Lifty Fifty Training Library
Check your squat setup, understand “2 RIR” or see how a training max sets the weight on the bar. The Lifty Fifty Training Library explains the instructions you meet in training and the science behind them.
Browse the library contentsThe library’s foundations
The Lifty Fifty Training Library brings strength and conditioning references, exercise science and anatomy into one place. It connects that material to movement instructions, programme examples and the training record.
The NSCA’s Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning and ACSM’s Resources for the Personal Trainer appear in the underlying movement and programme-design references.
Published resistance-training research helps explain specific methods. Zourdos and colleagues’ RPE and repetitions-in-reserve scale study informs the effort reference.
Muscle actions, joint mechanics and stabilising roles provide context for the movements described in the library.
Lifty Fifty adapts and connects reference material for practical training. Named sources do not endorse Lifty Fifty.
Read the training principlesExamples from the movement library
Explore the squat, bench press and deadlift in full: setup, execution, anatomy and programming notes. They are three examples from the wider movement library.
Low-bar squat: setup and execution phases.
3 execution phases · 13 muscle references · 5 coaching cues Explore the full reference Example 02 / Movement reference
Flat barbell bench press: setup and bar path.
3 execution phases · 9 muscle references · 5 coaching cues Explore the full reference Example 03 / Movement reference
Conventional deadlift: floor-to-lockout execution.
3 execution phases · 17 muscle references · 5 coaching cues Explore the full referenceThe detail reflects each movement; optional fields and video coverage vary.
An encyclopaedic training reference
Look up an unfamiliar instruction, compare two exercises or check how a progress metric is calculated. Browse the six subjects below.
Check how to set up and perform a lift, then explore the anatomy and programming behind it.
See which muscles and joints a movement uses and what each one does.
Make sense of effort targets, training maxes and the principles behind your programme.
Understand how exercise choice, sets, rest and progression fit together in a plan.
Find out what a training metric measures, how it is calculated and how to read it.
Use practical references to plan a load or interpret a recorded set.
Counts describe distinct references in the underlying library. Movement names and aliases aid search; they are not counted as separate exercises.
The library in use
Use this squat example to check technique, identify the muscles involved, interpret an effort target and understand relative load. Each tab shows the relevant reference material.
The movement
Movement reference
Before this set, check the bar position, rack setup and execution phases in the low-bar squat reference.
Follow the descent, bottom position and ascent separately. The coaching notes explain what to watch for in each part of the lift.
Example coaching point: let your hips and shoulders rise together as you stand.
Muscle & joint reference
The movement reference identifies the muscles and joints involved in this squat. The load and rep count alone cannot provide that context.
Read the individual muscle roles, including gluteus maximus and the quadriceps. Follow the hip, knee and ankle references alongside the execution notes.
Muscle roles describe the movement reference. They do not measure your personal muscle activation or growth.
Training principle / RIR
For this five-repetition set, 2 RIR means you estimate that about two further repetitions were possible. Reps in Reserve describes proximity to failure, not the percentage of 1RM lifted.
A target of 2 RIR asks you to finish with roughly two repetitions still available. Your recorded RIR captures how the set actually felt. The planned and recorded values can differ.
RIR is an estimate, and its accuracy varies. It adds context alongside the load and repetitions you recorded.
Metric reference / Strength
The example set uses 80 kg. Against an illustrative 100 kg 1RM for this same movement, its relative load is 80% of 1RM.
This is the percentage for one working set. Average Working Intensity averages the resolved percentages across qualifying sets. Read it alongside repetitions, set count and programme intent.
Missing or incompatible 1RM data limits coverage. Averages can also hide a mix of lighter and heavier work.
Reference excerpts for one illustrative set. Use the links to explore the full movement reference, session example and pillar metrics.
Movement Intelligence
Open a movement during a session to access its demonstration, coaching guidance and anatomy. The same reference remains connected to recorded sets, alternatives and programme context.
The library provides the complete subject reference. Movement Intelligence presents the relevant material within the active session.
Explore Movement Intelligence
