Exercise alternatives
Look up a lift and get substitutes that train the same muscle through the same joint action, ranked the way the GainsLog app swaps exercises.
Chest
- Barbell Bench Press12 alternatives
- Cable Fly12 alternatives
- Decline Barbell Bench Press12 alternatives
- Decline Pushup12 alternatives
- Diamond Pushup12 alternatives
- Dumbbell Bench Press12 alternatives
- Dumbbell Fly12 alternatives
- Incline Barbell Bench Press12 alternatives
- Incline Dumbbell Bench Press12 alternatives
- Incline Dumbbell Fly12 alternatives
- Incline Pushup12 alternatives
- Incline Smith Bench Press12 alternatives
- Machine Fly12 alternatives
- Machine Incline Bench Press12 alternatives
- Pec Deck Fly12 alternatives
- Pushup12 alternatives
- Ring Pushup12 alternatives
- Seated Low to High Cable Fly12 alternatives
- Seated Machine Chest Press12 alternatives
- Smith Bench Press12 alternatives
Back
- Assisted Pullup7 alternatives
- Barbell Bent Over Row12 alternatives
- Barbell Deadlift3 alternatives
- Chest Supported T Bar Row12 alternatives
- Chinup12 alternatives
- Close Grip Lat Pulldown12 alternatives
- Dumbbell Bent Over Row12 alternatives
- Dumbbell Pullover12 alternatives
- Incline Bar Straight Arm Pulldown12 alternatives
- Incline Dumbbell Row12 alternatives
- Incline Rope Straight Arm Pulldown12 alternatives
- Kettlebell Swing3 alternatives
- Lat Pulldown7 alternatives
- Machine Chest Supported Row12 alternatives
- Machine Lat Pulldown7 alternatives
- Machine Pullover12 alternatives
- Neutral Grip Pullup12 alternatives
- Prone T Raise3 alternatives
- Prone W Raise3 alternatives
- Pullup6 alternatives
- Rack Pull3 alternatives
- Seal Row12 alternatives
- Seated Medium Grip Cable Row12 alternatives
- Seated Single Arm Cuffed Straight Arm Pulldown12 alternatives
- Seated Wide Grip Cable Row3 alternatives
- Single Arm Dumbbell Row12 alternatives
- Standing Single Arm Straight Arm Pulldown12 alternatives
- T Bar Row12 alternatives
- Tucked Front Lever Pulls12 alternatives
- Yates Row12 alternatives
Shoulders
- Arnold Press12 alternatives
- Barbell Overhead Press12 alternatives
- Barbell Upright Row12 alternatives
- Bent Over Rear Lateral Raise9 alternatives
- Cable Lateral Raise12 alternatives
- Dumbbell Lateral Raise12 alternatives
- Dumbbell Shoulder Press12 alternatives
- Dumbbell Upright Row12 alternatives
- Elevated Pike Pushup12 alternatives
- Machine Lateral Raise12 alternatives
- Machine Reverse Fly9 alternatives
- Machine Shoulder Press12 alternatives
- Pike Pushup12 alternatives
- Rope Facepull10 alternatives
- Seated Barbell Shoulder Press12 alternatives
- Seated Dumbbell Lateral Raise12 alternatives
- Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Press12 alternatives
- Seated Incline Dumbbell Lateral Raise12 alternatives
- Seated Smith Shoulder Press12 alternatives
- Single Arm Bag Lateral Raise12 alternatives
- Single Arm Cable Lateral Raise12 alternatives
- Wall Handstand Pushup12 alternatives
Traps
- Barbell Shrug8 alternatives
- Behind The Back Smith Shrug9 alternatives
- Dumbbell Shrug8 alternatives
- Machine Kelso Shrug4 alternatives
- Seated Barbell Shrug8 alternatives
- Seated Dumbbell Shrug8 alternatives
- Seated Smith Shrug9 alternatives
- Single Arm Dumbbell Shrug8 alternatives
- Single Arm Smith Shrug9 alternatives
- Smith Shrug9 alternatives
Biceps
- Barbell Curl12 alternatives
- Barbell Preacher Curl12 alternatives
- Bayesian Curl12 alternatives
- Cable Curl12 alternatives
- Close Grip Chinup12 alternatives
- Doorway Bicep Curl12 alternatives
- Dumbbell Curl12 alternatives
- Dumbbell Single Arm Preacher Curl12 alternatives
- Dumbbell Spider Curl12 alternatives
- EZ Bar Curl12 alternatives
- EZ Bar Preacher Curl12 alternatives
- Hammer Curl12 alternatives
- Incline Dumbbell Curl12 alternatives
- Machine Preacher Curl12 alternatives
- Seated Hammer Curl12 alternatives
- Single Arm Bag Curl12 alternatives
- Single Arm Bayesian Curl12 alternatives
- Single Arm Preacher Hammer Curl12 alternatives
- Zotman Curl12 alternatives
Triceps
- Assisted Dip12 alternatives
- Barbell Skullcrusher12 alternatives
- Bench Dip12 alternatives
- Bent Over Rope Tricep Extension12 alternatives
- Bodyweight Skullcrusher12 alternatives
- Cable Overhead Extension12 alternatives
- Cable Tricep Kickback12 alternatives
- Cable Tricep Pushdown12 alternatives
- Close Grip Barbell Bench Press12 alternatives
- Close Grip Pushup12 alternatives
- Dip12 alternatives
- Dumbbell Skullcrusher12 alternatives
- Elevated Bench Dip12 alternatives
- EZ Bar Skullcrusher12 alternatives
- JM Press12 alternatives
- Machine JM Press12 alternatives
- Machine Tricep Extension12 alternatives
- Poliquin Cable Tricep Pushdown12 alternatives
- Poliquin Rope Tricep Pushdown12 alternatives
- Ring Dip12 alternatives
- Rope Overhead Extension12 alternatives
- Rope Tricep Pushdown12 alternatives
- Seated Dumbbell Overhead Extension12 alternatives
- Single Arm Bag Overhead Extension12 alternatives
- Smith JM Press12 alternatives
Forearms
Quads
- 45 Degree Leg Press12 alternatives
- Assisted Pistol Squat12 alternatives
- Barbell Front Squat12 alternatives
- Barbell Squat12 alternatives
- Bodyweight Squat12 alternatives
- Goblet Squat12 alternatives
- Hack Squat12 alternatives
- Horizontal Leg Press12 alternatives
- Leg Extension12 alternatives
- Machine Squat12 alternatives
- Pendulum Squat12 alternatives
- Pistol Squat12 alternatives
- Quad-Focused Barbell Walking Lunge12 alternatives
- Quad-Focused Bulgarian Split Squat12 alternatives
- Quad-Focused Dumbbell Bulgarian Split Squat12 alternatives
- Quad-Focused Dumbbell Walking Lunge12 alternatives
- Single Leg Extension12 alternatives
- Sissy Squat12 alternatives
- Smith Squat12 alternatives
- Trap Bar Deadlift12 alternatives
Hamstrings
- 45 Degree Back Extension11 alternatives
- Assisted Nordic Hamstring Curl4 alternatives
- Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift11 alternatives
- Good Morning12 alternatives
- Lying Leg Curl5 alternatives
- Romanian Deadlift12 alternatives
- Seated Leg Curl5 alternatives
- Single Leg Bodyweight RDL11 alternatives
- Single Leg Seated Leg Curl5 alternatives
- Single Leg Slider Leg Curl4 alternatives
- Smith Romanian Deadlift11 alternatives
- Smith Stiff Legged Deadlift11 alternatives
- Standing Single Leg Curl5 alternatives
- Stiff Legged Deadlift12 alternatives
Glutes
- Barbell Hip Thrust12 alternatives
- Cable Hip Abduction3 alternatives
- Cable Kickback12 alternatives
- Cable Pull Through12 alternatives
- Donkey Kick12 alternatives
- Dumbbell Single Leg Hip Thrust12 alternatives
- Fire Hydrant3 alternatives
- Glute Bridge12 alternatives
- Glute Kickback12 alternatives
- Glute-Focused Bulgarian Split Squat12 alternatives
- Glute-Focused Dumbbell Bulgarian Split Squat12 alternatives
- Glute-Focused Smith Bulgarian Split Squat12 alternatives
- Machine Hip Abductor3 alternatives
- Machine Hip Thrust12 alternatives
- Machine Kickback12 alternatives
- Side Lying Hip Abduction3 alternatives
- Single Leg Glute Bridge12 alternatives
- Smith Hip Thrust12 alternatives
- Step Up12 alternatives
- Sumo Deadlift12 alternatives
- Sumo Squat12 alternatives
Calves
Abs
How the matching works
Every exercise in the GainsLog library is tagged with a target muscle, a primary joint action and whether it is a compound or isolation movement. It is the same data the app uses when you swap an exercise mid-workout.
A substitute must train the same muscle through the same joint action. Among those, the same compound or isolation type ranks first, and the list is spread across equipment so there is an option for every setup.