01 · Lower · Intermediate
Back Squat
Barbell + rack
The main event for legs and hips. Bar sits across the upper back, you sit down between your feet and stand back up.
── FIELD GUIDE · MOVEMENT INDEX ──
THE
MOVEMENTS.
33 exercises worth knowing. Each one with a plain-English summary, the three cues that matter, the mistake everybody makes, and how much of it to actually do.
33 entries · updated continuously
── PANEL E1 · INDEX ──
FJ-E1
02 · Lower · Beginner
Goblet Squat
Dumbbell or kettlebell
The best squat to learn on. Holding the weight in front counterbalances you and teaches an upright torso automatically.
03 · Lower · Intermediate
Front Squat
Barbell
Bar racked on the front of the shoulders. Punishes any forward lean, so it builds a brutally strong upright torso.
04 · Lower · Intermediate
Conventional Deadlift
Barbell
Pick heavy things up correctly. Trains the entire back side of the body from calves to traps in one movement.
05 · Lower · Beginner
Romanian Deadlift
Barbell or dumbbells
The hamstring builder. Knees stay mostly straight and the hips travel backward until you feel a deep stretch.
06 · Lower · Beginner
Kettlebell Swing
Kettlebell
A hinge done fast. Builds explosive hips and conditioning at the same time with very little joint cost.
07 · Lower · Beginner
Walking Lunge
Bodyweight or dumbbells
One leg at a time, which exposes and fixes side-to-side differences fast. Also very humbling.
08 · Lower · Intermediate
Bulgarian Split Squat
Bench + dumbbells
Rear foot elevated single-leg squat. Ugly, effective, and it builds legs with far less spinal load than a barbell squat.
09 · Lower · Beginner
Step-Up
Box or bench
The most transferable leg exercise there is — stairs, hills, getting off the floor. Full control, no momentum.
10 · Lower · Beginner
Glute Bridge
Bodyweight or barbell
Teaches the glutes to fire without the low back taking over. A great warm-up and a legitimate exercise on its own.
11 · Lower · Beginner
Standing Calf Raise
Step or machine
Small muscle, big role in ankles, knees, and running durability. Needs a full stretch to actually work.
12 · Push · Intermediate
Barbell Bench Press
Barbell + bench
The standard upper-body strength lift. Chest, front delts, and triceps working together under a heavy bar.
13 · Push · Beginner
Dumbbell Bench Press
Dumbbells + bench
Friendlier on the shoulders than a barbell and each arm has to carry its own weight. Great main press for most people.
14 · Push · Beginner
Push-Up
Bodyweight
A moving plank. If you can do twenty clean ones, your chest, triceps, and midsection are all doing their job.
15 · Push · Intermediate
Overhead Press
Barbell
Standing press from shoulders to lockout. Nothing exposes a weak midsection faster than a heavy bar over your head.
16 · Push · Beginner
Dumbbell Shoulder Press
Dumbbells
Overhead pressing with a natural wrist path. Easier to load safely and easier on cranky shoulders.
17 · Push · Beginner
Incline Dumbbell Press
Dumbbells + incline bench
Bench set to about 30 degrees. Shifts the work toward the upper chest and front delts.
18 · Push · Beginner
Dumbbell Fly
Dumbbells + bench
An isolation movement that loads the chest in a full stretch. Light weight, long range, zero ego.
19 · Push · Beginner
Lateral Raise
Dumbbells
The only reliable way to build the side delts, which is what actually makes shoulders look wide.
20 · Push · Beginner
Triceps Pushdown
Cable machine
Direct triceps work with constant tension. Cheap insurance for elbow health and better pressing lockout.
21 · Pull · Intermediate
Pull-Up
Bar
The clearest measure of relative upper-body strength. Hands overhand, chin over the bar, no kicking.
22 · Pull · Beginner
Chin-Up
Bar
Underhand grip version. More biceps, usually a few more reps, and often the better place to start.
23 · Pull · Intermediate
Bent-Over Barbell Row
Barbell
Heavy horizontal pulling. Builds the mid-back thickness that keeps your posture honest under a bench press.
24 · Pull · Beginner
One-Arm Dumbbell Row
Dumbbell + bench
Supported single-arm row. Low back gets a break, the lat gets a longer range of motion.
25 · Pull · Beginner
Lat Pulldown
Cable machine
Scalable vertical pull for anyone still building toward pull-ups, and useful volume for anyone who already has them.
26 · Pull · Beginner
Face Pull
Cable + rope
Rear delts and upper back. The single best thing you can do for shoulders that spend all day pressing.
27 · Pull · Beginner
Dumbbell Curl
Dumbbells
Not vanity — strong biceps protect the elbow under heavy pulling. Do them slow and full range.
28 · Core · Beginner
Front Plank
Bodyweight
Anti-extension. Teaches the midsection to resist the low back sagging, which is exactly what it does under load.
29 · Core · Beginner
Dead Bug
Bodyweight
Looks easy, isn't. Trains the core to stay locked while the arms and legs move independently.
30 · Core · Intermediate
Hanging Knee Raise
Bar
Lower abs plus grip. The controlled version builds far more than the swinging version.
31 · Core · Beginner
Sit-Up
Bodyweight
Classic trunk flexion. Fine for most people when done slow, with the hands off the back of the head.
32 · Carry · Beginner
Farmer's Carry
Dumbbells or kettlebells
Pick up heavy things and walk. Grip, traps, core, and conditioning in one absurdly simple movement.
33 · Carry · Beginner
Suitcase Carry
One dumbbell
Same idea, one hand. The obliques have to fight the lean, which makes it an outstanding core exercise in disguise.
── PANEL E2 · HOW TO USE THIS ──
FJ-E2
A LIST IS NOT
A PROGRAM.
Knowing thirty exercises is worth very little on its own. The order you run them in, the weight you use, and how it changes week to week is where results actually come from. Pick two lower, two push, two pull, and one core per week and repeat it for a month before you change anything.
If you'd rather not guess, book a fifteen-minute call and I'll build it for you.
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