Strength Training Anatomy

Strength Training Anatomy

by Frédéric Delavier

Is your New Year’s resolution to hit the gym, but you don’t really know what to do once you get there?  With Strength Training Anatomy, a picture really is worth 1000 words.

Each page features an illustration of an exercise being performed, with the targeted muscles drawn in red and labeled.  Most of the exercises use either free weights or a weight-training machine; there are some exceptions, such as crunches.  Each page also includes written instructions.  See the sample page below.

Some pages include sketches showing variations of the exercise. For example, the Angled Leg Press page explains how the emphasis on targeted muscles changes with feet high on the plate, feet low on the plate, feet wide apart, and feet close together.

The exercises are organized into seven sections: arms, shoulders, chest, back, legs, buttocks, and abdomen.  This makes it easy to thumb through and select a workout routine that targets the areas you want to work on that day. Given the variety of exercises in each section, it can also provide ideas to vary your routine for a more balanced approach.

Delavier, Frederic. Strength Training Anatomy. 3rd ed. Champaign, Illinois: Human Kinetics, 2010. Buy from Amazon.com