Tagged inventory #1
Shoulders · #1 of 18
335 tagged records at primary-count #2.
873 exercises · 18 muscle groups · open-licensed data
Which muscle actually gets trained the most?
A structured reference for every exercise - the muscles each one works, the equipment it needs, how to perform it, and safer alternatives when something hurts.
A plain-language encyclopedia of 870+ exercises: form cues, the muscles each one works, safer substitutions, equipment variations, and progression paths, drawn from open exercise databases.
Tap Save exercise on any exercise, muscle, or equipment page to build a private shortlist on this device, reopen it anytime from Saved exercises. Catalog ranks and step counts reflect the Free Exercise DB snapshot last rebuilt .
- 873
- Exercises
- 18
- Muscle groups
- 15
- Equipment
- 883
- Variations
- 186
- Workouts
The national picture
According to the Free Exercise DB corpus (CC0), tagged-muscle field.
Shoulders carries the most tagged exercises in the catalog (335), a 335× gap over Soleus (1), the narrowest-covered of 18 tracked muscle groups.
- 335×
- widest coverage gap, most vs least tagged
- 335
- Shoulders, most tagged
- 1
- Soleus, least tagged
- 873
- exercises across the full catalog
Catalog lens
Tagged inventory is not primary-muscle count
According to the Free Exercise DB corpus on PlainExercise, Shoulders is #1 of 18 by tagged inventory (335 records) at primary-count #2 (127) ≠ Quadriceps #1 primary (148 records, tagged #4 at 227).
Primary-muscle #1
Quadriceps · #1 of 15
148 primary records at tagged #4.
Where the coverage is
Documented exercises by equipment family, barbell and dumbbell movements are the most thoroughly catalogued, while body-only exercises give equipment-free options for every major muscle group.
Exercises by equipment (top 8)
Volume vs. equipment variety, by muscle group
Some muscle groups have deep exercise libraries AND many equipment options; others are well-covered on one axis but narrow on the other. Dividers sit at the median across 15 tracked muscle groups.
Exercise volume vs. equipment variety
How to read this
Each dot is one muscle group. Right = more documented exercises; up = more distinct equipment types used to train it.
Above median on both axes
Above median on one axis
Below median on both
What you will find here
The goal of PlainExercise is to be the reference you look at before training, not during. Each exercise page answers four questions quickly:
- What muscle does this train, primarily? Every exercise is tagged with a primary muscle and any secondary contributors.
- What do I need? Equipment is explicit, bodyweight, dumbbells, barbell, cable, bands, machine, kettlebell, etc.
- How do I actually do it? Numbered, plain-language steps. No flowery prose.
- What can go wrong? Each page lists common mistakes and safety notes specific to the movement.
When one exercise is not the right fit, the page also links to variations (same movement, different equipment or grip) and to peer exercises that target the same muscle. Browse the full variations index or use the How to Read an Exercise Page guide to get the most out of each record.
Exercise Intensity Zones
How common activities map to MET intensity, from light walking to very vigorous sprinting. Data from the Compendium of Physical Activities (Ainsworth et al., 2011).
Guides
Plain-language guides for choosing, sequencing, and progressing exercises.
What to do with this catalog
Use the muscle and equipment breakdowns to plan a balanced routine, not just browse.
- Shoulders has the deepest catalog (335 exercises) vs Soleus's 1 (335x); worth checking if you're under-training the lagging group. Browse Soleus exercises
- Start from equipment you actually have: the Barbell category alone covers 170 exercises. Browse by equipment
- New to structuring a week? See how to sequence muscle groups across training days. Read the guide
Exercise counts reflect our 873-exercise catalog only (updated July 2026), not every possible variation.
How PlainExercise works, and why you can trust these numbers
What this site is
PlainExercise is a free, structured database of 873 exercises covering every major muscle group and equipment profile. Catalog records derive from the public-domain Free Exercise DB (CC0). The calorie estimator uses MET values from the Compendium of Physical Activities (Ainsworth et al., 2011); original editorial context is kept separate from those source records.
Editorial process
- Source. Pull exercise records from the Free Exercise DB, and MET values from the Compendium of Physical Activities.
- Verify. Normalize muscle-group and equipment tags, then check the labels and terminology against the methodology we publish.
- Publish. Build a per-exercise page with what the exercise is, muscles trained, equipment needed, how to perform it, common mistakes, and safer variations, retaining upstream attribution on raw instruction text.
Editorial independence & corrections
The PlainExercise editorial process is independent and accepts no advertising or sponsorship from equipment makers or training programs. Found something that looks wrong? Reach us via the contact page. See our methodology for how records are sourced, transformed, and verified.
Frequently asked
What is PlainExercise?
A free, structured database of 800+ exercises covering every major muscle group and equipment profile. Each page documents what the exercise is, which muscles it trains, what equipment you need, how to perform it, common mistakes, and safer variations.
Where does the data come from?
Exercise records derive from the public-domain Free Exercise DB (CC0). We normalize and frame those records with original editorial context (common mistakes, safety notes, progression paths). Raw instruction text retains its upstream attribution.
Is this medical or personal training advice?
No. PlainExercise publishes general educational information. Consult a physician or certified trainer before starting any new exercise program, especially if you have pre-existing conditions or recent injuries.
Is PlainExercise free to use?
Yes. No signup, no paywall. The site is supported by non-intrusive advertising. All data is free to browse, and editorial content may be quoted with attribution.
General information only. PlainExercise publishes educational material, not medical or personal training advice. Consult a physician or certified trainer before starting any new exercise program, especially if you have pre-existing conditions or injuries.
Related Guides
Editorial context for choosing, sequencing, and progressing exercises, deeper dives that pair with the dataset.
Open data: exercise-catalog-statistics.csv (Free Exercise DB extract · CC BY 4.0).