle.

Adductor resilience — a common groin-injury gap in field sports.

Starting at full length before you're ready. Begin with the bench under the knee and only move to the ankle when the short version is easy.

Kneel with the ankles anchored, knees padded. Straight line from knee to shoulder before you start.

Lower as slowly as you can control. The most protective hamstring exercise available.

Breaking at the hips so it becomes a controlled fall. Keep the knee-to-shoulder line — if it bends, you've stopped training the hamstring.

Pad just above the ankles, hips locked into the seat, thighs pinned.

Slow on the way back — three seconds to return.

Letting the weight drop back fast. The lowering is the point; if it takes one second you've skipped most of the benefit.

Balls of the feet on the edge, heels free to drop below the step.

Full stretch at the bottom, pause at top and bottom.

Bouncing out of the bottom on the Achilles tendon instead of pausing and driving with the calf. Half the range, none of the benefit.

Ankle strap on the working leg, stand tall beside the machine, hold on for balance only.

Stand tall, no leaning away from the machine.

Leaning the torso away to swing the leg further. The range should come from the hip, not the spine.

Elbows at your sides, upper arms still. Only the forearms move.

Elbows locked to your sides throughout.

Letting the elbows drift forward and leaning into the weight, which turns it into a pressing movement.

Standing tall, elbows at your sides, full extension at the bottom.

Elbows stay at your sides, no swinging. Control the lowering.

Swinging the torso to start each rep. If the body moves, drop the weight — the biceps aren't doing the work.

Tall posture, arms relaxed. Bounce off the balls of the feet.

Stiff ankles, minimal ground contact. Primer, not a workout.

Bending at the knee and sinking into each contact. The ankle is the spring — the moment the knees absorb, the drill has changed.

Feet hip width behind a fixed line. Arms free.

Full reset between reps. Distance is the only measure that counts.

Chasing distance by crashing the landing. If you can't stick it, the rep doesn't count — measure the one you controlled.

Feet hip width, arms free to swing. A target overhead helps intent. Also used in-season as a readiness check.

Maximum intent. Stop the pair if height drops.

Doing sets instead of quality reps. When height drops, the set is finished — no matter what's written down.

Low hurdles, feet hip width. Land and leave — the floor is hot.

Minimal ground contact. Stop when height drops.

Setting the hurdles too high, which forces a tucked landing and long ground contacts. Lower is faster and safer.

Push off one leg sideways, land on the other and hold it. Change-of-direction quality.

Stick the landing for one second. Change-of-direction quality.

Bouncing straight into the next rep. The one-second hold is the exercise — that's where the landing strength is built.

Facing a solid wall, ball at the chest, feet planted. Throw as hard as you can.

Against a wall, maximum speed. Upper-body power primer.

Using a ball so heavy it slows the throw down. Speed is the target here, not load.

Ball fully overhead, then drive it into the floor through the trunk.

Full overhead, drive through the trunk.

Cutting the overhead position short and slamming with the arms. The power comes from the trunk, not the shoulders.

20m accelerations from a staggered stance. Full recovery — two to three minutes — between reps.

Full recovery between reps. Quality only — this is training, not conditioning.

Running them tired on short rest, which turns a speed session into conditioning and develops neither. Cut reps rather than rest.