Exercise Library

Assisted Pistol Squat

A pistol squat holding a rack or strap for balance. Lets you train the full single-leg range long before you can balance it unaided.

Banded Squat

A bodyweight squat with a band above the knees. The band punishes the knees caving in, which is exactly the fault most people squat with.

Belt Squat

A squat loaded from a belt at the hips instead of a bar on the back. The spine carries none of it, which makes it the go-to squat for a sore lower back.

Bulgarian Split Squat

A split squat with the rear foot up on a bench. Puts nearly all the load on the front leg and reaches a deeper stretch than any two-legged squat.

Cossack Squat

A deep squat over one leg with the other extended straight out to the side. Equal parts strength and hip mobility, and a fine test of both.

Dumbbell Lateral Lunge

A lateral lunge holding dumbbells. Loading it turns a mobility drill into genuine adductor and glute work.

Forward Lunge

Stepping forward into a lunge and pushing back to standing. More demanding on balance and on the front knee than the reverse version.

Front-Foot Elevated Split Squat

A split squat with the front foot on a plate or step. The extra height gives a deeper hip stretch and biases the glute over the quad.

Heel-Elevated Goblet Squat

A goblet squat with the heels on a small ramp or plates. Raising the heels lets you stay upright and squat deeper, which pushes the work onto the quads.

Landmine Squat

A front-loaded squat holding the end of a landmine bar at your chest. The bar's arc acts as a counterweight, so most people squat deeper and more upright than they can with a barbell.

Lateral Lunge

A lunge stepped out to the side. One of the few movements that loads the adductors and trains the legs in a sideways direction.

Pistol Squat

A full single-leg squat with the other leg held straight out in front. Demands strength, balance and ankle mobility all at once.

Reverse Lunge

A lunge stepping backwards rather than forwards. Easier on the knees than a forward lunge and simpler to balance under load.

Shrimp Squat

A single-leg squat holding your back foot behind you, lowering until the back knee touches. Harder than a skater squat and a step short of a pistol.

Skater Squat

A single-leg squat where the back knee tracks down toward the floor behind you. A more forgiving route to single-leg strength than the pistol squat.

Smith Machine Bulgarian Split Squat

A rear-foot-elevated split squat under a fixed bar. Takes the balance out of the hardest single-leg lift, which is usually what limits it.

Smith Machine Reverse Lunge

A reverse lunge with the bar on a fixed path. Balance is removed, so you can load the front leg harder than free weights allow.

Step-Down

Standing on a box and lowering the other foot slowly to the floor. All of the work is the lowering, which makes it excellent for knee control.

Walking Lunge

Lunging forward step after step with dumbbells at your sides. Adds balance and a conditioning cost to an ordinary lunge.

Wall Sit

Sitting against a wall with nothing under you, held for time. No equipment, no skill, and the quads are on fire within a minute.

Bodyweight Walking Lunge

Begin standing with your feet shoulder width apart and your hands on your hips.