Where everything lives — the big force movers and the small, often-skipped stabilizers. Schematic, not textbook anatomy: shapes mark regions, dashed = deep muscles hidden under others.
The same two bodies with everything else faded out — so the muscles that usually get skipped are all you see. These are small, they don't move big loads, and machines do their job for you, which is exactly why they get neglected. In the base phase they're the whole point: solid outline = trainable at the surface, dashed = deep, sits under other muscle.
Everything else on the map rides along on slow, full-range, unilateral compounds. These few don't — a big lift never really loads them, so they need a targeted low-load, high-control drill. Light and controlled is the point; chasing heavy load here misses it. Cool work, not warm.
The first five are the priority; neck and feet are close behind — both are in the "mostly skipped" column of the table below. Everything not starred is already covered by doing the base-phase compounds properly.
Same muscles, sorted by where they live — so you can see the load spread across the body. ★ = needs a dedicated drill.
Two routes, per the framework: indirect — the big compound done slow / full-range / no-momentum recruits the stabilizers because the task demands stability (specificity); direct — a targeted low-load control drill. Warm work builds the movers' force; cool work builds the stabilizers' control.
| Muscle | Group | Trained indirectly by | Direct drill (if needed) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chest (pecs) | push | Push-up ladder, dips, bench | — |
| Delts | push | Pike/handstand push-up line, overhead press | — |
| Triceps | push | All pressing, dips | — |
| Lats | pull | Pull-up ladder, rows, deadlift | — |
| Traps / rhomboids | pull | Rows, deadlift, carries | — |
| Biceps | pull | Pull-ups, rows | — |
| Forearms / grip | pull | Hangs, pull-ups, deadlift, carries | Dead hangs, thick-grip holds |
| Abs (rectus) | core | Hollow body, leg raise ladder | Hollow hold → dragon flag line |
| Obliques | core | One-arm work (anti-rotation demand) | Side plank, Copenhagen plank, suitcase carry |
| Spinal erectors | core | Deadlift, back extension, carries | — |
| Quads | legs | Squat line (incl. pistol progression) | — |
| Hamstrings | legs | Deadlift, Nordic curl progression | — |
| Glutes (max) | legs | Squat, deadlift, single-leg work | — |
| Calves | legs | Jumping, sprinting, carries | Slow full-range calf raises |
| ★Rotator cuff | stab shoulder | Full-range pressing/pulling, hangs | Band external rotations, light + controlled |
| ★Serratus anterior | stab shoulder | Push-up plus, pseudo-planche lean | Scap push-ups, wall slides |
| Lower traps | stab shoulder | Hangs, pull-ups done full-range | Scap pulls, prone Y-raises |
| TVA (deep brace) | stab core | Bracing on every heavy lift | Dead bug, stir-the-pot |
| Multifidus | stab spine | Anti-flexion holds under load | Bird dog, slow + held |
| QL | stab core | Suitcase carries, one-sided loads | Side plank variations |
| ★Glute med / min | stab hips | All single-leg work | Side plank + leg lift, banded walks |
| ★Deep hip rotators | stab hips | —(mostly skipped; some rotational/single-leg carryover) | 90/90 hip switches, clamshells, controlled hip rotations |
| Hip flexors | stab hips | Leg raises, hanging knee work | Standing knee raise holds |
| Adductors | stab hips | Deep squats, lateral movement | Copenhagen plank |
| ★Tibialis anterior | stab lower leg | —(mostly skipped by compounds) | Tib raises against wall |
| ★Wrists / hands | stab arm / hand | Bodyweight floor work, hangs | Wrist rocks, rice bucket |
| ★Foot intrinsics | stab foot | Barefoot balance/single-leg work | Short-foot drill, barefoot standing work |
| ★Neck | stab neck | —(mostly skipped) | Neck curls/extensions, light + slow |