Gym Workouts by Muscle Group
Select a muscle group below to access dedicated mass-building workout routines, exercise orders, set and rep prescriptions, and joint safety guidelines.
Chest Workout
The best gym chest workout starts with a heavy horizontal barbell press (3–4 sets of 6–8 reps), followed by an incline dumbbell press for the upper clavicular head (3 sets of 8–10 reps), chest dips for lower pec density (3 sets of 8–12 reps), and finishes with cable crossovers or pec deck flies (3 sets of 12–15 reps) for continuous mechanical tension.
Back Workout
The best gym back workout balances vertical pulling for lat width (Lat Pulldowns or Pull-ups for 4 sets of 8–10 reps) with heavy horizontal rowing for mid-back thickness (Bent-over Rows or T-Bar Rows for 4 sets of 6–8 reps), a posterior chain builder (Conventional Deadlifts for 3 sets of 5 reps), and postural rear delt face pulls.
Shoulders Workout
The ideal shoulder workout prioritizes an overhead compound press (Overhead Barbell Press or Dumbbell Shoulder Press for 3–4 sets of 6–8 reps), followed by high-volume lateral raises in the scapular plane (4 sets of 12–15 reps) for side width, and finishes with rear deltoid face pulls or reverse flies (3–4 sets of 15 reps).
Legs Workout
The ultimate gym leg workout includes a heavy bilateral knee-flexion compound (Barbell Back Squat for 4 sets of 6–8 reps), a hip-hinge hamstring stretch movement (Romanian Deadlift for 3–4 sets of 8–10 reps), a high-load quad machine (45-degree Leg Press for 3 sets of 10–12 reps), a unilateral movement (Walking Lunges), and standing calf raises.
Abs & Core Workout
The best gym abs workout focuses on progressive overload through loaded spinal flexion (Kneeling Cable Crunches for 3–4 sets of 12–15 reps), lower abdominal posterior pelvic tilting (Hanging Leg Raises for 3 sets of 10–12 reps), rotational oblique stability (Cable Woodchoppers), and isometric anti-extension (Ab Wheel Rollouts or Planks).
Triceps Workout
The best tricep workout targets all three heads: a heavy compound movement (Close-Grip Bench Press or Dips for 3–4 sets of 6–8 reps), an overhead movement placing the long head into full stretch (Overhead Cable Extension for 3 sets of 10–12 reps), and a lateral head lockout finisher (Cable Rope Pushdowns for 3 sets of 12–15 reps).
Biceps Workout
The ideal gym bicep workout balances an overall heavy barbell mass movement (Standing Barbell Curls for 3–4 sets of 8–10 reps), a long-head stretch movement for vertical peak (Incline Dumbbell Curls for 3 sets of 10–12 reps), a short-head squeeze movement (Preacher Curls for 3 sets of 10–12 reps), and a neutral-grip exercise for brachialis thickness (Hammer Curls for 3 sets of 10–12 reps).
Glutes Workout
The best gym glute workout centers on heavy horizontal hip extension (Barbell Hip Thrusts for 4 sets of 8–12 reps), a hinge movement stretching the lower glutes (Romanian Deadlifts for 3–4 sets of 8–10 reps), a unilateral lunge or split squat (Bulgarian Split Squats for 3 sets of 10 reps/leg), and hip abduction for the upper shelf (Abductor Machine or Cable Kickbacks for 3 sets of 15 reps).