Exercise guides

Exercise guides from RepCount: what the evidence actually says about each lift, and what lifters log alongside it.

• Barbell back squat

  A barbell back squat is a bilateral squat performed with a barbell resting across the upper back.

• Barbell bench press

  The barbell bench press is a horizontal press: lying on a flat bench, you lower a barbell to the chest and press it back to straight arms.

• Barbell bent-over row

  A barbell bent-over row is a horizontal pull done from a hip hinge.

• Conventional deadlift

  The conventional deadlift is a barbell lift from the floor: you stand with a roughly hip-width stance behind the bar, take it with both hands just outside your legs, and stand up.

• Hammer curl

  A hammer curl is a dumbbell curl performed with a neutral grip: palms facing each other, thumbs up, the dumbbell running front to back.

• Leg curl

  A leg curl is a machine exercise that bends the knee against resistance, performed lying face down, seated, or standing on one leg.

• Leg extension

  The leg extension is a machine isolation exercise for the quadriceps: you sit, hook your shins behind a pad and straighten your knees against resistance.