WO Buddy blog
Workout guides
Step-by-step form for the exercises in your plan — how to do them, how many sets and reps, and the mistakes worth avoiding. Every guide links back to a free plan built around your own goal and equipment.
Bodyweight · Lower BackBack Extension: Strengthening Your Lower Back Without Overextending It
The back extension trains your lower back and glutes through a hip hinge — but going past a neutral spine at the top turns a strengthening exercise into a spinal one.
· 2 min read
Bodyweight · CoreHanging Leg Raise: Advanced Core Work That Starts With Your Grip
The hanging leg raise trains your lower abs hard — but only once your grip and shoulders can hold a dead hang without swinging.
· 2 min read
Bodyweight · BackInverted Row: A Real Back Exercise That Needs No Equipment
Using a bar or rings set at waist height, the inverted row trains your back through a genuine pulling pattern with nothing but your bodyweight.
· 2 min read
Bodyweight · BicepsChin-Up vs Pull-Up: Same Bar, Different Emphasis
Flipping your grip from overhand to underhand shifts a pull-up's emphasis toward your biceps and makes the movement noticeably more achievable for most people.
· 2 min read
Bodyweight · LegsJumping Jacks: An Underrated Warm-Up and Conditioning Tool
Jumping jacks look almost too simple to think about, but the landing and arm timing matter more than people give them credit for.
· 2 min read
Bodyweight · LegsBurpee: Getting the Technique Right When You're Out of Breath
The burpee's reputation for being brutal is deserved, and it's also why form tends to fall apart exactly when it matters most.
· 2 min read
Bodyweight · CoreSide Plank: Training the Core Muscles a Regular Plank Misses
A standard plank barely touches your obliques — the side plank is where that lateral core strength actually gets built.
· 2 min read
Bodyweight · CoreRussian Twist: Rotational Core Work Done Right
The Russian twist trains rotation through your core — but only if the movement comes from your torso and not just your arms swinging a weight side to side.
· 2 min read
Bodyweight · CalvesCalf Raise: The Exercise Most People Rush
Calf raises are simple to do and easy to do badly — bouncing through a small range trains almost nothing.
· 2 min read
Machine · BicepsPreacher Curl: Removing the Swing From Your Curl
The preacher bench physically prevents you from swinging your torso to help the lift — which is exactly why it's such an honest test of bicep strength.
· 2 min read
Cable · TricepsTricep Pushdown: The Gym's Most Common Triceps Exercise
Simple and effective, and very easy to do with your shoulders instead of your triceps once the weight gets heavy.
· 2 min read
Cable · ChestCable Fly: Constant Tension Through the Whole Range
Unlike a dumbbell fly, a cable keeps tension on your chest at every point of the movement, including the very top.
· 2 min read
Cable · BackSeated Cable Row: Rowing Without the Lower Back Demand
The seated position takes your lower back out of stabilizing the movement, which lets you focus entirely on pulling with your back.
· 2 min read
Machine · HamstringsLeg Curl: Direct Hamstring Work to Balance Your Quads
Most leg days lean quad-heavy by default — the leg curl is the simplest way to give your hamstrings equal direct attention.
· 2 min read
Machine · QuadsLeg Extension: Isolating the Quads Directly
The leg extension is one of the few exercises that trains the quads with almost nothing else involved.
· 2 min read
Machine · QuadsLeg Press: Loading Your Legs Without Loading Your Spine
The leg press lets you push serious weight with your lower back fully supported — but foot placement and depth still matter.
· 2 min read
Dumbbell · TricepsTricep Kickback: A Small-Range Exercise That Rewards Patience
The kickback's usefulness lives entirely in the last few degrees of extension — rush that part and you're just swinging a dumbbell.
· 2 min read
Dumbbell · QuadsReverse Lunge: The Knee-Friendlier Lunge
Stepping backward instead of forward puts less shear force through the front knee, which is why a reverse lunge is often the first lunge variation people can do pain-free.
· 2 min read
Dumbbell · QuadsStep-Up: A Simple Exercise That's Easy to Cheat
A step-up should be driven entirely by the leg on the box — the moment your back foot starts pushing off the floor, you've turned it into something else.
· 2 min read
Dumbbell · QuadsBulgarian Split Squat: The Single-Leg Exercise Everyone Avoids
Rear foot elevated, most of the weight on the front leg — this exercise builds serious single-leg strength and exposes any imbalance between your legs immediately.
· 2 min read
Dumbbell · ShouldersArnold Press: A Rotating Shoulder Press for Full Deltoid Coverage
Adding a rotation to a standard shoulder press hits all three heads of the deltoid through a longer path.
· 2 min read
Dumbbell · ShouldersLateral Raise: Building Shoulder Width Without Straining Your Neck
The lateral raise is small-weight, high-technique work — the moment you use momentum, your traps take over and your side delts stop doing the job.
· 2 min read
Dumbbell · BicepsHammer Curl: Building the Forearm and Outer Bicep
Turning your grip to neutral shifts a curl's emphasis toward your brachialis and forearms — a small change with a real effect.
· 2 min read
Dumbbell · ChestDumbbell Fly: Isolating the Chest Through a Full Stretch
The fly trades pressing strength for a deep chest stretch — which means the weight that feels right on a bench press is almost always too heavy here.
· 2 min read
Dumbbell · ChestDumbbell Bench Press: More Range, More Stability Demanded
Dumbbells let each arm move independently and travel through a deeper range than a barbell — which is exactly why the exercise also demands more shoulder stability.
· 2 min read
Barbell · HamstringsGood Morning: A Posterior Chain Exercise That Demands Respect
The good morning trains your hamstrings and lower back through a hip hinge with the bar on your shoulders — a genuinely useful exercise that punishes a rounded back more than most.
· 2 min read
Barbell · Upper BackBarbell Shrug: Training Your Traps Without Your Biceps
A shrug is a straight up-and-down movement for your traps — no rolling, no curling. Here is why rolling your shoulders actually works against the muscle you're trying to train.
· 2 min read
Barbell · TricepsSkull Crusher: Isolating the Triceps Safely
The exercise gets its intimidating name from what happens when the bar path drifts — here is how to keep it well clear of your face while still training your triceps through a full range.
· 2 min read
Barbell · BackBarbell Row: Building a Thicker Back
The barbell row is one of the best back-builders there is, and one of the easiest to turn into a hip-swinging mess. Here is the torso angle that keeps the work in your back.
· 2 min read
Barbell · Posterior ChainSumo Deadlift: A Wider Stance, A Shorter Pull
A wide stance and an upright torso make the sumo deadlift a genuinely different lift from a conventional pull. Here is the setup and why it suits some builds better than others.
· 2 min read
Barbell · QuadsFront Squat: The Quad-Dominant Squat
Racking the bar across the front of your shoulders forces a more upright torso and shifts more of the work onto your quads. Here is the rack position that holds it there.
· 2 min read
Barbell · ChestIncline Bench Press: Building the Upper Chest
The incline press shifts more of the work onto your upper chest and front delts — but only if the bench angle is right. Here is the setup and the angle that actually works the upper chest.
· 2 min read
Bodyweight · LatsHow to Do a Pull-Up (And Build Toward Your First One)
The pull-up is the benchmark bodyweight back exercise, and also one people give up on too early. Here is the proper form, plus how to build toward your first rep if you are not there yet.
· 2 min read
Barbell · ShouldersOverhead Press: Building Shoulder Strength Safely
Pressing weight straight overhead demands more core and upper-back stability than people expect. Here is the setup that keeps the bar path efficient and your lower back protected.
· 2 min read
Barbell · HamstringsRomanian Deadlift: The Hamstring Builder
The Romanian deadlift trades range of motion for tension, making it one of the best hamstring builders there is — if you keep the bar close and the back flat. Here is how.
· 2 min read
Barbell · ChestBench Press Form for Beginners
The bench press is a full-body lift disguised as an arm exercise. Here is the setup — feet, back, grip — that makes it both stronger and safer.
· 2 min read
Barbell · GlutesHip Thrust: How to Actually Grow Your Glutes
The hip thrust is the most direct way to load the glutes through a full range of motion. Here is the setup and cues that make sure they — not your lower back — do the work.
· 2 min read
Cable · Upper BackFace Pulls: The Exercise That Saves Your Shoulders
Face pulls don't build a lot of visible muscle, but they do more for shoulder health than almost anything else in the gym. Here is how to do them properly so they actually work.
· 2 min read
Cable · LatsLat Pulldown Form Guide: Building Toward Your First Pull-Up
The lat pulldown is often treated as a warm-up move, but done properly it's one of the best ways to learn the pulling pattern behind a pull-up. Here is how to get more out of it.
· 2 min read
Barbell · Posterior ChainHow to Deadlift Without Wrecking Your Back
The deadlift is simple in concept — pick the bar up — and unforgiving in execution. Here is the setup that keeps your spine safe and your pull efficient.
· 2 min read
Dumbbell · ForearmsFarmer's Carry: The Most Underrated Exercise in the Gym
It looks like just walking with weights, but the farmer’s carry builds grip, core stability and posture all at once. Here is how to do it properly and where it fits in a programme.
· 2 min read
Bodyweight · TricepsHow to Do Dips Without Shoulder Pain
Dips build serious tricep and chest strength, but going too deep or leaning the wrong way is how they start to bother your shoulders. Here is the range and posture that keeps them safe.
· 2 min read
Kettlebell · GlutesKettlebell Swing Form: Hinge, Don't Squat
The single biggest kettlebell swing mistake is turning it into a squat. Here is how to load the hip hinge properly and get the explosive power the swing is meant to build.
· 2 min read
Dumbbell · QuadsWalking Lunge Form and Programming
The walking lunge trains balance and single-leg strength at once, which is exactly why it punishes bad form quicker than a squat does. Here is the setup that keeps your knees tracking safely.
· 2 min read
Dumbbell · BackDumbbell Bent-Over Row: Fixing the #1 Form Mistake
Most bent-over rows fail at the hinge, not the pull. Get your hip hinge right first and the row itself becomes far more effective — and safer.
· 2 min read
Dumbbell · QuadsGoblet Squat: The Best Squat for Beginners
Before you load a barbell, the goblet squat teaches the squat pattern with instant feedback — if the weight starts to drift, you will feel it. Here is how to use that.
· 2 min read
Bodyweight · CoreMountain Climbers for Core and Conditioning: Getting the Form Right
Mountain climbers are a plank that moves — which means every plank mistake shows up here too, just faster. Here is how to keep the hips level while you drive your knees.
· 2 min read
Dumbbell · BicepsBicep Curl Form: Stop Swinging the Weight
The dumbbell curl is easy to do badly — using your back and shoulders to sling the weight up. Here is how to isolate the biceps and actually make the exercise work.
· 2 min read
Bodyweight · GlutesGlute Bridge: How to Actually Feel It in Your Glutes
If your lower back is doing all the work in a glute bridge, this fixes it — the setup, the squeeze, and the cues that shift the load to your glutes.
· 2 min read
Barbell · QuadsHow to Squat: The Complete Form Guide
The barbell back squat is the most valuable — and most argued-about — exercise in the gym. Here is a form checklist that works for most bodies, plus the mistakes that show up first.
· 2 min read
Bodyweight · CoreHow to Hold a Plank Correctly (It's Not About the Clock)
Most planks fail through the lower back before they fail through the core. Here is the setup, the breathing, and why chasing a longer hold can work against you.
· 2 min read
Bodyweight · ChestHow to Do a Push-Up With Perfect Form
The push-up looks simple until your hips sag or your elbows flare. Here is the step-by-step form, sets and reps, and the three mistakes that quietly wreck it.
· 2 min read