T NATION | 5 Things You Need to Know About Every Exercise

5 Things You Need to Know About Every Exercise
by Tim Henriques

A lot of people lift weights without knowing what they're doing or why they're doing it. Don't be one of them! For every exercise you do, there are five important questions you need to answer. And you'd better get 'em right:

What's the name of the exercise?

What's the agonist in the exercise?

What are the synergists in the exercise?

What movements are occurring during the exercise?

What plane does the exercise take place in?

Okay, now relax. As it turns out, I'm a pretty nice guy, so I'm going to give you the answers to these questions. Below is a humongous list of practically every exercise worth doing, with the top five need-to know facts about each one. Obviously, this will be most useful for beginning and intermediate lifters, since you advanced guys and ladies already know it all, right? In any case, having this information at your fingertips should be beneficial for everyone.

The first thing we need to know about an exercise is its proper name, so that we're all talking about the same thing. Nothing brands you as a newb quite like calling an exercise by the wrong name.

Don't call this exercise a "weighted deep knee bend," or she'll kick your newb ass.

One does occasionally run into exercises that are known by different names, so in the list I've used the most widely used and descriptive name. I've explained the more confusing ones, but if you're still unclear about any of the names I've chosen, drop me a line and we'll try to straighten it out.

The agonist is the prime mover of the exercise. It's the main muscle working during the exercise. Every exercise will have an agonist, it's generally the reason why you're doing the exercise. Some exercises will have two or more agonists. That means two or more muscles are so important to the exercise that it's difficult to separate out one muscle group over the other.

One thing to keep in mind is that the agonist of the exercise is the agonist whether you "feel" it working or not. Not everyone starts off with the neuromuscular coordination necessary to feel their muscles working during the exercise. However, if you're doing the movement properly then rest assured that the agonist is doing its job. Over time your ability to tune into the muscles contracting during an exercise will improve.

The synergist in an exercise is a muscle that's helping the agonist. It may be helping the agonist at the same joint or it may be causing another joint to produce (or resist) movement. The most important thing to note about a synergist is that this muscle is receiving a training stimulus from the exercise. That means if you just did one exercise and that was it, a synergistic muscle will respond to that exercise by getting bigger and stronger. It may also be sore from the exercise for the next day or two.

When developing a routine, it's important to allow synergistic muscles adequate time to recover from their training. Many muscles contract during an exercise, but honestly that's not terribly relevant to what's happening during the exercise, or how your program should be structured. For example, your calves will contract during a lateral raise or a biceps curl, but that really makes no difference. If you just performed lateral raises or biceps curls, will your calves get sore from that, and will they get bigger and stronger from that one exercise? Of course not.

This is not a calf exercise.

Don't confuse a muscle that contracts during an exercise with a muscle that's a synergist during an exercise. Usually a synergist is producing movement during the exercise, but sometimes a stabilizing muscle has to work so hard during the exercise that it will also receive a significant training effect from the exercise, so we'll go ahead and call it a synergist as well. Finally not all exercises will have a synergist; sometimes just the agonist is working and that's it.

The movement produced during the exercise is describing the action of the joints involved. How are those joints moving during the exercise? There are six primary actions of the main joints in the body and they are:

• Flexion: decreasing the angle at a joint often described as bending or curling

• Extension: increasing the angle at a joint often described as straightening or extending

• Abduction: moving away from anatomical position in a vertical direction

• Adduction: moving toward anatomical position in a vertical direction

• Horizontal Abduction: moving away from the midline traveling parallel to the horizon

• Horizontal Adduction: moving toward the midline traveling parallel to the horizon

In addition to those 6 main movements, there are a number of special cases that the body can do. Not all joints are capable of all 6 movements. The elbow, for example, can only do flexion and extension. Actually, allof the joints trained in the gym can do flexion and extension. Other joints, such as the shoulder and the hip, arecapable of all six movements, unless you have serious mobility issues.

A compound exercise is an exercise that involves 2 or more joints working. If there are two joints working then there will be two actions taking place: the most common scenarios are the shoulder and the elbow or the hip and the knee. A compound exercise will always have an agonist and a synergist. The primary joint is the most proximal joint (shoulder or hip) and its action is listed first. The agonist is the muscle that's moving the primary joint. An isolation exercise is an exercise where just one joint is moving, so it will just have one movement, although more than one muscle may be involved.

Isolation exercises involve only one joint, but may recruit many muscles.

When designing exercise programs, it's a good idea to try to have some balance in the movements. For example, you would generally not want to do six exercises that produced horizontal adduction and only one that produced horizontal abduction. In most cases you also don't want your programs to feature exercises that are only flexion and extension, which are the most common in the gym. When looking at an exercise, the movement listed is the movement that takes place on the concentric part of the exercise (when you're going against gravity).

Finally, we need to know the plane of the exercise. No, not a Boeing 747, smartass. The plane of the exercise refers to one of the three planes of motion the joints are moving in.

The fifth thing to know about an exercise: "the plane, the plane!"

Sagittal plane: divides the body into left and right sections, it runs forever forwards and backwards. It's sometimes referred to as the midline of the body. Movements in the sagittal plane will run forward or backward and they are almost always flexion and extension. A biceps curl is in the sagittal plane.

Frontal plane: divides the body into front and back sections. It runs forever side to side in a vertical direction. Movements in the frontal plane will run side to side, up and down and they are almost always abduction and adduction. A jumping jack is in the frontal plane.

Transverse plane: divides the body into top and bottom sections. It runs forever side to side, parallel to the horizon. Movements in the transverse plane will run side to side with no significant vertical movement and they are almost always horizontal abduction and horizontal adduction. A bench press in the transverse plane.

The planes initially are based on anatomical position. Anatomical position is when you're standing, facing forward, with your palms forward. If your entire body moves then the planes will move with you. So a bench press (facing up), a chest press machine (facing forward), and a push-up (facing down) are all in the same plane (transverse). If you're doing the same action, regardless of what position you're facing, then the plane is the same.

Not all movements take place within one plane. Sometimes a movement can be between planes. For example an incline bench isn't perfectly in the transverse plane and it's not in the frontal plane, so it's between planes. Other movements can take place in more than one plane. They are referred to as multi-planar movements. Complex activities like pitching a baseball or tackling someone would be multi-planar. It's the primary joint moving that generally determines which plane the exercise is in.

And now we come to the humongous list of exercises that we advertised in the introduction. They are grouped by general muscle groups such as chest, back, etc. This isn't meant to be an exhaustive list of every exercise possible for that muscle group, but rather a thoroughly representative list of the common exercises often mentioned for those muscle groups. If after studying the list you find that your favorite exercise has been omitted, feel free to pencil it in somewhere.

When listing the synergistic muscles, I tried to list the main muscles that would receive training stimulus from the exercises that most people in the gym actually do. There may be some smaller or deep muscles working that are not listed. Generally stabilizers are not listed unless they are receiving a major training stimulus.

Exercise	Agonist	Synergists	Movement	Plane
Chest Press Machine	Pectoralis major	Anterior deltoid, Triceps, Lats	H. Shoulder adduction Elbow extension	Transverse
Hammer Strength Bench Press	Pectoralis major	Anterior deltoid, Triceps, Lats	H. Shoulder adduction Elbow extension	Transverse
Incline Press Machine	Clavicular pectoralis major	Anterior deltoid, Triceps	H. Shoulder adduction* Elbow extension	Transverse*
Hammer Strength Incline Press	Clavicular pectoralis major	Anterior deltoid, Triceps	H. Shoulder adduction* Elbow extension	Transverse*
Bench Press	Pectoralis major	Anterior deltoid, Triceps, Lats**	H. Shoulder adduction Elbow extension	Transverse
Incline Bench Press	Clavicular pectoralis major	Anterior deltoid, Triceps	H. Shoulder adduction* Elbow extension	Transverse*
Dumbbell Press	Pectoralis major	Anterior deltoid, Triceps, Lats	H. Shoulder adduction Elbow extension	Transverse
Incline Dumbbell Press	Clavicular pectoralis major	Anterior deltoid, Triceps	H. Shoulder adduction* Elbow extension	Transverse*
Push-up	Pectoralis major	Anterior deltoid, Triceps, Lats	H. Shoulder adduction Elbow extension	Transverse
Smith Machine Push-up Or Modified Push-up	Pectoralis major	Anterior deltoid, Triceps	H. Shoulder adduction Elbow extension	Transverse
Smith Machine Bench Press	Pectoralis major	Anterior deltoid, Triceps, Lats	H. Shoulder adduction Elbow extension	Transverse
Pec Deck	Pectoralis major	Anterior deltoid	H. Shoulder adduction	Transverse
Chest Fly Machine	Pectoralis major	Anterior deltoid, Biceps	H. Shoulder adduction	Transverse
Decline Bench Press	Sternal pectoralis major	Triceps, Anterior deltoid	H. Shoulder adduction* Elbow extension	Transverse*
Decline Dumbbell Bench Press	Pectoralis major	Triceps, Anterior deltoid	H. Shoulder adduction* Elbow extension	Transverse*
Free Motion Fly	Pectoralis major	Anterior deltoid, Biceps	H. Shoulder adduction	Transverse
Free Motion Incline Fly	Clavicular pectoralis major	Anterior deltoid, Biceps	H. Shoulder adduction*	Transverse*
Cable Crossover	Sternal pectoralis major	Anterior deltoid, Biceps	Shoulder adduction	Frontal
Dumbbell Fly	Pectoralis major	Anterior deltoid, Biceps	H. Shoulder adduction	Transverse
Incline Dumbbell Fly	Clavicular pectoralis major	Anterior deltoid, Biceps	H. Shoulder adduction*	Transverse*
Ball Dumbbell Press	Pectoralis major	Anterior deltoid, Triceps	H. Shoulder adduction Elbow extension	Transverse
Dips — leaning forward	Pectoralis major	Anterior deltoid, Triceps	Shoulder flexion Elbow extension	Sagittal
Power Dumbbell Fly	Pectoralis major	Anterior deltoid, Biceps	H. Shoulder adduction Elbow extension	Transverse
Ball Push-up Toes on ball	Pectoralis major	Anterior deltoid, Triceps	H. Shoulder adduction Elbow extension	Transverse

*Note 1: All inclines and declines take place in between planes, so their movements are the closest ones to that exercise.

** Note 2: The lats work as a synergist in the beginning of a bench press and other exercises similar to it.

Often the subscapularis is working with the pecs.

A smith machine push-up is simply doing a push-up on the smith machine bar. It allows the user to maintain proper push-up form and the bar can be raised or lowered depending on desired difficulty.

The difference between a pec deck and a fly is that on a pec deck the pads are up against the elbows so no biceps are involved, whereas in a fly the weight or handle is held in the hands.

A cable crossover is like a fly, but with your hands down in front of your waist, close to your body, similar to making a most muscular pose.

A power fly is when you allow your elbows to bend more than normal to use more weight.

Cable crossover

Exercise	Agonist	Synergists	Movement	Plane
Wide Grip Lat Pulldown	Latissimus dorsi	Rhomboids, Brachioradialis, Posterior deltoid, Mid/lower traps	Shoulder adduction Elbow flexion	Frontal
Reverse Grip Lat Pulldown	Latissimus dorsi	Biceps, Rhomboids, Posterior deltoid, Mid/lower traps	Shoulder extension Elbow flexion	Sagittal
V-grip Cable Row	Latissimus dorsi	Rhomboids, Brachialis, Posterior deltoid, Mid trapezius	Shoulder extension Elbow flexion	Sagittal
Hammer Strength Row Neutral Grip	Latissimus dorsi	Rhomboids, Brachialis, Posterior deltoid, Mid trapezius	Shoulder extension Elbow flexion	Sagittal
Wide Grip Cable Row	Latissimus dorsi	Rhomboids, Posterior deltoid, Brachioradialis, Mid trapezius	H. Shoulder abduction Elbow flexion	Transverse
Hammer Strength Lat Pulldown (supinated)	Latissimus dorsi	Biceps, Rhomboids, Posterior deltoid, Lower Traps	Shoulder extension Elbow flexion	Sagittal
90 Degree Pronated Bent Over Row	Latissimus dorsi	Rhomboids, Brachialis, Posterior deltoid, Mid trapezius	H. Shoulder abduction Elbow flexion	Transverse
45 Degree Supinated Bent Over Row	Latissimus dorsi	Biceps, Rhomboids, Posterior deltoid, Mid/upper traps	Shoulder extension Elbow flexion	Sagittal
Dumbbell Row	Latissimus dorsi	Rhomboids, Brachialis, Posterior deltoid, Mid trapezius	Shoulder extension Elbow flexion	Sagittal
Pull-up (Bodyweight or Assisted)	Latissimus dorsi	Rhomboids, Posterior deltoid, Brachioradialis, Mid/lower traps	Shoulder adduction Elbow flexion	Frontal
Chin-up (Bodyweight or Assisted)	Latissimus dorsi	Biceps, Rhomboids, Posterior deltoid, Mid/lower traps	Shoulder extension Elbow flexion	Sagittal
Straight Arm Lat Pulldown	Latissimus dorsi	Triceps long head, Posterior deltoid, Rectus abdominis	Shoulder extension	Sagittal
Pullover Machine	Latissimus dorsi	Triceps long head, Posterior deltoid, Rectus abdominis	Shoulder extension	Sagittal
Wide Pronated Chest Supported T-Bar Row	Latissimus dorsi	Rhomboids, Brachioradialis, Posterior deltoid, Mid trapezius	H. Shoulder abduction Elbow flexion	Transverse
Narrow Neutral Grip Chest Supported T-Bar Row	Latissimus dorsi	Rhomboids, Brachialis, Posterior deltoid, Mid trapezius	Shoulder extension Elbow flexion	Sagittal
Old School T-bar Row V-grip	Latissimus dorsi	Rhomboids, Brachialis, Posterior deltoid, Mid trapezius, Erectors	Shoulder extension Elbow flexion	Sagittal
2 Arm Dumbbell Row Neutral grip	Latissimus dorsi	Rhomboids, Brachialis, Posterior deltoid, Mid trapezius, Erectors	Shoulder extension Elbow flexion	Sagittal
Standing V-grip Cable Row	Latissimus dorsi	Rhomboids, Brachialis, Posterior deltoid, Mid trapezius, Erectors	Shoulder extension Elbow flexion	Sagittal
Reverse Push-up	Latissimus dorsi	Rhomboids, Brachioradialis, Posterior deltoid, Mid trapezius	H. Shoulder abduction Elbow flexion	Transverse
Ball Shoulder extension	Latissimus dorsi	Triceps long head, Posterior deltoid Rectus abdominis	Shoulder extension	Sagittal

*Note: the teres major always works with the lats; the elbow flexor listed is the one most involved, all 3 are always working; often the infraspinatus and teres minor are working with the lats.

Old School T-bar row is when you stick a barbell into the corner and do rows with it, often using a V-grip to hold the bar.

A reverse push-up is when you hang from a bar (often on the smith machine) and then pull yourself up to it, so it looks like a push-up facing the ceiling.

A ball shoulder extension is similar to using an ab wheel: you kneel down, place your hands on a physio ball, keep your arms straight, and then roll the ball out until your arms are in line with your body and then you roll back. Often this is used as an abdominal exercise.

T-bar row

Exercise	Agonist	Synergists	Movement	Plane
Hammer Strength Military Press	Anterior deltoid	Medial deltoid, Triceps	Shoulder abduction Elbow extension	Frontal
Military Press Machine	Anterior deltoid	Medial deltoid, Triceps	Shoulder abduction Elbow extension	Frontal
Dumbbell Military Press	Anterior deltoid	Medial deltoid, Triceps	Shoulder abduction Elbow extension	Frontal
Arnold Press	Anterior deltoid	Medial deltoid, Posterior deltoid, Triceps	Shoulder abduction Elbow extension	Frontal (mainly)
Dumbbell Front Raise	Anterior deltoid	Clavicular pectoralis major	Shoulder flexion	Sagittal
Barbell Front Raise	Anterior deltoid	Clavicular pectoralis major	Shoulder flexion	Sagittal
Cable Front Raise	Anterior deltoid	Clavicular pectoralis major	Shoulder flexion	Sagittal
Barbell Military Press	Anterior deltoid	Medial deltoid, Triceps	Shoulder abduction Elbow extension	Frontal
Push Press	Anterior deltoid	Medial deltoid, Triceps, Legs	Shoulder abduction Elbow extension	Frontal
Handstand Push-up	Anterior deltoid	Medial deltoid, Triceps, Core	Shoulder abduction Elbow extension	Frontal
Cable Lateral Raise	Medial deltoid	Supraspinatus*	Shoulder abduction	Frontal
Lateral Raise Machine	Medial deltoid	Supraspinatus*	Shoulder abduction	Frontal
Dumbbell Lateral Raise	Medial deltoid	Supraspinatus*	Shoulder abduction	Frontal
Dumbbell Leaning Lateral Raise	Medial deltoid	Supraspinatus*	Shoulder abduction	Frontal
Dumbbell Power Lateral Raise	Medial deltoid	Supraspinatus*	Shoulder abduction	Frontal
Lateral Hold	Medial deltoid	Supraspinatus*	Shoulder abduction (Isometric)	Frontal
Dumbbell Rear Delt Raise	Posterior deltoid	Mid trapezius	H. Shoulder abduction	Transverse
Rear Delt Machine	Posterior deltoid	Mid trapezius, Latissimus dorsi	H. Shoulder abduction	Transverse
Cable Rear Delt Raise	Posterior deltoid	Mid trapezius	H. Shoulder abduction	Transverse
Dumbbell Power Rear Delt Raise	Posterior deltoid	Mid trapezius, Lats, Biceps, Erectors	H. Shoulder abduction	Transverse
Rope Face Pull	Posterior deltoid	Middle Deltoid, Biceps, Mid trapezius	H. Shoulder abduction Elbow flexion	Transverse

*Note: on lateral raises, the traps may also work; forearm extensors are also receiving some load as stabilizers.

The infraspinatus and teres minor often work with the posterior deltoid.

Power raises are when you bend your elbows 90 degrees and do the exercise: it's used to lift more weight.

A leaning lateral raise is when you hold onto something stable, put your feet near the base of what you're holding, lean away from it and then do the lateral raise: this makes it easier.

Leaning lateral raise

Exercise	Agonist	Synergist*	Movement	Plane
Machine Biceps Curl Supinated	Biceps brachii	Brachialis, Brachioradialis	Elbow flexion	Sagittal
EZ Bar Cable Curl	Biceps brachii	Brachialis, Brachioradialis	Elbow flexion	Sagittal
Cable Curl Supinated	Biceps brachii	Brachialis, Brachioradialis	Elbow flexion	Sagittal
EZ Bar Curl Narrow Grip	Biceps long head	Biceps short head, Brachialis, Brachioradialis	Elbow flexion	Sagittal
EZ Bar Curl Wide Grip	Biceps short head	Biceps long head, Brachialis, Brachioradialis	Elbow flexion	Sagittal
Dumbbell Curl	Biceps brachii	Brachialis, Brachioradialis	Elbow flexion	Sagittal
Dumbbell Hammer Curl	Brachialis	Brachioradialis, Biceps brachii	Elbow flexion	Sagittal
EZ Bar Preacher Curl	Biceps brachii	Brachialis Brachioradialis	Elbow flexion	Sagittal
Dumbbell Preacher Curl	Biceps brachii	Brachialis Brachioradialis	Elbow flexion	Sagittal
Dumbbell Concentration Curl	Biceps brachii	Brachialis Brachioradialis	Elbow flexion	Sagittal
High Pulley Curl or Hercules Curl	Biceps short head	Biceps long head, Brachialis, Brachioradialis	Elbow flexion	Frontal
Spider Curl	Biceps brachii	Brachialis Brachioradialis	Elbow flexion	Sagittal
EZ Bar Reverse Curl	Brachioradialis	Brachialis Biceps brachii	Elbow flexion	Sagittal
EZ Bar Reverse Cable Curl	Brachioradialis	Brachialis Biceps brachii	Elbow flexion	Sagittal
Parallel Bar Curl	Brachialis	Brachioradialis Biceps brachii	Elbow flexion	Sagittal
Incline Dumbbell Curl	Biceps long head	Biceps short head, Brachialis, Brachioradialis	Elbow flexion	Sagittal
Standing Dumbbell Incline Curl	Biceps brachii	Brachialis Brachioradialis	Elbow flexion	Sagittal
21's	Biceps brachii	Brachialis Brachioradialis	Elbow flexion	Sagittal
Barbell Hold	Biceps brachii	Brachialis Brachioradialis, Anterior deltoid, Erectors	Elbow flexion (Isometric)	Sagittal

*Note: The anterior deltoid will be a synergist if you allow significant shoulder flexion during the biceps curl.

A spider curl is when you put your chest on the preacher bench facing the wrong way, allow your arms to full extend at the bottom (instead of stopping short) and then curl up. It's similar to a concentration curl. You may need to remove the seat on the preacher bench.

A parallel bar is the bar that has handles in a parallel (neutral or hammer) position usually about a foot apart, surrounded by a circle.

This guy should have done a few more spider curls.

Exercise	Agonist*	Synergists	Movement	Plane
Machine Overhead Triceps Extension	Triceps long head	Triceps lateral and medial heads	Elbow extension	Sagittal
V-grip Triceps Pushdown	Triceps lateral head	Triceps long and medial heads	Elbow extension	Sagittal
Straight Bar Triceps Pushdown Narrow Grip	Triceps lateral head	Triceps long and medial heads	Elbow extension	Sagittal
Straight Bar Triceps Pushdown Wide Grip	Triceps long head	Triceps lateral and medial heads	Elbow extension	Sagittal
Rope Triceps Pushdown	Triceps medial head	Triceps lateral head and long heads	Elbow extension	Sagittal
Skull Crusher or Lying Triceps Extension	Triceps long head	Triceps lateral and medial heads	Elbow extension	Sagittal
Dumbbell Triceps Extension	Triceps long head	Triceps lateral and medial heads	Elbow extension	Sagittal
Dumbbell Triceps Kickback	Triceps long head Triceps medial head	Triceps lateral head	Elbow extension	Sagittal
Dumbbell Overhead Triceps Extension	Triceps long head	Triceps lateral and medial heads	Elbow extension	Sagittal
Reverse Grip Triceps Pulldown	Triceps long head	Triceps lateral and medial heads	Elbow extension	Sagittal
Closegrip Bench Press	Pectoralis major, Triceps long and lateral heads	Anterior deltoid, Triceps medial head	Shoulder flexion Elbow extension	Sagittal
Bench Dips	Triceps long head	Triceps lateral and medial heads, Anterior deltoid	Shoulder flexion Elbow extension	Sagittal
Overhead Rope Triceps Extension	Triceps long and medial heads	Triceps lateral head	Elbow extension	Sagittal
Decline Skull Crusher	Triceps long head	Triceps lateral and medial heads	Elbow extension	Sagittal
Dips — body upright	Pectoralis major Triceps	Anterior deltoid	Shoulder flexion Elbow extension	Sagittal
Cable Skull Crusher	Triceps long head	Triceps lateral and medial heads	Elbow extension	Sagittal
Reverse Grip Bench Press	Pectoralis major Triceps long head	Triceps lateral and medial heads, Anterior deltoid	Shoulder flexion Elbow extension	Sagittal
Rack or Board Press	Pectoralis major	Triceps, Anterior deltoid	H. Shoulder adduction Elbow extension	Transverse
Ball Dumbbell Triceps Extension 1 arm	Triceps long and lateral head	Triceps medial head	Elbow extension	Sagittal
Dumbbell T Extension or Tate Press	Triceps lateral and medial heads	Triceps long head	Elbow extension	Transverse
Ball Push-up Hands on Ball	Pectoralis major, Triceps long and lateral head	Triceps medial head, Anterior deltoid	H. Shoulder adduction Elbow extension	Transverse
JM Press	Triceps long head	Triceps lateral and medial heads	Elbow extension	Sagittal

*Note: There's some debate among fitness experts as to the relative involvement of the heads of the triceps in different exercises.

A dumbbell T extension or a Tate press is when you put the dumbbells on your chest facing the ceiling, knuckles facing each other. Keeping the bottom of the dumbbells 'connected' you extend your arms and rotate the dumbbells so they make a T shape on the way up. You can see a video if this at Elite Fitness.

The JM Press was invented by JM Blakley from Westside Barbell Club. It's kind of like a skull crusher to the chin and back up.

Tate press with 125-pound dumbbells.

Exercise	Agonist	Synergists*	Movement	Plane
Leg Press	Gluteus maximus, Quadriceps	Hamstrings	Hip extension Knee extension	Sagittal
Horizontal Leg Press	Gluteus maximus, Quadriceps	Hamstrings	Hip extension Knee extension	Sagittal
Bridge	Gluteus maximus	Hamstrings	Hip extension	Sagittal
Hack Squat	Gluteus maximus, Quadriceps	Hamstrings	Hip extension Knee extension	Sagittal
Smith Machine Squat	Gluteus maximus, Quadriceps	Hamstrings	Hip extension Knee extension	Sagittal
Wall Squat	Gluteus maximus, Quadriceps	Hamstrings	Hip extension Knee extension (Isometric)	Sagittal
Barbell Back Squat	Gluteus maximus, Quadriceps	Hamstrings, Erector spinae	Hip extension Knee extension Trunk extension	Sagittal
Lunges	Gluteus maximus, Quadriceps	Hamstrings	Hip extension Knee extension	Sagittal
Sissy Squat	Gluteus maximus, Quadriceps	Hamstrings	Hip extension Knee extension	Sagittal
Step-Ups	Gluteus maximus, Quadriceps	Hamstrings	Hip extension Knee extension	Sagittal
Butt Blaster	Gluteus maximus	Quadriceps, Hamstrings	Hip extension Knee extension	Sagittal
Front Squat	Gluteus maximus, Quadriceps	Hamstrings, Erector spinae	Hip extension Knee extension	Sagittal
Pistol	Gluteus maximus, Quadriceps	Hamstrings	Hip extension Knee extension	Sagittal
Leg Extension	Quadriceps		Knee extension	Sagittal

*Note: The adductors often act as synergist with hip extension, particularly with a wider stance and/or the deeper you go.

Leg press

Hamstring Exercises

Exercise	Agonist	Synergists	Movement	Plane
Prone Leg Curl	Hamstrings	Gastrocnemius	Knee flexion	Sagittal
Seated Leg Curl	Hamstrings	Gastrocnemius	Knee flexion	Sagittal
Single Leg Leg Curl	Hamstrings	Gastrocnemius	Knee flexion	Sagittal
Ball Leg Curl	Hamstrings, Gluteus maximus	Gastrocnemius	Hip extension, Knee flexion	Sagittal
Glute/Ham Raise	Hamstrings	Glute Maximus, Gastrocnemius, Erectors	Knee flexion Hip extension (Isometric)	Sagittal
See Lower Back Exercises

Exercise	Agonist	Synergists*	Movement	Plane
Lower Back Machine	Erector spinae	Quadratus lumborum	Trunk extension	Sagittal
Conventional Deadlift	Erector spinae	Gluteus maximus, Hamstrings, Trapezius, Quadriceps, Grip	Trunk extension Hip extension Knee extension	Sagittal
Sumo Deadlift	Gluteus maximus, Erector spinae	Adductors, Quadriceps, Trapezius, Hamstrings, Grip	Trunk extension Hip extension Knee extension	Sagittal
Hyperextensions	Erector spinae Hamstrings	Gluteus maximus	Trunk extension	Sagittal
Stiff Legged Deadlift	Hamstrings, Erector spinae	Trapezius, Grip, Gluteus maximus	Trunk extension Hip extension (slight)	Sagittal
Romanian Deadlift	Hamstrings Erector spinae	Gluteus maximus Trapezius, Grip	Trunk extension Hip extension Knee extension (slight)	Sagittal
Rack Pull	Erector spinae	Gluteus maximus, Hamstrings, Trapezius, Quadriceps, Grip	Trunk extension Hip extension Knee extension	Sagittal
Deadlift off a step (Deficit Deads)	Erector spinae, Hamstrings	Gluteus maximus, Trapezius, Quadriceps, Grip	Trunk extension Hip extension Knee extension	Sagittal
Good Morning	Erector spinae, Hamstrings	Gluteus maximus	Trunk extension Hip extension Knee extension (slight)	Sagittal

*Note: the quadratus lumborum is always working with the erector spinae.

Franco and another big dog, deadlifting.

Exercise	Agonist	Synergists	Movement	Plane
Dumbbell Shrug	Upper trapezius	Grip	Scapula elevation	Frontal
Barbell Shrug	Upper trapezius	Grip	Scapula elevation	Frontal
Smith Machine Shrug	Upper trapezius	Grip	Scapula elevation	Frontal
Hammer Strength Shrug	Upper trapezius	Grip	Scapula elevation	Frontal
Trap Bar Shrug	Upper trapezius	Grip	Scapula elevation	Frontal
Protractions*	Serratus anterior	Pectoralis minor	Scapula protraction	Transverse
Retractions	Mid trapezius	Rhomboids	Scapula retraction	Transverse
Depressions	Lower trapezius		Scapula depression	Frontal

*Note: Protractions do NOT work the traps.

Dumbbell shrug

Exercise	Agonist	Synergists	Movement	Plane
Seated Calf Machine	Soleus	Gastrocnemius	Ankle plantar flexion	Sagittal
Standing Calf Machine	Gastrocnemius	Soleus	Ankle plantar flexion	Sagittal
Rotary Calf Machine	Gastrocnemius	Soleus	Ankle plantar flexion	Sagittal
45 Degree Calf Machine	Gastrocnemius	Soleus	Ankle plantar flexion	Sagittal
Standing Barbell Calf Raise	Gastrocnemius	Soleus	Ankle plantar flexion	Sagittal
Leg Press Calf Raise	Gastrocnemius	Soleus	Ankle plantar flexion	Sagittal
Donkey Calf Raise	Gastrocnemius	Soleus	Ankle plantar flexion	Sagittal
Smith Machine Calf Raise	Gastrocnemius	Soleus	Ankle plantar flexion	Sagittal

Donkey raise

And with that, we bring our humongous list of exercises to a close. I hope you find this information useful when you're planning out your workouts or discussing exercises. Obviously, I don't expect you to do all of the exercises listed for any given muscle group. Pick the exercises you like and go at them, add some of your own, and if you absolutely hate some of the exercises on this list, then you have my permission to ignore them.

Tim Henriques is the Director of the National Personal Training Institute of VA. NPTI is a 500 hour, 6-12 month long school for personal trainers. He's been devoted to fitness for the past 15 years: in college he was a collegiate All-American Powerlifter, he has competed in several local strongman and arm wrestling events, and he currently holds the USAPL VA state record for the deadlift of 700 lbs at 198. He attended James Madison University where he got his degree in kinesiology with minors in psychology and coaching. He is lifetime drug free. You can contact Tim here.

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