Strength Training: Exercises, Technique, and Equipment

Explore strength training exercises for pushing, pulling, squatting, and hinging, with practical guidance on technique, equipment, and progression.

Strength training uses resistance to challenge muscles through movements performed with body weight, dumbbells, barbells, cables, or machines. It includes foundational lifts as well as focused variations for different movement patterns.

What does strength training include?

This category covers pushing, pulling, squatting, and hip-hinge exercises, including bench presses, rows, squats, and deadlifts. Select equipment and variations that match your goals, experience, and available space. Braced positioning, controlled reps, and an appropriate load are central to sound practice; coaching can help when technique is uncertain.

Practical guidance

Start with a manageable resistance to learn the movement, then progress gradually. Adjust benches, cables, and machines before each set, and keep a clear area around free weights. Stop if you experience sharp pain or cannot control the movement, and seek qualified technique feedback.

Barbell Bent-Over Row with Supinated Grip

The Barbell Bent-Over Row with a supinated grip is a powerful exercise that targets the development of your back muscles, with additional emphasis on your biceps and forearms due to the underhand grip. This variation offers unique benefits for improving your posture, strength, and muscle definition.

Barbell Bicep Curl Normal Grip

The barbell bicep curl with a normal grip is a classic strength exercise focused on developing the biceps. This exercise is not only effective for building muscle mass, but also improves grip strength and overall arm function. Execution Stand upright with your feet shoulder-width apart and hold

Barbell Bicep Curl Wide Grip

The Barbell Bicep Curl with a wide grip is an effective exercise for strengthening and building your biceps. This variation emphasizes your muscles slightly differently than the traditional bicep curl, providing a unique stimulus to your muscles. Execution Stand upright with your feet shoulder-w

Barbell Biceps Curl

Barbell biceps curls are a popular exercise for the biceps. The (flexors of the) forearms primarily stabilize the wrists. The front of the shoulder stabilizes the upper arm when the forearm is brought forward. The core muscles in the lower back and abdomen stabilize the torso. Barbell biceps c

Barbell Biceps Curl

The Barbell Biceps Curl is a classic strength exercise focused on strengthening and enlarging the biceps. This exercise offers an effective way to develop and build your arms, with an emphasis on the biceps brachii. It is an excellent choice for both beginners and advanced athletes who want to incre

Barbell Box Squat

The Barbell Box Squat is a powerful exercise that targets strengthening your lower body, with a special focus on your quadriceps, hamstrings, and glutes. This variation of the traditional squat helps you improve depth and technique while reducing the risk of injury through the support of the box. E

Barbell Bulgarian Split Squat

The Barbell Bulgarian Split Squat is a powerful exercise that targets the lower-body muscles, with a unique variation on the traditional squat. By placing one foot on an elevated surface behind you, the focus shifts to one leg at a time, providing an intense workout for balance, strength, and stabil

Barbell Bulgarian Split Squat Left Front Back View

The Barbell Bulgarian Split Squat is a powerful exercise that targets strengthening and toning your lower body, with a particular focus on the legs and glutes. This variation offers a unique twist on the traditional squat by placing one leg on an elevated surface behind you, providing a deeper stret

Barbell Bulgarian Split Squat Left Front-Back View

The Barbell Bulgarian Split Squat is a powerful exercise that focuses on improving your balance, strength, and stability. By placing one leg on an elevated surface behind you, the focus is placed on the front leg, allowing you to work the muscles more deeply than with traditional squats. Execution

Barbell Bulgarian Split Squat Left Side View

The Barbell Bulgarian Split Squat is a powerful exercise that targets the lower-body muscles, with a focus on one leg at a time. This provides a unique workout that improves not only your strength, but also your balance and coordination. Execution Find an elevated surface, such as a bench, and p

Barbell Clean and Jerk Split Squat

If you are looking for a dynamic exercise that challenges both your strength and coordination, the Barbell Clean and Jerk Split Squat is for you. This exercise combines the explosive power of the clean and jerk with the stability and strength of the split squat, making it an excellent choice for dev

Barbell Clean and Press

Introduction The Barbell Clean and Press is a dynamic compound exercise that combines strength, explosiveness, and coordination. This exercise is unique because it intensively trains both the lower and upper body, giving you a full-body workout in one movement. Execution Begin with the barbell o

Barbell Clean Deadlift

The Barbell Clean Deadlift is a powerful compound exercise that not only improves your strength and explosiveness but also contributes to better posture and functional movement in daily life. This exercise combines the technique of a deadlift with a clean, making it a challenging addition to your tr

Barbell Clean Grip Front Squat

The Barbell Clean Grip Front Squat is a powerful exercise that focuses on strengthening your lower body and improving your posture. This variation of the traditional squat emphasizes the front of your body, intensely training your quadriceps, hamstrings, and glutes while also engaging your core and

Barbell Clean Pull

The Barbell Clean Pull is a dynamic strength exercise that focuses on explosive power and improving your pulling technique. This exercise is unique because it not only strengthens your muscles but also improves your ability to generate force quickly, which is essential in many sports and daily activ

Barbell Close-Grip Bench Press

The barbell close-grip bench press is a modified version of the bench press. Bringing the elbows back alongside the body with the narrower grip places more emphasis on the triceps and less on the chest muscles. Barbell Close-Grip Bench Press ExecutionPlace the appropriate weight on a barb

Barbell Close-Grip Bench Press

The Barbell Close-Grip Bench Press is a powerful exercise aimed at strengthening your upper body, with a particular focus on the triceps and chest muscles. This variation of the traditional bench press places greater emphasis on the triceps through its narrow grip, making it an excellent choice for

Barbell Close-Grip Press

The Barbell Close-Grip Press is a powerful exercise focused on strengthening your upper body, with particular emphasis on your triceps and chest muscles. This variation of the traditional bench press emphasizes the inner chest and triceps, making it an excellent choice for anyone looking to develop

Barbell Curl

The Barbell Curl is a classic strength exercise that targets the development of the biceps. This exercise is not only effective for building muscle mass, but also improves grip strength and forearm strength. Execution Stand upright with your feet shoulder-width apart and hold a barbell with an u

Barbell Curl Wide Grip

Barbell biceps curls are a popular exercise for the biceps. The (inside of the) forearms primarily stabilize the wrists. The front of the shoulders stabilizes the upper arm when the forearm is brought forward. The core muscles in the lower back and abdomen stabilize the torso. This variation uses a

Barbell Curls

If you're looking for an effective exercise to strengthen your biceps, barbell curls are an excellent choice. This exercise is not only great for building muscle, but also improves grip strength and arm stability. Execution Stand upright with your feet shoulder-width apart and hold a barbell wit

Barbell Curtsy Lunges

The Barbell Curtsy Lunge is a dynamic exercise that targets strengthening and toning your lower body, with a unique twist compared with the traditional lunge. This exercise not only improves your strength, but also your balance and coordination by adding a diagonal movement. Execution Begin by p

Barbell Deadlift

The deadlift is also known as the king of all exercises. Looking at the list of muscles involved above, you can infer why. The muscles in the calves bring the forward-projecting lower legs back into alignment above the ankles when you stand up and also work to stabilize throughout the entire moveme

Barbell Deadlift

The Barbell Deadlift is a powerful compound exercise that engages multiple muscle groups simultaneously. It is an essential movement for building strength, improving posture, and enhancing overall athletic performance. Execution Begin with the barbell on the floor, directly in front of your feet