Targeting a muscle group is part of any well designed program. Below is a list of 10 different muscles or areas of the body and some of the best exercises to target them. Keep in mind this is not an exhaustive list, but consists of very effective exercises that you can’t go wrong using.

The purpose of this post is not to encourage spot reduction, but to be able to effectively work the desired muscle group for the purpose of strengthening it.

Table of Contents

1. Back Targeting Exercises
2. Shoulder Targeting Exercises
3. Bicep Targeting Exercises
4. Tricep Targeting Exercises
5. Glute Targeting Exercises
6. Hamstring Targeting Exercises
7. Quad Targeting Exercises
8. Oblique Targeting Exercises
9. Upper Abdominal Targeting Exercises
10. Lower Abdominal Targeting Exercises
11. Exercise Gallery
12. Equipment

Shoulder Targeting Exercises

The shoulder joint is very dynamic, allowing for a wide range of movement, which means it needs a lot of stability to stay healthy.  It also means it can be susceptible to injury and that not every exercise is right for every person.

Neutral Grip Press

Starting with the dumbbells at your shoulders and palms facing in, proceed to raise them up above your head. The keys here are not to let your lower back arch or let momentum take over. These can be prevented by keeping core tension and focusing on the movement in the shoulder.

Variations: Palms facing outward, use band instead of dumbbells, add a curl before the press, seated or standing, in an isometric lower body hold, single leg or on a bosu for balance.

Front Raise

Starting with the dumbbells at your side with palms facing in. Lift them up in front of your body until about shoulder height. The dumbbells should not be lifted higher than that. Your core should remain tight to not allow your back to arch at the top.

Variations: Palms facing toward the ground, seated or standing, use one weight instead of two, banded instead of dumbbells, in an isometric lower body hold, single leg or on a bosu for balance.

Lateral Raise

Similar to the front raise, a lateral raise is just going to go out to the side of your body instead of in front of it. For the lateral raise, your palms will be facing the front of your body. As always, core tension is important. Similar to the front raise, it is important not to raise the weights above shoulder height.

Variations: Palms facing toward your body, seated or standing, banded instead of dumbbells

Upper Body Mountain Climbers

Start in a push-up position with feet shoulder-width apart. Begin by lowering one elbow to the ground, then the other. Using the first arm, extend the elbow to go back to the push-up position. Then do the other arm. Start with the other hand the next rep. Be sure to keep a neutral spine and tight core during the reps.

Variations: To make the exercise easier elevate your arms off the ground using a bench or try it from your knees. To make it more challenging try using a bosu ball (round side up) at your elbows or feet, add a lower body movement between each rep, or place a weight on your upper back (don’t let it fall off!)

Bent Over Y’s

In a slightly bent over position, start with your arms between your legs and palms together. In a smooth and controlled motion, raise your arms above your head while keeping your thumbs toward the ceiling. At the top position your arms should form a Y with the rest of your body (hence the name)!

Variations: Add small weight (2.5s, 5s), Lay prone on the ground (start overhead and lift a couple inches off the ground), swimmers.

Arnold Press

Start with your palms facing your body and weights up in front of your face. The first step is rotating your arms from in front of your face to the side of your head so that your palms face outward. The next step is to push the weights up overhead with the palms still facing out. As you lower the weights down, repeat the same pattern in reverse. This creates some great rotational work in the shoulders.

Variations: This is an exercise done best without any variations because it keeps the load most heavily focused on the shoulders.

Tricep Targeting Exercises

Working our triceps can be tough. They are a small muscle group that can fatigue quickly. But working on our triceps is just as important as getting strong biceps. They can help increase numbers for a bench press, help get those toned arms people are always searching for, and just assist with every day activities.

Tricep Dips

A favorite among anyone who looks to work their triceps. This is a simple exercise in which you start with your hands behind you on the bench with knuckles forward. While being slow and controlled, lower your body to the ground to reach about 90 degrees of flexion at the elbows. The further away your legs are from you, the more difficult the intensity!

Variations: hold a weight on top of your legs, pause at the bottom, or add leg raise with toe touch at the top.

Tricep OH Extensions

Holding a dumbbell or resistance of your choice above your head with full extension at the elbows, lower the weight down behind your head. It is very important to resist the tendency to arch the low back. Prevent this by keeping core tension and letting your triceps do the work. Limit the work that your shoulder is doing and keep the focus on the triceps.

Variations: increase weight or reps, add a single or double leg lower to get the core active, or add a skull crusher between each rep.

Tricep Push-Ups

Set up in a high plank position with your hands directly below your shoulders. As any other push-up, lower yourself toward the ground and push back up while maintaining a flat back and tight core. The narrow position of your hands will allow for the load to go into your triceps. This can be done on your knees or on an incline as well.

Variations: elevate the legs, single leg, weight on the back, pause at the bottom, or hold a plank after completing your last rep.

Narrow Bench Press

Lying supine on a bench or on the ground, start with the dumbbells above your chest. Lower the weights down toward your chest while keeping your elbows in tight to get the work into your triceps. Your grip should be neutral, having your palms face each other.

Variations: increase weight or reps, put your feet on the bench, or lower the weights on a 5 count loading the eccentric phase.

Banded Tricep Pull-Down

Attaching the band higher up on a banister, pole, or anything you have (or use a cable as seen in the picture), place hands about shoulder width apart on the band to start. Extend your elbows to bring the band down toward your hips. Be sure to keep core tension to not let the work go into your low back. This can also be done with a cable machine using the handles or rope attachment.

Variations: single arm pull-downs, hand on top of hand pull-down, or standing on top of a bosu.

SKLZ Single Arm extensions

Using your SKLZ sliders, a towel on a hardwood surface, or a Tupperware lid on carpet put one underneath one of your hands in a kneeling position. As you extend the hand with the SKLZ, the other arm goes into elbow flexion, keeping the arm close to your body. This creates a single arm tricep push-up in the arm off of the SKLZ.

Variations: this is an advanced movement, you may need to regress and perform tricep push-ups and the ab wheel separately to build enough strength and stability. You can make this harder by going from your toes and even harder by elevating your feet or putting them on a bosu.

Hamstring Targeting Exercises

Training our hamstrings involves a lot of hip hinging or flexion at the knee. The more you teach your hips to hinge properly, the better off you will be in real life. Hamstrings are very active as you bend down to pick things up or do other everyday tasks (laundry, gardening, stairs, etc.).

Bonus! Training your hamstrings effectively will make you faster if you are an athlete. This is due to their role as a hip extensor which also helps in your ability to decelerate and change direction.

Single Leg RDL

This is one of my personal favorites, and not just because it does a great job of targeting your hamstring. Start balancing on one leg with a slight bend in the knee. Proceed by hinging at your hips, pushing your butt back while keeping your core tight and back flat. The leg not on the ground will extend back while your hips and shoulders stay square to the ground. Reach for mid-shin with your hands or to the length that your hamstring and good form allow. Return back to the upright position, tapping the other foot down when needed.

Variations: Add weights in each hand, only one weight in one hand, perform on a bosu, use a cable as resistance, use a swiss ball under the back foot.

Double Leg RDL

Very similar to the single leg RDL, the double leg starts with a slight bend in the knees and a hip hinge back. Lower the weight to below the knee, again only as low as your great form allows. Return back to neutral by standing up tall and squeezing your glutes at the top. This is a great bilateral alternative to the single leg RDL.

Variations: Use a barbell instead of dumbbells, perform on a bosu, use a single weight, use a cable, or make it a complex with other exercises.

Hamstring Curls on Swiss Ball

With your back flat on the ground and your knees bent at 90 degrees, put your feet up on the stability ball. Lift your hips up as if your were doing a glute bridge. Extend your legs out while keeping the stability ball underneath your feet. Pull the stability ball back in using your hamstrings and maintaining core tension so that the work is not felt in your low back.

Variations: Put your feet in TRX straps, try single leg curls, or place your feet on the SKLZ sliders

Hamstring Walk-Outs

Begin with shoulders and feet on the ground with your hips up in a glute bridge position. Begin by stepping out with your heels alternating right and left. Step out 2-3 steps each side, then walk back in to the original position.

Variations: add a band above your knees to increase glute engagement, squeeze a medicine ball to work your inner thighs also, hold a weight on your hips.

Kettle Bell Swings

With a little bit of knee bend and holding the weight between your legs, start with the same hip hinge back as your would with a double leg RDL. Proceed by bringing the weight forward in a swinging motion by pushing your hips back to neutral and squeezing your glutes. Do not use your arms to bring the weight higher or let momentum do the work.

Variations: Use dumbbells as your resistance, use a band to pull through your legs

Eccentric Hamstring Curl

While on your knees, your feet can either be pinned down by a partner, or have them in a machine in the gym. Slowly lower your chest toward the ground until you cannot anymore. Either drop to the ground or use a stick as assistance to lift yourself back to the original kneeling position.

Variations: If you are crazy you could try this single leg 😜 otherwise you could use a hamstring curl machine focusing on slow extension to get an eccentric load.

Oblique Targeting Exercises

The obliques serve a great purpose as the muscles that support the sides of our core. They assist in the deep exhalation in our breathing routine. They help us with rotation, anti-rotational stability and overall strength in the core. Training your obliques should be a part of your program.

Side Plank Hip Taps

Start in a side plank position with your bottom elbow directly below your shoulder. The other hand can be on your top hip, extended toward the ceiling on the floor for some balance. One leg should be stacked on top of the other. Begin by lowering your body to the ground so that your bottom hip taps the ground. Do not do this at the expense of your form. Make sure your knees, hips, and shoulders all stay in line.

Variations: Bottom knee bent on the ground to decrease load, elbow on stability pad or bosu ball, hold a weight in your top hand.

Plank Hip Dips

In an elbow plank position with tension in your core, be sure not to have your hips too high or your low back arch with hips too low. Proceed by trying to tap one hip to the side and then switch over to the other. It is not essential to tap each completely to the ground if it means your feet are coming off the ground. This one crushes my obliques!

Variations: Elbows or feet on the soft side of a Bosu Ball or stability pad. 

Side Plank Crunch

Start in the same position as the side plank hip taps above. Begin by bending your top knee and top elbow. Have that elbow and knee meet in the middle as you crunch through your top oblique and your bottom one stabilizes isometrically. Return to the original position and repeat.

Variations: Bottom knee on the ground, elbow or bottom foot on a stability pad or bosu ball.

Pallof Press

Using a band or a cable machine, stand so that your side is facing the machine (perpendicular). Have your inside hand on the bottom and outside had overtop. Bring the cable handle or band to the middle of your chest at your sternum. Keeping a tight core, press straight out with the handle/band, then return to the chest. Be sure to control the band or cable keeping your hands moving in a straight, consistent line.

Variations: add a rotation in before you press, use a split stance, or incorporate a bosu ball at your feet.

Woodchoppers

Hold a weight in your hands (dumbbell, weight plate, med ball) and start in a loaded position with the weight at your shins on one side of your body. Using your core to rotate, bring the weight back up across your body to about shoulder height on the other side. Continue by diagonally chopping the weight down on the outside of your body near mid-shin where you started and repeat.

Variations: bring the weight all the way over head at top.

V-Sit Twists

Start by sitting in a v position with your pelvis tucked under so that your core is thoroughly engaged (if you cannot do this without back pain, use a different exercise). Holding a weighted resistance in both hands, move it front one side of your hip to the other in a twisting motion.

Variations: add a press, tuck, single leg tuck, flutter kick or scissor kick after the twist.

Lower Abdominals Targeting Exercises

Having strong lower abdominals can help reduce back pain, improve overall balance, and just like all core can help improve your posture. Your rectus abdominus has this lower and upper split and many people only target the upper abdominals with many crunch variations. The lower abdominals are often tougher to work and therefore get pushed aside.

REVERSE CRUNCH FOR LOWER ABDOMINALS

Lying on the ground with your knees bent at 90 degrees suspended above the mat. With your entire upper body staying grounded to the mat, lift your hips up as your knees come toward your head. Using your abdominals, crunch your knees toward your head. While still controlling through your core, return back to the original position and repeat.

Variations: Hanging from a pull-up bar, holding on to the handle of a decline bench.

V-SIT HOLD FOR LOWER ABDOMINALS

Begin seated with your knees bent and feet off of the floor. Be sure to have your core engaged by tucking your pelvis under. Place your hands directly out in front of you or holding them together above your stomach. It is important not to try and sit too upright. This is a mistake many people make that causes the load to go into their low backs.

Variations: Add a curl and press, Add a twist, do an overhead extension with it.

KICK OUT, KICK UP FOR LOWER ABDOMINALS

Lying on a bench or a mat, start with your knees tucked to your chest. You can place your hands underneath you or behind your head holding on to the bench if that is where you are doing the exercise. Begin the movement by extending your legs out so that your body is as straight as possible while still having your back maintain contact with the mat/bench. Proceed to bring your knees back toward your chest. Then, kick your legs up in air by lifting your hips off of the mat.

Variations: Perform the same actions on a decline bench.

FLUTTER KICKS FOR LOWER ABDOMINALS

Lying on a bench or a mat, extend your legs out so you are as straight as possible and feet are off of the ground. Only do this to the height where you are able to keep your back flat. Trying to get lower with your legs by arching your back will only lead to a pain in your lower back and your core not firing as it should. This kind of compromise defeats the purpose of the exercise and does you no good! With this in mind, proceed to the exercise by alternating which leg is lifted higher and which is lowered. Keep switching back and forth while maintaining good form.

Variations: Speed up your kicks and go for time or a higher rep count, slow down and control each kick with a pause and each end.

LEG RAISE FOR LOWER ABDOMINALS

Start lying flat on the ground or on a bench. Place your legs directly in the air as close to your body making an L shape as you can. This is largely going to depend on your hamstring flexibility. You can place your hands underneath you for support, hold on to the bench, or even hold on to a beam behind your head. This will help maintain core tension. With keeping your back flat to the mat, lower your legs down to as close to parallel as you can get while keeping the load in your core and not your lower back. Keeping your core braced, raise your legs back up to the starting position. This can be difficult for those who have tight hips and will sometimes cause some discomfort because of that.

Variations: Hanging from a pull up bar, single leg lower.

SCISSOR KICKS FOR LOWER ABDOMINALS

Similar to the flutter kicks, start by lying flat on a mat with your legs extended out in the air. Again, it is important to keep your back completely flat. Instead of kicking alternating your legs up and down, you are going to instead do it side to side. This is going to create a “scissor” like motion with your legs. It is also important to remember that compromising to lower your legs by arching your back does not do you any good!

Variations: Speed up your kicks and go for time or a higher rep count, slow down and control each kick with a pause and each end.

EXERCISES

Equipment

• HIP CIRCLE 
• RESISTANCE BANDS 
• DUMBBELLS 
• MAT 
• KETTLEBELLS 
• TRX BAND 
• BARBELL 
• SWISS BALL 
• BOSU BALL 
• REVERSE HYPER 
• MINI BANDS 
• SKLZ 
• PULL UP BAR 
• STABILITY PAD

EXERCISE DISCLAIMER

Before starting an exercise routine make sure that you are prepared for exercise and consult a medical professional if you have any concerns. If you are recovering from an injury be sure to have clearance to exercise from your doctor and listen to your body. Results will come from consistent work. Injuring yourself will only further delay your results.

If you feel dizzy or lightheaded you should stop exercising immediately and seek help. Pain or joint discomfort should not be ignored. If you can’t exercise without pain or discomfort you should seek out a trusted fitness professional to guide you. They will be able to adjust your form & technique, programming & volume to manage your discomfort. Make sure that you search for an educated and reputable fitness professional who will support your needs.