Choosing exercises

What works

Programs should be organised around the fundamental movement patterns: push, pull, squat or lunge, and hinge, with carries and rotation as valuable extras. Judd Lienhard names the four patterns essential for general health with rotation and carries as nice-to-haves. Jeff Cavaliere builds his non-negotiables from weighted pull-ups or chin-ups, a squat variation, deadlifts, and an overhead press, and says every man and woman should press, pull, and train legs with progressive resistance weekly (Jeff Cavaliere). Dr. Vonda Wright frames the core lifts as upper-body push and pull plus squat and deadlift; Dr. Bill Campbell sets squat, bench press, and deadlift as aspirational targets reached through progressions from bodyweight and floor variations; Dr. Pat Davidson keeps general-population training to basic compound lifts plus aerobic work; and Kelly and Juliet Starrett insist appropriately scaled heavy compounds like deadlifts remain essential into middle age.

No exercise is irreplaceable: select by individual anatomy, comfort, injury history, and the ability to create progressively overloaded, pain-free tension. Judd Lienhard states no single exercise is required for hypertrophy and choices should follow comfort and mechanical tension rather than dogma, adding that there are no inherently bad exercises, only bad fits (Judd Lienhard). Dr. Sohee Carpenter lists sumo, trap bar, Romanian deadlift, and good mornings as full substitutes when conventional deadlifts do not feel good, and says any disliked exercise can be swapped for a similar alternative (Dr. Sohee Carpenter). Dr. Mike Israetel requires matching exercises to body build to hit target muscles without joint issues, Dr. Pat Davidson confirms large lower-body gains are possible while avoiding exercises that stress joints and connective tissue, and Bill Hartman applies the same logic to grip and stance choices. Dr. Michelle Boland adds a simple filter: keep people within their range-of-motion capability.

Machines and free weights both build muscle; pick by resistance profile, training age, and context. Dr. Lauren Colenso-Semple cites very similar hypertrophy and strength transfer between machines and free weights, recommends machines for beginners learning form (Dr. Lauren Colenso-Semple), and rehabilitates the Smith machine as a valid tool (Dr. Lauren Colenso-Semple). Dr. Pat Davidson uses quality machines to drive muscle stress while sparing joints, and notes adjustable machines let injured or older lifters keep training (Dr. Pat Davidson). Dr. Jordan Shallow selects machines that overload the stretched position to engineer the desired resistance profile. Gunnar Peterson treats machines as an on-ramp before free weights.

Compounds lead the session; isolation work follows, and it is needed for muscles compounds miss. Judd Lienhard places auxiliary isolation at the end of workouts (where it may be taken to failure) so it cannot degrade compound performance, and explains that two-joint muscles like the rectus femoris need isolation because of active insufficiency during compound lifts (Judd Lienhard). Jeff Cavaliere debunks the idea that compounds alone build complete arms, Dr. Pat Davidson notes some individuals need targeted isolation to reach a growth threshold, and Dr. Mike Israetel still keeps compounds as the majority for time efficiency and health.

Keep a consistent stable of exercises and rotate purposefully; novelty is not a training variable. Judd Lienhard works from a staple pool of 20-30 exercises, rotating variations within categories (2-3 sets of 1-2 exercises per category, twice weekly), and alternates variations of the same pattern across workouts (Judd Lienhard). Dr. Jordan Shallow insists novelty does not equal variability and prioritises reproducible staples (Dr. Jordan Shallow), keeping selection consistent with subtle changes in order, volume, density, and frequency (Dr. Jordan Shallow). Dr. Lauren Colenso-Semple has lifters hold the same exercises for several weeks while progressing.

Include unilateral and split-stance work to expose and fix asymmetries. Gray Cook uses lunges and split squats to identify left-right asymmetries, Dr. Jordan Shallow finds single leg RDLs and hip airplanes reveal weaknesses invisible in bilateral lifts, Judd Lienhard programs at least one unilateral compound weekly at about 20% of total volume and pairs bilateral hinge days with unilateral squat or lunge days (Judd Lienhard), and Dr. Pat Davidson notes bilateral proficiency does not transfer automatically to split stance, so it must be trained directly.

For specific situations

• Beginners: machines or bodyweight are a legitimate on-ramp to groove patterns before barbells (Gunnar Peterson; Dr. Lauren Colenso-Semple). Push-ups are scalable and safe but eventually under-load muscles without added weight or harder variations (Jeff Cavaliere). Loaded carries suit skinny beginners, starting at about 25% of body weight per hand and progressing toward 50-75% (Jeff Cavaliere).
• Older adults: simple bodyweight movements woven into daily walks (bench push-ups, step-ups, walking lunges, bodyweight rows) build real function (Judd Lienhard); scaled heavy compounds stay on the menu (Kelly and Juliet Starrett); neutral-grip pressing keeps shoulder training possible despite cranky shoulders (Joan MacDonald).
• Athletes: use machines and stable exercises for tissue development, and reserve low-support, high-coordination exercises for those whose sport demands them, following Davidson's "ground" continuum from supported machines to free multi-plane work (Dr. Pat Davidson). Reverse-engineer selection from the desired adaptation rather than mimicking sport movements (Dr. Michelle Boland).
• Runners: pick weight-room exercises that both prepare for and counteract running demands rather than adding more forward-pushing compression (Dr. Michelle Boland).
• Shoulder-sensitive lifters: replace upright rows with the dumbbell high pull (Jeff Cavaliere), prefer dumbbell over barbell bench when the barbell is orthopedically uncomfortable (Jeff Cavaliere), and add face pulls a few times per week for posture and injury prevention (Jeff Cavaliere).
• Women new to lifting: the squat, deadlift, and bench press are the three most valuable lifts to learn properly because they permit continuous progressive loading (Louisa Nicola).

Open questions

• Free weights versus machines as the default. Jeff Cavaliere wants the majority of training on free weights for stabilisers and natural movement patterns, and Bill Hartman notes cables produce less force output than free weights when mass and force are the goal. Dr. Lauren Colenso-Semple counters that machine growth and transfer are equivalent for non-competitors, and Dr. Pat Davidson actively prefers quality machines for tissue work. Dr. Mike Israetel splits the difference: the right choice depends on the target muscle, individual fit, and fatigue cost, since most free weights under-load the stretch while most machines have unhelpfully constant tension (Dr. Mike Israetel). Free-weight specificity is only mandatory for barbell-sport competitors (Dr. Lauren Colenso-Semple).
• Heavy bilateral barbell lifts as the centrepiece. Dr. Pat Davidson starts everyone on basic barbell compounds before machines, and Dr. Mike Israetel picks the barbell back squat, bench press, and barbell row as favourites. Judd Lienhard instead prioritises heavy walking lunges over bilateral squatting and hinging for experienced trainees, and Jeff Cavaliere acknowledges the risk-reward of heavy squats and deadlifts may shift selection away from them over a training lifetime. Judd Lienhard also flags barbell back squats and forward lunges as inappropriate for many due to mobility or knee constraints while refusing to ban any exercise universally.
• Leg extensions and open-chain isolation. Bill Hartman prefers ground-contact knee bending over leg extension machines for knee health, while Jeff Cavaliere allows leg extensions for hypertrophy in pain-free knees but prefers closed-chain goblet squats for athleticism, and Judd Lienhard calls the whole closed-versus-open-chain hierarchy misleading, defending leg extensions as necessary rectus femoris work (Judd Lienhard).

Cautions

• BOSU-ball and instability-for-its-own-sake training is a poor use of time; muscle activation is not the same as effective stimulus (Dr. Mike Israetel).
• Do not use the Smith machine as a makeshift leg press; foot slippage risk is serious and balance costs prevent hard, heavy training (Dr. Mike Israetel).
• Unsupported heavy dumbbell flies place the anterior shoulder capsule in a vulnerable position; cable crossovers deliver the stretch more safely (Jeff Cavaliere).
• Upright rows carry avoidable shoulder risk; the high pull delivers similar benefit with nearly none (Jeff Cavaliere).
• Riding machines through a shortened range of motion is a common mistake; start light and learn the full range first (Dr. Pat Davidson).
• Choosing exercises for novelty rather than a specific adaptation wastes progress (Dr. Jordan Shallow).

Putting it into practice

• Every weekly plan must cover push, pull, squat or lunge, and hinge; add carries and rotation when session time allows.
• Treat exercises as interchangeable within movement-pattern categories; on pain, discomfort, or equipment absence, auto-substitute a same-pattern alternative (for example conventional deadlift to trap bar, Romanian deadlift, or hip hinge regression) rather than dropping the pattern.
• Order sessions compounds first, isolation last; isolation sets may go to failure, compounds should not be compromised by prior fatigue.
• Include direct isolation for muscles compounds under-serve: arms (triceps long head, biceps), rectus femoris, side and rear delts.
• Maintain a stable exercise pool per user (roughly 20-30 movements), hold selections for several weeks of progression, and rotate variations within a pattern rather than injecting novelty.
• Program at least one unilateral compound weekly, around 20% of lower-body volume, alternating bilateral hinge days with unilateral squat or lunge days.
• Route beginners and post-injury users toward machines, Smith machine, and bodyweight progressions; route barbell-sport competitors toward specific free-weight practice.
• Blocklist by default: Smith-machine leg presses, heavy unsupported dumbbell flies, upright rows (substitute high pulls), and instability-device strength work.

Experts in this guide: Bill Hartman, Dr. Bill Campbell, Dr. Jordan Shallow, Dr. Lauren Colenso-Semple, Dr. Michelle Boland, Dr. Mike Israetel, Dr. Pat Davidson, Dr. Sohee Carpenter, Dr. Vonda Wright, Gray Cook, Gunnar Peterson, Jeff Cavaliere, Joan MacDonald, Judd Lienhard, Kelly and Juliet Starrett, Louisa Nicola.

Before you act. Entrain is a free knowledge resource. It brings together what named doctors, scientists and coaches teach publicly, with sources, so you can explore and discuss it with your own clinician. It does not diagnose, treat or prescribe, and it is not a substitute for medical care.