ATHLEAN-X founder Jeff Cavaliere believes consistent training is insurance for a better life. In a YouTube video from July 6, 2026, he broke down 12 exercises that build muscle, increase strength, and prevent injuries.
With over 14.3 million YouTube subscribers, Cavaliere is among the most trusted resources in fitness. He served as the assistant strength and conditioning coach for the New York Mets and continues to offer fans insightful workout advice backed up by science.
Instead of designing a workout with one goal in mind, Cavaliere chose three: build muscle, boost strength, and create a body that’s resilient to injuries. This led him to unpack how and why these movements are worth including in your routine.
Jeff Cavaliere Shares 12 Exercises That Change the Human Body
Find his list of exercises from the video below:
- Squat
- Deadlift
- Bench Press (barbell or dumbbell)
- Pull-Up
- Face Pull
- Banded External Rotation
- Lunge
- Push-Up
- Overhead Press
- Lying Tricep Extension
- Barbell Curl (or dumbbell/band variations)
- Barbell Row
Squat
“We know that this exercise is incredibly powerful for hitting the quads, the glutes, and the adductors, and even the hamstrings. However, it’s also one of the most fundamental movement patterns that we need to learn and get stronger at. Getting up and down off the toilet every day is going to require that you squat.”
Deadlift
“There’s no better exercise for hitting the posterior chain than the deadlift. The deadlift is going to train the all-important hinge pattern, which is one you’re going to need to master if you want to excel at the lift, and actually, everyday life.”
Bench Press (barbell or dumbbell)
“The bench press is one of the best ways to build the chest period. We also get the king of all pushing exercises because we’re getting ample shoulder and triceps training on the exercise too,” Jeff Cavaliere said.
Pull-Up
“I think it’s one of the best back exercises that there is. It demands not only a great amount of strength to pull your entire body weight up to the bar, but it requires you to be able to do so with a rigid torso.”
Face Pull
“It doesn’t just do one thing. It trains the upper back, rotator cuff, and scapular retractors, three areas we often don’t do enough things for.”
Banded External Rotation
“The rotator cuff muscles are the only muscles that externally rotate the shoulder, so if you’re not making a concerted effort to work in some exercise that does this, I don’t care what the rest of your program looks like, this is one muscle imbalance that you’re creating that you’re not going to be able to overcome.”
Lunge
“The lunge is the perfect complement to the sagittal plane-based exercises that we already picked.”
Push-Up
“Find the right difficulty level of the push-up. If you’re looking for hypertrophy gains from the exercise, which many are, then you need to find an exercise variation that actually challenges you.”
Overhead Press
“There’s always a way, just like there was with the bench press. Here, all you have to do is go one dumbbell at a time. The advantage here is that you have a better chance to stack your joints more appropriately.”
Lying Tricep Extension
“The thing that I love about this exercise is it puts that all-important long head, the medius portion of our triceps, two-thirds of the two-thirds of the size of our arm on a great amount of stretch on each repetition.”
Barbell Curl (or dumbbell/band variations)
“I like the exercise with a barbell because I can load it up heavier than usual, and I get the benefits of the cheat rep option, where I can load up the weight, and take advantage of the heavy eccentric overload, which I believe is the number one stimulus that has led to the biceps growth that I’ve had.”
Barbell Row
“You need to be able to set your hips backwards to prevent yourself from simply leaning forward, which is going to place excessive stress on your back.”
While hypertrophy and aesthetics are common gym goals, Cavaliere also has workouts that promote longevity. He recently outlined a routine that focuses on mobility through stretching and building strength to increase quality of life.
Exercise selections often depend on your training goals. If building muscle, increasing strength, and avoiding injuries is the mission, Cavaliere believes this program has true merit.
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