5 Most Challenging Exercises You Can Do at the Gym

If you're tired and bored of crunches and bench presses and want to take your workout session to an all-new level, you can add a few challenging exercises to your workout regime.

However, before attempting these workouts, keep in mind that these are not for beginners. So, if you are just starting out, work your way to build strength and muscle before attempting these exercises. If you attempt them without preparation and training, you will likely get injured.

If you're an advanced exerciser, though, get ready to grit your teeth, and incorporate these tough and challenging exercises in your gym workouts.

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Challenging exercises you can do at the gym

Here are five challenging exercises you can do at the gym:

1) Weighted plank

A weighted plank is one of the most difficult exercises you can do for your core muscles. It not only challenges your core but also tests your leg strength and balance.

To do it:

• Take a tabletop position with your hands and knees on the floor.
• Your shoulders should be over your wrists and your hips over your knees.
• Have a partner place a weight plate on your upper back carefully.
• Keeping your core muscles tight, extend one leg back followed by the other into a push-up position.
• Keep your body absolutely straight, and relax your head.
• Hold for a few seconds, and reverse the movement.

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2) Prisoner get-ups

Prisoner get-up is an exercise that can fire up your entire core and activate your back muscles, particularly your lower back. Moreover, it can also work on your agility and balance.

To do it:

• Lie on your back, and keep your hands behind your head and your elbows outward.
• Keep your feet crossed, and make sure your knees touch the floor.
• Use your lower abs, and bring your upper body forward till your heels get close to your butt.
• Keeping your hands behind your head, bend at your hips and get off the floor to stand up straight in one explosive motion using your legs but not your hands.

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3) Barbell back squat

The Barbell back squat is one of the most challenging compound exercises that require you to use more than one joint to perform it. This exercise targets the hamstrings, glutes and quads, and also strengthens the ligaments, tendons and joints around the hips and knees.

To do it:

• Load a barbell with a weight that is 85% of your body weight.
• Put the bar across the middle of your shoulders.
• Keep your shoulder blades together.
• Engage your abs, and lower your body into a squat.
• Push through your heel, and drive back up to the starting position.

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4) Tuck Planche

The planche is another complex and challenging isometric exercise that engages several muscles at once. Moreover, it also requires good strength and mobility as well as activation in every muscle in your body.

To do it:

• Put your hands on a set of workout bars or parallettes.
• Push your weight forward onto your shoulders. Keep both your legs perfectly tucked in under your body.
• Make sure your pelvis is in a straight line with your shoulders and parallel to the ground.

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5) Pistol squat

Pistol squats not only challenge the stability and strength of your legs, but they also require great lower body and hamstring flexibility to perform them correctly.

To do this exercise:

• Stand upright with your feet at a hip distance.
• Keep your toes perfectly pointed forward and chest up.
• Straighten your arms in front of you at your shoulder level.
• Tighten your core, and keep your gaze straight.
• Bend your right knee as you bring your hips down and back, and lower your body down to the floor.
• Continue to squat till your glutes reach a few inches off the floor.
• Make sure your left leg and arms are extended and raised at all times.
• Push your body through your right foot, and reverse the movement to stand back up.
• Keep your gaze straight throughout the exercise, and don’t drop your chin.
• Switch sides, and repeat.

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Takeaway

The exercises discussed above are advanced-level workouts and have an extreme difficulty level. You require the right skills, training and great body strength to master them. Therefore, it's recommended that you do them only under supervision and not go beyond your physical limits.