Strength-Training Anatomy Reference

Strength-Training Anatomy Reference

Region-by-region listing of the muscles, joints, and main movements that matter for active resistance training, with links to clear, freely-licensed annotated diagrams.

The structure follows the ten plates in the photographed book (anatomy_neck.jpeg … anatomy_calf.jpeg). For each region you get:

  1. Key muscles trained (with the heads/parts that are programmed independently in lifting).
  2. Joints involved and the movements they perform.
  3. Primary lifts that load those structures.
  4. Free annotated diagrams — labeled, high-resolution, downloadable.

Diagram sources used throughout

All images linked below are free to view and reuse under Creative Commons or public-domain licenses.

1. Neck

Muscles trained

Joints

Primary lifts

Neck harness flexion / extension, plate-on-forehead lying neck flexion, prone neck extension, lateral neck raises, “wrestler’s bridge” (advanced), shrugs (upper trap overlap).

Annotated diagrams

2. Shoulder (pectoral girdle + glenohumeral)

Muscles trained

Joints

Primary lifts

Overhead press (barbell / dumbbell / push press), Arnold press, lateral raise, front raise, rear-delt fly / reverse pec-deck, face pull, upright row, scaption raise, rotator-cuff external rotations, landmine press, handstand press.

Annotated diagrams

3. Chest

Muscles trained

Joints

Primary lifts

Bench press (flat / incline / decline), dumbbell press, dumbbell fly, cable crossover, pec-deck, push-up variations, dips (chest-biased forward lean), landmine press, svend press, pullover (overlap with lats).

Annotated diagrams

4. Back

Muscles trained (superficial → deep)

Joints

Primary lifts

Deadlift (conventional, sumo, Romanian, stiff-leg, trap-bar), bent-over row, Pendlay row, T-bar row, seated cable row, single-arm DB row, chest-supported row, pull-up / chin-up, lat pulldown, straight-arm pulldown, shrug, rack pull, good morning, back extension / hyperextension, reverse hyper, farmer carry, suitcase carry.

Annotated diagrams

5. Biceps / anterior upper arm

Muscles trained

Joints

Primary lifts

Barbell curl, EZ-bar curl, dumbbell curl, incline DB curl, preacher curl, Scott curl, spider curl, hammer curl, Zottman curl, cable curl, concentration curl, drag curl, chin-up (bodyweight biceps work).

Annotated diagrams

6. Triceps / posterior upper arm

Muscles trained

Joints

Primary lifts

Close-grip bench press, dip (triceps-biased upright torso), overhead triceps extension (DB / EZ-bar / cable rope), lying triceps extension (“skullcrusher”), triceps pressdown (rope / bar / V-handle), kickback, JM press, board press, tate press, diamond push-up.

Annotated diagrams

7. Forearm

Muscles trained

Joints

Primary lifts

Wrist curl & reverse wrist curl (DB / barbell), wrist roller, behind- the-back wrist curl, Zottman curl, hammer curl, reverse curl, pinch- grip plate hold, dead-hang from bar, farmer / suitcase carry, towel pull-up, fat-grip work, captains-of-crush gripper.

Annotated diagrams

8. Abdominals / anterior trunk

Muscles trained

Joints

Primary lifts

Crunch, sit-up, hanging leg raise, hanging knee raise, toes-to-bar, ab-wheel rollout, cable crunch, decline sit-up, Russian twist, Pallof press, suitcase / farmer carry (anti-lateral-flexion), side plank, plank, dead bug, hollow-body hold, weighted hyperextension. Bracing for squat / deadlift / press is itself an abdominal exercise.

Annotated diagrams

9. Thigh / hip

Muscles trained

Joints

Primary lifts

Back squat (high- & low-bar), front squat, overhead squat, box squat, goblet squat, split squat / Bulgarian split squat, lunge (forward, reverse, walking), leg press, hack squat, sissy squat, leg extension, Romanian deadlift, stiff-leg deadlift, conventional & sumo deadlift, good morning, leg curl (lying / seated / standing), Nordic ham curl, glute–ham raise, hip thrust, glute bridge, cable kickback, hip abduction / adduction machine, Copenhagen plank, step-up.

Annotated diagrams

10. Calf / lower leg

Muscles trained

Joints

Primary lifts

Standing calf raise (machine / Smith / barbell), seated calf raise, donkey calf raise, leg-press calf raise, single-leg DB calf raise, tibialis raise (anti-shin work), farmer-walk on toes, jump rope, heavy ankle dorsiflexion (banded). Calves also get loaded in every squat, deadlift, lunge, and carry.

Annotated diagrams

Quick cross-reference: which lift hits which region

Lift Primary region(s) loaded
Back squat Thigh (quads, glutes, adductors), abdominals, back (erectors), calf
Deadlift Back (lats, traps, erectors), thigh (glutes, hams), forearm (grip), abdominals
Bench press Chest, triceps, shoulder (anterior delt)
Overhead press Shoulder, triceps, abdominals (bracing), back (upper traps)
Pull-up / row Back (lats, rhomboids, mid-trap), biceps, forearm
Romanian deadlift Thigh (hamstrings, glutes), back (erectors), forearm
Hip thrust Thigh (glutes, hams)
Standing calf raise Calf (gastrocnemius-biased)
Seated calf raise Calf (soleus-biased)
Curl variations Biceps, brachialis, forearm
Triceps extension Triceps (long head if overhead)
Wrist curl / wrist roller Forearm
Plank / rollout / Pallof Abdominals (anti-extension / anti-rotation)
Neck harness work Neck

Recommended single-page “overview” images to print

If you only print one or two, these are the most useful master maps:

  1. Whole-body anterior + posterior (labeled) — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:1105_Anterior_and_Posterior_Views_of_Muscles.jpg
  2. Joints of the body (TeachMeAnatomy index) — https://teachmeanatomy.info/the-basics/joints-basic/ and the classification page — https://teachmeanatomy.info/the-basics/joints-basic/classification-of-joints/
  3. Skeleton (anterior + posterior, labeled) — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Human_skeleton_front_en.svg and https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Human_skeleton_back_en.svg