Just joined a gym and unsure how to set up each machine? Been lifting for years but still wonder whether your form is right? The Weight Training Wiki is a free illustrated reference covering 880+ gym machine, free-weight and bodyweight exercises, complete with muscle anatomy diagrams.
880+ Exercises, One Search Away
From chest press, lat pulldown, leg press, seated row, shoulder press, leg extension, leg curl, hip abduction and pec deck fly, to free-weight staples like the barbell squat, deadlift and bench press. Search by exercise name or target muscle, then narrow by body area (chest, back, shoulders, legs, arms & core) and training category (weights, cardio, stretching).
See Prime Movers and Synergists on an Anatomy Map
Every exercise highlights the muscles actually recruited on front and rear anatomy views. Prime movers are emphasised and synergists shown in a secondary colour, so you can judge at a glance whether a movement truly targets what you intend to train. Anatomical assets come from Wikimedia Commons and the wger project under the CC BY-SA 3.0 licence.
From Setup Through Breathing
- Machine setup — seat height, pin position and grip width adapted to your proportions
- Starting position and movement path — the correct trajectory through contraction and release
- Breathing cues — when to inhale and when to exhale
- Common mistakes and corrections — elbow lockout, shoulder rounding, lumbar hyperextension and how to fix each
- Movement photos — start and execution positions side by side
Why Joint Lockout Is Risky
At full lockout, load transfers from the muscle to bone, cartilage and ligament. That path leads to meniscus damage, ligament tears and, over time, joint degeneration. Extending to roughly 90–95% keeps continuous tension on the muscle — safer, and a better stimulus. These safety standards are built into each exercise guide.
Set and Rep Presets by Goal
The same exercise is programmed differently depending on your objective. The wiki suggests set counts, rep ranges and rest intervals for hypertrophy (8–12 reps), strength (3–6 reps) and muscular endurance (15–20 reps), grounded in ACSM and ISSA guidelines alongside NSCA strength and conditioning standards.
Connected to Workout Log
Found an exercise you want to train? Search for it directly inside Workout Log and add it to today’s session or one of your routines — then jump back to this form guide from your log in a single tap.
Bookmark Your Own Shortlist
Bookmark the exercises you return to most. Bookmarks are stored permanently in your browser and can optionally sync to the cloud so they follow you across devices.
Who It’s For
- Beginners who just joined a gym
- Intermediate lifters second-guessing their form
- Home trainees working out without a personal trainer
- Anyone starting rehabilitation work
- New trainers who need teaching material
Start Exploring
Open the Weight Training Wiki →
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