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Exercise technique guide

Exercise Technique Library

Every movement, broken down the way we coach it: what it trains, how to do it, the common mistakes, and how to regress or progress it.

A trainer demonstrating controlled split-squat technique

Squat & Lunge

11

Build strong legs and steady knees with squats and lunges done right.

Bodyweight Squat

The bodyweight squat trains your quads, glutes and core using nothing but your own weight. It builds the pattern behind sitting, standing and lifting, so it suits total beginners and older adults. Master it before adding load with dumbbells or a barbell.

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Box Squat

The box squat has you sit back to a bench, box or chair on every rep. The target removes fear of falling, teaches consistent depth, and builds strong hips. It is ideal for nervous beginners, older adults, and anyone learning to sit back rather than down.

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Bulgarian Split Squat

The Bulgarian split squat is a split squat with your back foot raised on a bench. Elevating the rear foot loads the front leg heavily, building single-leg strength, balance and mobility. It is demanding and humbling, but one of the best exercises for strong, resilient legs.

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Chair Sit-to-Stand

The chair sit-to-stand has you stand up from a chair and sit back down under control, ideally without using your hands. It builds the leg strength behind everyday independence, is very safe, and is one of the best starting exercises for older adults and beginners.

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Goblet Squat

The goblet squat has you hold a dumbbell or kettlebell at your chest while you squat. That front load naturally pulls you upright and deeper, so it teaches good position while adding real leg strength. It is our favourite bridge from bodyweight to barbell work.

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Reverse Lunge

The reverse lunge has you step backward into a lunge instead of forward. Stepping back is easier to control and gentler on the knees, so it is our go-to lunge for beginners, older adults, and anyone with cranky knees who still wants strong legs.

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Split Squat

The split squat is a stationary lunge where your feet stay planted while you lower straight down. Training one leg at a time exposes and fixes side-to-side weakness, builds balance, and is easier on the back than heavy two-leg squats. Great for most levels.

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Step-Up

The step-up has you drive up onto a bench or box using one leg. It builds single-leg strength that transfers straight to stairs and hills, improves balance, and is easy to scale by changing box height. A practical staple for all ages.

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Step-Ups for Cardio

Cardio step-ups have you step up and down on a raised platform at a steady rhythm. They build cardio fitness and leg endurance with minimal equipment, and can be done at home on any sturdy step. Easy to scale by pace and step height, they suit most fitness levels.

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Walking Lunge

The walking lunge has you step forward into a lunge and continue moving with each rep. It builds single-leg strength plus balance and coordination, and mimics real walking and stairs. Best once you are comfortable with the stationary split squat.

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Wall Sit

The wall sit has you hold a seated position against a wall with no chair underneath. It builds quad endurance and mental grit without any equipment or impact, making it ideal for beginners, home workouts and anyone wanting stronger legs gently.

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Hinge & Posterior

8

Train your hips, glutes, and hamstrings to lift and bend without back pain.

Glute Activation

Glute activation uses light exercises like band walks or bridges to wake up the glutes before training. In people who sit a lot, the glutes can switch off, letting the back take over. A few activation reps get them firing, improving your squats, hinges and back safety.

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Glute Bridge

The glute bridge is a floor exercise where you lift your hips by squeezing your glutes. It strengthens the muscles that support your back and hips, needs no equipment, and is gentle enough for almost anyone. A great first step toward stronger hips.

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Hamstring Curl

The hamstring curl bends the knee against resistance to isolate the hamstrings at the back of the thigh. It strengthens the muscles that protect your knees and balance out the quads. It can be done on a machine, with a band, or as a sliding bodyweight version.

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Hip Hinge

The hip hinge is the basic skill of bending forward from the hips while keeping your back flat. It is the foundation of deadlifts, kettlebell swings and safe everyday lifting. We teach it before any loaded lift, because it protects your back for life.

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Hip Thrust

The hip thrust has your upper back on a bench while you drive your hips up against a weight. It lets you load the glutes heavily through a full range, making it one of the best exercises for hip strength, athletic power and a resilient lower back.

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Kettlebell Deadlift

The kettlebell deadlift lifts a single bell placed between your feet using a hip hinge. It is one of the safest ways to learn the deadlift because the weight sits close to your body. Great for beginners and anyone building confidence lifting from the floor.

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Romanian Deadlift

The Romanian deadlift, or RDL, lowers a weight by pushing your hips back with slightly bent knees. It targets the hamstrings and glutes and teaches the hip hinge that protects your back when you lift anything from the floor. A key strength move.

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Single-Leg Romanian Deadlift

The single-leg Romanian deadlift has you hinge on one leg while the other extends behind you. It builds hamstring and glute strength, balance and hip stability all at once, and exposes side-to-side differences. It is a valuable but challenging progression from the two-leg RDL.

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Push

9

Push-ups and presses that build real chest, shoulder, and arm strength.

Bench Press

The bench press has you lie on a bench and press a barbell from your chest. It is the benchmark for upper-body pushing strength, loading the chest, shoulders and triceps heavily. With good setup and a spotter, it is a safe and highly effective strength lift.

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Dumbbell Chest Press

The dumbbell chest press has you press a dumbbell in each hand from your chest while lying on a bench. It offers a bigger range than a barbell, evens out left-right strength, and is safer to train solo, making it a favourite for home and beginner lifters.

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Incline Push-Up

The incline push-up places your hands on a raised surface like a bench or countertop, which reduces the load. It is the smartest starting point for anyone who cannot yet do floor push-ups, and it builds toward them step by step as you lower the height.

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Lateral Raise

The lateral raise has you lift dumbbells out to the sides to shoulder height. It isolates the side of the shoulder, building width and healthy overhead function. It uses light weight and strict control, making it a simple, joint-friendly move for any level.

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Leg Press

The leg press has you push a weighted platform away with your legs while seated in a machine. It builds quad and glute strength with your back fully supported, making it a safe way to load the legs heavily, especially for beginners or those wary of squats.

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Pallof Press

The Pallof press has you press a band or cable straight out from your chest while it tries to twist you sideways. Resisting that pull trains the deep core to stop unwanted rotation, protecting your spine and building real, functional core strength.

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Push-Up

The push-up trains your chest, shoulders, triceps and core in one move, using only your bodyweight. It is the classic test of upper-body strength and needs no equipment, so it fits any home. We scale it from wall push-ups up to full floor reps.

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Shoulder Press

The shoulder press has you push a weight from shoulder height to overhead. It builds strong shoulders and triceps and trains the strength you use to lift things onto high shelves. It can be done seated or standing, with dumbbells or a barbell.

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Tricep Extension

The tricep extension straightens the elbow against resistance to build the triceps at the back of the upper arm. The triceps make up most of your arm size and power every push. It can be done with dumbbells, a band or a cable, seated, standing or lying down.

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Pull

12

Rows and pull-ups for a stronger back, better posture, and firmer arms.

Assisted Pull-Up

The assisted pull-up uses a resistance band or machine to reduce how much bodyweight you lift, so you can practise the full pull-up movement. It bridges the gap to your first unassisted rep by letting you train the exact pattern with steadily less help.

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Band Pull-Apart

The band pull-apart has you stretch a resistance band across your chest by squeezing your shoulder blades. It strengthens the upper back and rear shoulders, muscles that improve posture and shoulder health. It is simple, low-risk, and perfect between other exercises.

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Bent-Over Row

The bent-over row has you hinge forward and pull a barbell or dumbbells to your torso. It builds a strong upper and mid back, the muscles that pull your shoulders back and fight the rounded posture of desk work. A key pulling exercise for everyone.

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Bicep Curl

The bicep curl bends the elbow against resistance to build the muscles on the front of the upper arm. It strengthens your arms for pulling and lifting, and looks good too. Done strictly with light-to-moderate weight, it is a simple, safe exercise for any level.

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Dead Hang

The dead hang has you simply hang from a bar with straight arms. It builds grip strength, stretches the shoulders and lats, and can feel relieving for the spine. It is also the first step toward pull-ups, teaching your hands and shoulders to hold your bodyweight.

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Dumbbell Row

The dumbbell row, usually done one arm at a time with support from a bench, builds a strong back while resting your lower spine. It evens out left-right strength and is one of the safest, most beginner-friendly pulling exercises you can do at home.

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Face Pull

The face pull has you pull a rope or band toward your face while flaring your elbows out. It strengthens the rear shoulders and upper back, muscles that keep shoulders healthy and balanced against all the pressing Many people do. A key shoulder-care exercise.

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Inverted Row

The inverted row has you pull your chest to a fixed bar while your body stays straight and your feet stay on the floor. It is a beginner-friendly bodyweight pull that builds back and grip strength, and its difficulty scales just by changing your body angle.

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Lat Pulldown

The lat pulldown has you pull a bar down to your chest from overhead against a cable. It builds the lats and the pulling strength behind a pull-up, in an adjustable, beginner-friendly way. It is the go-to for building toward your first pull-up.

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Scapular Pull-Up

The scapular pull-up is a small movement where you hang and lift your body slightly by squeezing your shoulder blades down, without bending your arms. It teaches the shoulder-blade control that starts every good pull-up and keeps the shoulders healthy under load.

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Seated Cable Row

The seated cable row has you sit and pull a handle toward your torso against a cable. The seated position supports your back while constant cable tension trains the mid-back through a full range. It is a controlled, joint-friendly way to build pulling strength.

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Standing Band Row

The standing band row has you pull a resistance band toward your torso to work the back. It is a portable, joint-friendly way to build pulling strength and better posture with no weights or machines, making it ideal for home workouts and travel.

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Core & Carry

14

Planks, anti-rotation work, and loaded carries for a core that actually protects you.

Bird Dog

The bird dog has you kneel on all fours and extend opposite arm and leg while keeping your torso perfectly still. It trains the core and back muscles that stabilise your spine, improves balance, and is gentle enough for almost anyone, including back-pain sufferers cleared to train.

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Dead Bug

The dead bug has you lie on your back and slowly extend opposite arm and leg while keeping your lower back pressed to the floor. It teaches deep core control without straining the spine, making it one of the safest and most useful core exercises for beginners.

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Farmer Carry

The farmer carry has you walk while holding a heavy weight in each hand. It builds grip, core, shoulder and leg strength all at once, and mimics real-life carrying like hauling groceries. Simple, safe and highly effective for building useful, everyday strength.

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Goblet Carry

The goblet carry has you walk while holding a single weight against your chest. The front load challenges your core and upper back to keep you upright, building posture and midsection strength. It is a simple, safe carry that also teaches a tall, braced torso.

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Hollow Hold

The hollow hold has you lie on your back and lift your arms and legs, holding a curved, tense body position. It builds deep core strength and teaches full-body tension, a skill used in gymnastics and every strong lift. It scales easily by adjusting your arm and leg position.

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Kettlebell Swing

The kettlebell swing has you snap your hips to swing a kettlebell up to chest height. It builds explosive hip power, strong glutes and cardio conditioning in one efficient move. It is a hinge, not a squat or a lift with the arms, and technique matters a lot.

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Medicine Ball Rotation

The rotational medicine ball throw has you twist and throw a ball into a wall using your hips and core. It builds explosive rotational power that transfers to golf, racquet sports and everyday twisting. It trains the core to create force, not just resist it.

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Medicine Ball Slam

The medicine ball slam has you lift a heavy ball overhead and slam it into the ground with full force. It builds explosive full-body power, works your core hard, and is a genuinely satisfying way to blow off steam. Use a non-bouncing slam ball for safety.

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Overhead Carry

The overhead carry has you walk while holding a weight locked out overhead. It builds shoulder stability, a braced core and full-body control, and challenges your posture hard. It is advanced, so we introduce it only once your overhead pressing and core are solid.

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Plank

The plank has you hold a straight-body position on your forearms and toes. It trains the whole core to keep your spine stable, which protects your back and improves every other lift. It needs no equipment and scales easily for any level.

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Russian Twist

The Russian twist has you sit with your torso leaning back and rotate side to side, often holding a weight. It trains the obliques and rotational core control. Done slowly and with a flat back, it builds side-core strength, though it is not for everyone with back issues.

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Side Plank

The side plank has you hold your body sideways on one forearm, stacking your feet and lifting your hips. It targets the obliques and deep side-core muscles that stabilise your spine and hips, an area the standard plank misses. Great for balanced core strength.

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Suitcase Carry

The suitcase carry has you walk while holding a single weight in one hand, like carrying a suitcase. The uneven load forces your side-core to work hard to keep you upright, building anti-lean strength and grip that transfers straight to real-life one-sided loads.

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Superman Hold

The superman hold has you lie face down and lift your arms, chest and legs off the floor. It strengthens the muscles along your back and glutes, balancing out all the front-focused core work Many people do. Simple and equipment-free, it supports a strong, resilient back.

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Cardio & Conditioning

10

Simple cardio that builds stamina without wrecking your knees or your week.

Battle Ropes

Battle ropes have you whip two heavy ropes to create waves, driving your heart rate up while working your arms, shoulders and core. They deliver intense cardio with little joint impact, are easy to scale, and are a fun way to build upper-body stamina.

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Bear Crawl

The bear crawl has you move on your hands and feet with your knees just off the floor. It builds full-body strength, core stability and coordination in one move, needs no equipment, and doubles as a challenging warm-up or conditioning drill for any level.

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Calf Raise

The calf raise has you rise up onto the balls of your feet to strengthen the calf muscles. Strong calves support walking, running, jumping and ankle stability. It needs little or no equipment and is easy to progress from two legs to one, or by adding weight.

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Hip Abduction

Hip abduction moves your leg out to the side against resistance, targeting the outer glutes. These muscles stabilise your hips and knees during walking, running and single-leg movements. It can be done with a band, a machine, or lying on your side at home.

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Incline Treadmill Walk

The incline treadmill walk has you walk uphill on a treadmill. Adding incline turns easy walking into effective cardio that also strengthens the legs and glutes, all with far less joint impact than running. It suits almost everyone and is easy to scale by speed or incline.

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Jump Rope

Jump rope is a compact, effective cardio tool that also builds coordination, calf strength and foot springiness. It packs a big fitness hit into a small space, but it is higher impact, so we scale the volume and check it suits your knees and ankles first.

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Mountain Climber

The mountain climber has you hold a plank and drive your knees toward your chest one at a time. It combines core stability with a cardio hit, needs no equipment, and scales from slow and controlled to fast and intense, making it a versatile home conditioning move.

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Sled Drag

The sled drag has you pull a weighted sled, usually walking backward or forward with a strap. It targets the legs and posterior chain with no impact and minimal soreness. Backward drags in particular are great for the quads and are surprisingly kind to the knees.

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Sled Push

The sled push has you drive a weighted sled across the floor. It builds leg strength, power and cardio conditioning with almost no impact and no eccentric muscle damage, so it is brutally effective yet easy to recover from. A favourite for legs and fitness.

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Stationary Bike Intervals

Stationary bike intervals alternate hard, fast efforts with easy recovery pedalling. This builds cardio fitness efficiently with almost no joint impact, making it ideal for people who want intensity without pounding their knees. It scales easily and fits any fitness level.

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Mobility & Balance

6

Move freely and stay steady with mobility and balance work for every age.

Ankle Mobility Drill

The ankle mobility drill, often a knee-to-wall movement, improves how far your knee can travel forward over your foot. Better ankle range helps you squat deeper, lunge comfortably and protect your knees. It needs no equipment and is a quick daily win for lower-body movement.

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Cat-Cow

The cat-cow is a gentle spinal movement on all fours, alternating between arching and rounding your back. It mobilises the spine, eases stiffness from sitting, and makes a great warm-up. Simple, calming and low-risk, it suits almost everyone, including beginners.

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Heel-to-Toe Balance

Heel-to-toe balance has you stand or walk with one foot directly in front of the other, heel touching toe. This narrow stance sharpens balance and coordination, making it a simple, effective drill for steadiness and fall prevention, especially for older adults.

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Hip Mobility Drill

Hip mobility drills, such as the 90-90 or hip openers, move your hips through their full range to counter the tightness of sitting. Looser, more mobile hips improve squats, lunges and comfort, and reduce strain that would otherwise land on your back. Ideal for desk workers.

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Single-Leg Stance

The single-leg stance simply has you balance on one leg. It trains balance, ankle stability and hip control, which support walking, stairs and fall prevention. It needs no equipment, scales easily, and is one of the most practical balance exercises for all ages.

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Thoracic Rotation

Thoracic rotation improves how well your upper back twists, an area that stiffens from sitting and hunching over screens. Better upper-back mobility supports good posture, healthier shoulders and comfortable rotation for sport and daily life. A quick, gentle daily drill.

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