The Best Exercises for Every Muscle Group, Counted Across 101 Programs
The best exercise for a muscle is not the hardest or the newest. It is one that loads the muscle well, fits your body, and can be progressed for months. Instead of another list of favorites, here is what real programs pick.
For this guide, each of the 1,791 exercise prescriptions in the library's 101 programs was sorted by name under the muscle it mainly trains, and each exercise was counted by the programs that use it. 1,596 prescriptions fit one of nine muscle groups. The other 195 are mostly conditioning (circuits, jumps, sprints), Olympic lifts and mobility drills.
A count shows what program writers reach for by default, not what is best for you. Five of the programs are 5×5 variants, which adds weight to the barbell basics.
The short list
| Muscle group | Programs that train it | Exercises in the most programs (programs using each) |
|---|
| Quads | 95 | Back squat (63), lunges (39), leg press (32) |
| Back | 91 | Barbell row (47), lat pulldown (40), pull-up or chin-up (39) |
| Hamstrings and glutes | 91 | Romanian deadlift (53), deadlift (44), hamstring curl (35) |
| Chest | 90 | Bench press (58), incline dumbbell press (42), push-up (33) |
| Shoulders | 79 | Lateral raise (41), barbell overhead press (39), face pull (30) |
| Core | 63 | Plank (41), leg or knee raise (20), crunches (14) |
| Triceps | 53 | Pushdown (35), triceps extension (28), dips (15) |
| Biceps | 49 | Curl (33), hammer curl (27), barbell curl (14) |
| Calves | 39 | Calf raise (39) |
Each exercise counts once, under its main muscle: the bench press sits under chest, not triceps. Each linked exercise has its own page in the exercise index, with its typical sets, reps and rest and the programs that use it.
The five exercises found in the most programs are the back squat, bench press, Romanian deadlift, barbell row and deadlift. None is new; all five can be loaded in small steps for a long time.
Chest: one heavy press, one lighter one
The bench press (58 programs) is the heavy one: 5 reps is its most common target, with a median rest of three minutes. The incline dumbbell press (42 programs) is second, usually 3 sets, most often of 10 to 15 reps.
Push-ups (33 programs) are the home version: 21 of the 24 programs that train chest without a barbell or a gym use them. Flies (cable, dumbbell or machine) appear in 22 programs, most often for 12 to 15 reps.
A common setup in the library: one heavy press, plus a second press or a fly at higher reps.
Back: rows and vertical pulls
Back work has two patterns. Rows (barbell, dumbbell, cable, T-bar or inverted) appear in 84 programs. Vertical pulls, meaning pull-ups, chin-ups and lat pulldowns, appear in 62. 55 programs include both.
Of the 29 that row but never pull vertically, 18 need no barbell or gym and five are 5×5 programs.
If you can, use both: rows work the mid-back, while pull-ups and pulldowns train the lats through a long range. Pull-ups are most often prescribed for as many reps as you can do (22 of 54 prescriptions); pulldowns and cable rows are most often given 10 to 15.
Shoulders: the press is not the whole job
75 programs include an overhead press of some kind. Fewer train the side and rear of the shoulder directly: lateral raises appear in 41, slightly more than the barbell overhead press (39), and face pulls or rear-delt flies in 42.
26 of the 75 that press include none of those, and 19 of the 26 carry the strength goal, where a short list of heavy lifts is the point. Of the 57 tagged for muscle gain, 40 include lateral raises or rear-delt work.
Lateral raises are most often given 12 to 15 reps (29 of 44 prescriptions) and about a minute of rest; face pulls go higher, 15 to 20 (19 of 30).
Legs: squat, hinge, and the machines around them
Quads are trained in 95 programs, 63 of them with the back squat. But 30 never use a barbell squat, back or front: 26 need no barbell or gym, and four are gym programs that use the leg press, goblet squats, lunges or split squats instead. Squats are an excellent choice, not a requirement.
Hamstrings and glutes get a hip hinge in 82 programs, from deadlifts to kettlebell swings. The Romanian deadlift is in more programs (53) than the deadlift (44). A hamstring curl is in 35, and 33 of those are tagged for muscle gain. Hip thrusts or glute bridges appear in 33.
Calves get direct work in 39 programs, always with calf raises, most often for 15 to 20 reps (31 of 53 prescriptions).
The bench press, back squat, deadlift and overhead press are each most often prescribed for 5 reps and two to four minutes of rest. The machines and single-joint exercises around them mostly sit between 10 and 20 reps. How many reps covers why.
Arms and core
About half the library trains the arms directly: 53 of the 101 programs include a curl or a triceps isolation exercise. Biceps work is mostly plain curls (33 programs, 22 of which name dumbbells) and hammer curls (27). Triceps work is mostly pushdowns (35) and triceps extensions (28, overhead in 25). Both are usually 3 sets in the 10-to-15 range.
Core work is in 63 programs, and it is mostly simple: the plank (41 programs, most often held for 60 seconds), leg or knee raises (20, hanging in 16) and crunches (14). Loaded carries appear in only 3.
How to choose yours
Start from the table and keep what passes these tests:
- You feel the target muscle working.
- The movement is pain-free.
- You can add reps or weight over time.
- The setup is the same every session.
- It fits the equipment you have.
Pick one or two per muscle, not five. The median session in the library has 5 exercises in total; how many exercises per workout explains why.
Bodies differ in limb length and mobility, so adjust: if the bench press feels wrong, the incline dumbbell press is the library's second choice for chest. A new exercise from social media is not automatically better.
FAQ
Are compound lifts enough?
For many beginners, yes. 9 of the 20 beginner programs tagged for strength or muscle gain, including Classic 5×5 and Full Body Starter, have no curls or triceps isolation at all; presses, rows and pull-ups train the arms along the way. Lifters training for size usually add isolation: 44 of the 57 muscle-gain programs include direct arm work.
How often should I change exercises?
Less often than you might think. Most programs keep the same exercises for their whole length, and 64 of the 101 run 8 or 12 weeks. A few change them on purpose: the conjugate template rotates its main lifts every 3 weeks, and several bodyweight programs progress to harder variations. Change an exercise when it hurts or stops progressing, not because it has become familiar.
What if an exercise hurts or I don't have the equipment?
Swap it for one that trains the same muscle the same way. No barbell: goblet squats and dumbbell Romanian deadlifts. No pull-up bar: a lat pulldown in a gym; at home, dumbbell rows and pullovers, which is what Dumbbell Only Program's pull day uses. No gym: push-ups, and inverted rows under a sturdy table. If something hurts, stop forcing it. Dumbbell-only training covers what dumbbells can and can't replace.
See them in a program
Every program lists each session's exercises, sets, reps and rest. If you train three days a week, a full-body program fits best: every session of Full Body Starter has a squat or deadlift, a chest press and a row or pull-up. It is free in full, and day 1 runs without an account.
PPL Beginner puts eight of the nine groups (all but core) on push, pull and legs days, so most muscles get one session a week. Without a barbell, Dumbbell Only Program, four days a week, covers the same eight groups. Both are among the 5 free programs.