Gym equipment

Machine exercises

Fixed path, supported torso, low skill cost. Ideal for taking a muscle close to failure safely and for training around an injury.

What this kit can actually load

42MOVEMENTS

Covering 15 muscle groups as prime movers and 7 of the 9 movement patterns, and the gaps are named further down rather than glossed over.

ಮೂಲ.ಪ್ರಕಟಿತ ವ್ಯಾಯಾಮ ಉಲ್ಲೇಖಗಳು.COVERAGE COUNTED FROM PRIME MOVERS ONLY.ಪರಿಶೀಲನೆ ಜುಲೈ 2026

How the machine list is built

Start from the joint action, not the sensation. A muscle is credited when the action it produces is the one being resisted.
Credit exactly one role per exercise: prime mover, or synergist and stabiliser. Nothing is listed twice.
Rank by technical demand on a 1–5 scale — how much practice the movement needs to be done safely, not how hard the set feels.
Credit a movement to a piece of kit only when that kit supplies the resistance — a bench you lie on is not the load.
Attach the published MET category so the energy figure on every card traces back to the same table.

The attribution rules in full →

ಮೂಲ.ಪ್ರಕಟಿತ ವ್ಯಾಯಾಮ ಉಲ್ಲೇಖಗಳು.ATTRIBUTION BY JOINT ACTION.ಪರಿಶೀಲನೆ ಜುಲೈ 2026

All 42 machine movements

Exercises using machine, easiest first.REVIEWED · JUL 2026
Exercise	Primary muscle	Pattern	Level
Back Extension	Lower back	Hinge	ಆರಂಭಿಕ
Close-Grip Lat Pulldown	ಲ್ಯಾಟ್ಸ್	Pull	ಆರಂಭಿಕ
Hip Abduction Machine	Glutes	ಐಸೊಲೇಶನ್	ಆರಂಭಿಕ
Incline Machine Press	Chest	ಪುಶ್	ಆರಂಭಿಕ
Lat Pulldown	ಲ್ಯಾಟ್ಸ್	Pull	ಆರಂಭಿಕ
Leg Extension	Quadriceps	ಐಸೊಲೇಶನ್	ಆರಂಭಿಕ
Leg Press	Quadriceps	Squat	ಆರಂಭಿಕ
Leg Press Calf Raise	Calves	ಐಸೊಲೇಶನ್	ಆರಂಭಿಕ
Lying Leg Curl	ಹ್ಯಾಮ್‌ಸ್ಟ್ರಿಂಗ್	ಐಸೊಲೇಶನ್	ಆರಂಭಿಕ
Machine Biceps Curl	Biceps	ಐಸೊಲೇಶನ್	ಆರಂಭಿಕ
Machine Chest Press	Chest	ಪುಶ್	ಆರಂಭಿಕ
Machine Crunch	Abs	Brace	ಆರಂಭಿಕ
Machine Hip Thrust	Glutes	Hinge	ಆರಂಭಿಕ
Machine Lateral Raise	Side deltoid	ಐಸೊಲೇಶನ್	ಆರಂಭಿಕ
Machine Pulldown	ಲ್ಯಾಟ್ಸ್	Pull	ಆರಂಭಿಕ
Machine Row	Upper back	Pull	ಆರಂಭಿಕ
Machine Shoulder Press	ಮುಂಭಾಗದ ಡೆಲ್ಟಾಯ್ಡ್	ಪುಶ್	ಆರಂಭಿಕ
Machine Triceps Extension	ಟ್ರೈಸೆಪ್ಸ್	ಐಸೊಲೇಶನ್	ಆರಂಭಿಕ
Narrow-Stance Leg Press	Quadriceps	Squat	ಆರಂಭಿಕ
Neutral-Grip Lat Pulldown	ಲ್ಯಾಟ್ಸ್	Pull	ಆರಂಭಿಕ
Pec Deck	Chest	ಐಸೊಲೇಶನ್	ಆರಂಭಿಕ
Reverse Pec Deck	Rear deltoid	ಐಸೊಲೇಶನ್	ಆರಂಭಿಕ
Seated Cable Row	Upper back	Pull	ಆರಂಭಿಕ
Seated Calf Raise	Calves	ಐಸೊಲೇಶನ್	ಆರಂಭಿಕ
Seated Leg Curl	ಹ್ಯಾಮ್‌ಸ್ಟ್ರಿಂಗ್	ಐಸೊಲೇಶನ್	ಆರಂಭಿಕ
Single-Leg Extension	Quadriceps	ಐಸೊಲೇಶನ್	ಆರಂಭಿಕ
Standing Calf Raise	Calves	ಐಸೊಲೇಶನ್	ಆರಂಭಿಕ
Standing Leg Curl	ಹ್ಯಾಮ್‌ಸ್ಟ್ರಿಂಗ್	ಐಸೊಲೇಶನ್	ಆರಂಭಿಕ
45-Degree Back Extension	Glutes	Hinge	ಆರಂಭಿಕ
Assisted Dip	ಟ್ರೈಸೆಪ್ಸ್	ಪುಶ್	ಆರಂಭಿಕ
Assisted Pull-Up Machine	ಲ್ಯಾಟ್ಸ್	Pull	ಆರಂಭಿಕ
Battle Rope Wave	ಮುಂಭಾಗದ ಡೆಲ್ಟಾಯ್ಡ್	Squat	ಆರಂಭಿಕ
Captain's Chair Knee Raise	Hip flexors	Brace	ಆರಂಭಿಕ
Donkey Calf Raise	Calves	ಐಸೊಲೇಶನ್	ಆರಂಭಿಕ
Hack Squat Machine	Quadriceps	Squat	ಆರಂಭಿಕ
Machine Pullover	ಲ್ಯಾಟ್ಸ್	ಐಸೊಲೇಶನ್	ಆರಂಭಿಕ
Reverse Hyperextension	Glutes	Hinge	ಆರಂಭಿಕ
Reverse-Grip Lat Pulldown	ಲ್ಯಾಟ್ಸ್	Pull	ಆರಂಭಿಕ
Single-Leg Press	Quadriceps	Squat	ಆರಂಭಿಕ
Sled Push	Quadriceps	Carry	ಆರಂಭಿಕ
Wide-Grip Seated Cable Row	Upper back	Pull	ಆರಂಭಿಕ
T-Bar Row	Upper back	Pull	ಮಧ್ಯಮ

Muscles you can cover with machine

Chest 3 ಲ್ಯಾಟ್ಸ್ 7 Upper back 4 ಮುಂಭಾಗದ ಡೆಲ್ಟಾಯ್ಡ್ 2 Side deltoid 1 Rear deltoid 1 Biceps 1 ಟ್ರೈಸೆಪ್ಸ್ 2 Quadriceps 7 ಹ್ಯಾಮ್‌ಸ್ಟ್ರಿಂಗ್ 3 Glutes 4 Calves 4 Abs 1 Lower back 1 Hip flexors 1

Not covered: trapezius, forearms, ಓರೆ ಹೊಟ್ಟೆ ಸ್ನಾಯುಗಳು, adductors, rotator cuff. That is the honest gap — fill it with another implement or with bodyweight work.

Programmes that run on this alone

Push Pull Legs (PPL)Full gym · 3 days a week (one cycle) or 6 days a week (two cycles). Both work; the six-day version needs the recovery to match.Upper / Lower splitFull gym · 4 days a week — upper, lower, rest, upper, lower, rest, rest.Full-body, 3 days a weekFull gym · 3 non-consecutive days — Monday, Wednesday, Friday or equivalent.Beginner gym plan (first 8 weeks)Full gym — machines and dumbbells · 3 days a week, with at least one rest day between sessions.Bro split (one muscle a day)Full gym · 5 days a week.

Other equipment

Barbell 54 ಡಂಬೆಲ್‌ಗಳು 68 Kettlebell 17 Cable machine 36 Smith machine 8 Resistance band 31 Bodyweight 121Pull-up bar 17 Bench 49 Medicine ball 3 Suspension trainer 5 EZ bar 5 Dip bars 3 Ab wheel 2 Weight plate 11 Box or step 10 Landmine 6

The questions that come up on the floor

What can I train with machine?

42 exercises on this site use machine, covering 15 muscle groups as prime movers and 7 of the 9 movement patterns. 19 of them are compound movements, which is the number that decides whether a piece of equipment can carry a whole programme on its own.

Is machine enough to build muscle?

Yes. With 42 exercises across 15 muscle groups, machine covers enough of the body to run a complete programme. Muscle growth responds to effort, load progression and volume — not to which brand of resistance supplied them.

Can I use machine at home?

Usually not: this is gym equipment. Every exercise page here lists a home substitute that trains the same prime mover through the same pattern, so nothing on this list is a dead end for a home trainer.

How do I make machine exercises harder over time?

Add weight in the smallest increment available whenever you reach the top of the target rep range with clean technique, and keep the range of motion and the tempo identical as the load climbs.

Muscle roles follow standard kinesiology references and are described by joint action rather than by gym convention — see how this site is built. Energy figures are derived from the 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities. Every reference is named and dated on the ಮೂಲಗಳು page. General information only — not medical or coaching advice. Load, form and progression should be adjusted to your own experience and any injury history. When in doubt, get coached in person.

ಮೂಲ.ಪ್ರಕಟಿತ ವ್ಯಾಯಾಮ ಉಲ್ಲೇಖಗಳು.MUSCLE ROLES ASSIGNED BY JOINT ACTION.ಪರಿಶೀಲನೆ ಜುಲೈ 2026

The people behind these sites

Follow the build

This site and nine others like it are built and photographed by two people: Amit Sharma — behind the build; Geeta Patel — the poses, demonstrated. New work goes up on Instagram and Facebook before it reaches a page here.

Amit Sharma @amitsharmaofficial Instagram

Geeta Patel @geetapatelnz Instagram

Geeta Patel GeetaPatelYoga Facebook

Following changes nothing here — every page stays open, with no account and no wall.