PlainExercise
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.
- 873
- Exercises
- 18
- Muscle groups
- 15
- Equipment
- 883
- Variations
- 186
- Workouts
PlainExercise catalogs 873 exercises across 18 muscle groups and 15 equipment types. 56% are compound movements that train several muscles at once, and 60% are rated beginner-friendly. Barbell and dumbbell exercises lead coverage, and Shoulders is the single most-documented muscle.
- 489 compound · 297 isolation movements
- 523 beginner-friendly exercises
- Sourced from Free Exercise DB (CC0) + wger.de
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)
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. 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.
About this data
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. Records derive from the public-domain Free Exercise DB (CC0) and the AGPL-licensed wger.de corpus, plus the Compendium of Physical Activities (Ainsworth et al., 2011) for the calorie estimator's MET values, merged with original editorial context.
Editorial process
- Source. Pull exercise records from the Free Exercise DB and wger.de, and MET values from the Compendium of Physical Activities.
- Verify. Normalize muscle-group and equipment tags across both source corpora and align terminology with NIH/NLM MeSH and CDC physical-activity guidance.
- 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 team 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) and the AGPL-licensed wger.de corpus. We merge, normalize, and frame the data 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.