Articles / Exercise guides
Exercise guides
Muscles worked, targets by goal, progression steps and alternatives, per exercise.
Bench press: muscles worked, setup and progression
Which muscles the barbell bench press works, how to set up, the rep and RIR targets by goal, how the 2.5 kg progression step fires, and the ranked alternatives.
First principlesExercise guides5 minIncline bench press: muscles worked and how it differs from flat
Muscles the incline bench press works, what changes versus the flat bench (nothing in the count, a lot in the setup), plus targets, steps and alternatives.
First principlesExercise guides5 minDumbbell vs barbell bench press: what changes?
Dumbbell vs barbell bench press: same muscles and targets — what changes is the step (2 kg per hand vs 2.5 kg on the bar), the rest timer and the logging.
First principlesExercise guides5 minOverhead press: muscles worked (barbell, dumbbell, Arnold)
Muscles the overhead press works — shoulders first, triceps and core behind — across the barbell, dumbbell and Arnold press rows, with targets, steps and swaps.
First principlesExercise guides6 minLateral raise: muscles worked, dumbbell vs cable
Lateral raise muscles worked: shoulders only in the catalog. Isolation targets (10–15 @RIR 1), the 2 kg step, why the cable version logs per side, and swaps.
First principlesExercise guides6 minPull-up vs chin-up: muscles worked and how to progress
Pull-up vs chin-up: one catalog row, two grips (back; biceps, forearms, core). What the grip changes, how bodyweight counts, how a zero-step lift progresses.
First principlesExercise guides5 minLat pulldown: muscles worked and grip variations
Muscles the lat pulldown works (back; biceps and forearms secondary), what wide, close and underhand grips change, the 2 kg step and the ranked swaps.
First principlesExercise guides6 minBarbell row: muscles worked, and the row variations compared
Muscles the barbell row works (back; biceps, forearms), then four catalog rows compared — barbell, single-arm dumbbell, T-bar, seated cable — steps and rest.
First principlesExercise guides6 minFace pull: muscles worked and how it pairs with rear delt flyes
Muscles the face pull works — shoulders primary, back secondary — and why the rear delt fly is its dumbbell twin: same count, same targets, same 2 kg step.
First principlesExercise guides5 minDips: muscles worked — chest dip vs upright tricep dip
Dips muscles worked: two catalog rows — the forward-lean chest dip (chest first) and the upright tricep dip (triceps first). Same three muscles, swapped roles.
First principlesExercise guides6 minBarbell curl vs dumbbell curl vs hammer curl: which does what?
Barbell, dumbbell, hammer, preacher and incline curls compared: one catalog muscle list (biceps; forearms), what grip and arm position change, steps and rest.
First principlesExercise guides6 minTricep pushdown vs skull crusher vs overhead extension
Tricep pushdown vs skull crusher vs overhead extension — three triceps-only isolation rows compared on arm position, step and rest, plus the close-grip bench.
First principlesExercise guides6 minBack squat: muscles worked, setup and progression
Back squat muscles worked (quads first, then glutes, hamstrings and core), a mechanical setup checklist, rep and RIR targets by goal, and how the load steps.
First principlesExercise guides4 minFront squat vs back squat: what changes?
Front squat vs back squat: the catalog rows side by side, what the bar position changes mechanically, one lab comparison, and why the two share one swap list.
Human trial dataExercise guides4 minDeadlift: muscles worked, setup and progression
Deadlift muscles worked as the app counts them (back primary; hamstrings, glutes, forearms), a mechanical setup checklist, targets by goal, and the 2.5 kg step.
First principlesExercise guides4 minRomanian deadlift vs deadlift: what's the difference?
RDL vs deadlift: the bar starts at the hips instead of the floor, the knees stay nearly still, and the catalog files the barbell and dumbbell RDL under different muscles.
First principlesExercise guides5 minBulgarian split squat: muscles worked and how to log it
Bulgarian split squat muscles worked (quads; glutes and hamstrings), a setup that repeats, the dumbbell targets by goal, the 2 kg step, and how L/R logging counts sets.
First principlesExercise guides5 minLeg press vs hack squat: muscles worked and differences
Leg press vs hack squat: both quad-primary machine compounds with 150 s rest; what the sled angle and foot position change, plus where the leg extension fits.
First principlesExercise guides5 minHip thrust: muscles worked, and hip thrust vs glute bridge
Hip thrust muscles worked (glutes primary, hamstrings secondary), how it differs from the glute bridge, one EMG comparison with the back squat, targets and the 2.5 kg step.
Human trial dataExercise guides4 minWalking lunge vs reverse lunge: muscles worked
Reverse lunge vs walking lunge: the catalog files one under quads and the other under glutes, what stepping back instead of forward changes, and how to log per leg.
First principlesExercise guides5 minLying vs seated leg curl: is there a difference?
Seated vs lying leg curl: identical catalog rows (hamstrings, isolation, 60 s rest), what the hip angle changes, and the one training study that measured a difference.
Human trial dataExercise guides5 minStanding vs seated calf raise: muscles worked
Seated vs standing calf raise: the catalog files all three calf rows the same way; what a bent knee changes for the two calf muscles, targets, and the 2 kg step.
First principlesExercise guides4 minGood morning exercise: muscles worked and setup
Good morning exercise muscles worked (hamstrings primary; glutes and back), a mechanical setup for the bar-on-back hinge, targets by goal and the 2.5 kg step.
First principlesExercise guides7 minCore exercises compared: plank, hanging leg raise, ab wheel, cable crunch, Pallof press
Best core exercises, compared by criteria instead of crowned: seven catalog movements side by side — equipment, type, rest, what progresses, and how the app counts them.
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