{"id":10710,"date":"2026-07-30T10:29:49","date_gmt":"2026-07-30T01:29:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/burnfit.io\/?p=8315"},"modified":"2026-07-30T15:42:56","modified_gmt":"2026-07-30T06:42:56","slug":"best-exercises-by-muscle-group-top-5-most-popular-picks-from-burnfit-data","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/burnfit.io\/en\/blog-en\/best-exercises-by-muscle-group-top-5-most-popular-picks-from-burnfit-data\/","title":{"rendered":"\ud83c\udf0e Best Exercises by Muscle Group: Top 5 Most Popular Picks from BurnFit Data"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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How BurnFit Workout Data Reveals the Best Exercises by Muscle Group<\/h3>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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When working out at the gym, everyone has exercises they naturally gravitate toward.<\/p>

Whether it\u2019s the leg press for legs, lat pulldowns for back, or chest press for chest, everyone\u2019s favorite routine looks a bit different.<\/p>

So, which exercises do actual gym-goers rely on the most?<\/p>

We analyzed real workout data from BurnFit users over the past three months to identify the most popular moves. Whether you’re looking for the best exercises by muscle group<\/span>\u00a0to build your routine or simply curious about real gym trends, here are the Top 5 most popular exercises across six major muscle groups: Chest, Back, Legs, Shoulders, Arms, and Abs. <\/strong><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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1. Chest: A Balance of Free Weights & Machines<\/h3>

Bench Press <\/strong>claimed\u00a0the #1 spot as the ultimate classic. <\/strong>Alongside this gold standard, user-favorite machines and different bench press variations rounded out the top ranks.<\/p>

Rank<\/span><\/th>Exercise<\/th>Share within Muscle Group (%)<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
\ud83e\udd47 1<\/strong><\/td>Bench Press<\/td>15.65%<\/td><\/tr>
\ud83e\udd48 2<\/strong><\/td>Chest Press Machine<\/td>9.57%<\/td><\/tr>
\ud83e\udd49 3<\/strong><\/td>Pec Deck Fly Machine<\/td>7.83%<\/td><\/tr>
4<\/td>Incline Dumbbell Bench Press<\/td>7.69%<\/td><\/tr>
5<\/td>Smith Machine Incline Bench Press<\/td>5.56%<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table>

\ud83d\udca1 Key Takeaway:<\/strong> Beyond the standard barbell bench press, users clearly enjoy incorporating various equipment\u2014like dumbbells and Smith machines\u2014to target the chest from different angles.<\/p>

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\ud83e\udd47 1st Place \u2014 Bench Press<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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2. Back: Machine Exercises for Width and Thickness<\/span><\/h3>

Lat Pulldown<\/strong> took 1st place<\/strong> as a popular choice for developing back width. Cable and machine row exercises, which build back thickness and definition, also secured high spots.<\/p>

Rank<\/span><\/th>Exercise<\/th>Share within Muscle Group (%)<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
\ud83e\udd47 1<\/strong><\/td>Lat Pull down<\/td>16.53%<\/td><\/tr>
\ud83e\udd48 2<\/strong><\/td>Seated Cable Row<\/td>10.48%<\/td><\/tr>
\ud83e\udd49 3<\/strong><\/td>Pull-up<\/td>8.77%<\/td><\/tr>
4<\/td>Cable Arm Pulldown<\/td>5.85%<\/td><\/tr>
5<\/td>Seated Row Machine<\/td>4.89%<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/div>

\ud83d\udca1 Key Takeaway:<\/strong> The Pull-up<\/strong>, a bodyweight staple, held strong at 3rd place<\/strong>, while machine and cable movements were widely preferred for delivering constant tension to the lats.<\/p>

\"\ub7ab\ud480\ub2e4\uc6b4<\/a>
\ud83e\udd47 1st Place \u2014 Lat Pull down<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>
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\ud83e\udd49\u00a03rd Place \u2014 Pull Up<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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3. Legs: Building a Solid Lower Body Base<\/h3>

Leg Extension<\/strong> took the top spot<\/strong>, edging out the iconic squat. It was followed by Barbell Back Squat and Leg Press\u2014exercises that allow users to focus heavily on leg power and volume.<\/p>

Rank<\/span><\/th>Exercise<\/th>Share within Muscle Group (%)<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
\ud83e\udd47 1<\/strong><\/td>Leg Extension<\/td>11.20%<\/td><\/tr>
\ud83e\udd48 2<\/strong><\/td>Barbell Back Squat<\/td>9.49%<\/td><\/tr>
\ud83e\udd49 3<\/strong><\/td>Leg Press<\/td>9.36%<\/td><\/tr>
4<\/td>Leg Curl<\/td>7.52%<\/td><\/tr>
5<\/td>Hip Abduction Machine<\/td>6.64%<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/div>

\ud83d\udca1 Key Takeaway:<\/strong> Because the lower body covers a large surface area with sub-categorized target muscles, popularity was more broadly distributed across a wide range of leg exercises.<\/p>

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\ud83e\udd47 1st Place \u2014 Leg Extension<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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4. Shoulders: Creating a Wide, 3D Frame<\/h3>

Dumbbell Lateral Raise<\/strong> claimed 1st place, accounting for 18.17% of all shoulder exercises logged\u2014one of the highest shares across all muscle groups. This reflects users’ strong preference for building shoulder width.<\/p>

Rank<\/span><\/th>Exercise<\/th>Share within Muscle Group (%)<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
\ud83e\udd47 1<\/strong><\/td>Dumbbell Lateral Raise<\/td>18.17%<\/td><\/tr>
\ud83e\udd48 2<\/strong><\/td>Shoulder Press Machine<\/td>10.22%<\/td><\/tr>
\ud83e\udd49 3<\/strong><\/td>Rear Delt Fly Machine<\/td>8.98%<\/td><\/tr>
4<\/td>Face Pull<\/td>5.96%<\/td><\/tr>
5<\/td>Overhead Press<\/td>5.31%<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/div>

\ud83d\udca1 Key Takeaway:<\/strong> Heavy compound presses remain popular for overall shoulder development, while isolation movements targeting the side and rear delts\u2014such as Lateral Raises, Rear Delt Flys, and Face Pulls\u2014also ranked highly.<\/p>

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\ud83e\udd47 1st Place \u2014 Dumbbell Lateral Raise<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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5. Arms: Volume and Definition<\/h3>

Cable Push Down took 1st place<\/strong> in arms by delivering intense triceps isolation at 12.52%. Biceps exercises using dumbbells and EZ-bars filled out the rest of the top ranks.<\/p>

Rank<\/span><\/th>Exercise<\/th>Share within Muscle Group (%)<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
\ud83e\udd47 1<\/strong><\/td>Cable Push Down<\/td>12.52%<\/td><\/tr>
\ud83e\udd48 2<\/strong><\/td>Dumbbell Hammer Curl<\/td>7.02%<\/td><\/tr>
\ud83e\udd49 3<\/strong><\/td>Incline Dumbbell Curl<\/td>6.87%<\/td><\/tr>
4<\/td>Dumbbell Curl<\/td>6.22%<\/td><\/tr>
5<\/td>EZ-Bar Curl<\/td>5.58%<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/div>

\ud83d\udca1 Key Takeaway:<\/strong> For triceps, Cable Push Down was the clear favorite for maintaining continuous tension. For biceps, dumbbell variations like Hammer Curls and Incline Curls were preferred for targeted isolation and arm thickness.<\/p>

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\ud83e\udd47 1st Place \u2014 Cable Push Down<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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6. Abs: Direct Core Tension & Lower Abdominal Focus<\/h3>

Ab Crunch Machine<\/strong> took 1st place with 14.58%, offering an easy way to add load for high-intensity core work. Leg Raise variations also ranked highly, making up two of the top five spots.<\/p>

Rank<\/span><\/th>Exercise<\/th>Share within Muscle Group (%)<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
\ud83e\udd47 1<\/strong><\/td>Ab Crunch Machine<\/td>14.58%<\/td><\/tr>
\ud83e\udd48 2<\/strong><\/td>Hanging Leg Raise<\/td>10.23%<\/td><\/tr>
\ud83e\udd49 3<\/strong><\/td>Leg Raise<\/td>8.20%<\/td><\/tr>
4<\/td>Crunch<\/td>7.44%<\/td><\/tr>
5<\/td>Ab Rollout<\/td>6.85%<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/div>

\ud83d\udca1 Key Takeaway:<\/strong> Many users preferred machines over bodyweight crunches to increase resistance. Leg raise variations<\/strong> were also heavily used to target the lower abdominal region.<\/p>

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\ud83e\udd47 1st Place \u2014 Ab Crunch Machine<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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\ud83d\udd0d Gym Workout Trends We Found in BurnFit Data<\/h3>

Looking at the data across all six muscle groups reveals several clear patterns in BurnFit user preferences.<\/p>