You just finished your workout—you’re semi-gassed out, sweating from head to toe, each of your muscles feeling like they’re about to burst from being so stretched and full of blood, and you’re already thinking about your post workout meal…. But, you know you might have a little bit left in the tank.
You don’t WANT to do anything else, but you also remember the feeling you get when you push forward and do just one more rep.
So what do you do?
A Brutal Workout Finisher.
Let’s be honest here, there’s nothing inherently special about a workout finisher from the perspective of improving your physique. So even though you may have searched “Top Workout Finishers” on Google and found this article, this might be the only one you’ll find that is totally transparent with you about workout finishers.
See, most often you’ll actually be better off just planning out the amount of volume and exercises you need in order to improve your physique. Because a workout finisher is usually more of a mental challenge than anything else — yes, it challenges you physically as well but as you know, when the reps climb higher and higher or the rest gets shorter and shorter… your performance falls off and that leads to less volume accomplished, which we know is the key driver of muscle growth.
Now, you might be thinking… “Well, what about for fat loss? Don’t these fat burning finishers burn a ton of calories?!”
And I’d answer that by saying, Yes, they do—sometimes. But the diet is always going to reign as the king of fat loss and without prioritizing the diet, exercise won’t help your fat loss goals much at all.
However, you can absolutely squeeze out that extra 1-5% of hypertrophy from adding in some extra training volume with specific intensification techniques as your finishers.
You can also burn just a little more calories by adding a short, brutal, high intensity cardio finisher to your workout and that could lead to slightly more fat loss over time.
But most of all, the workout finisher acts as a way to toughen you up mentally!
See, self-discipline is built when you do things you simply do not want to do and I can promise you that by the time your finisher comes in the workout, especially if you do not know what it’s going to be this time… you do not want to do it.
And that right there, builds up your grit, self-belief, and discipline. All of which are key components to long-term body composition transformation.
So is there value in adding in finishers? Yes, 100%.
There is a slight benefit from a body composition perspective and a HUGE benefit from a mental discipline and willpower perspective. Which is exactly why I challenged myself to picking a workout finisher, at random selection, every single workout for 30 workouts straight.
And now… it’s something that I want to keep around, because it’s a fun challenge that makes me sharper mentally and more disciplined for whatever life throws my way.
Below, I’ll share with you what that challenge entails and every single finisher that is included in the challenge – so that you can take them, throw them in when you feel like it (or don’t), and build the same grit and discipline I’ve been building from them.
The Workout Finisher Challenge.
The challenge is pretty simple and I came up with it just to challenge myself to do a little bit more, each and every training session, as a way to prove to myself I could do more than I believed I could in the moment (which you’ll experience, as you say “I got nothing left in me”…. And then proceed to do 5 more). I’ve documented almost the entire thing on my instagram and will share some of the videos throughout this article.
I wrote out 15 different finishers in a google doc 2-column/row table, copying each one twice, making for 30 total cells in the table, and then printing and cutting them out.
Now you might be wondering, “Why only 15 if it’s 30 sessions? Why not just make 30?”
And the answer is simple — if mental discipline is part of the purpose, then there’s nothing worse (but also great for the goal) than pulling a brutal finisher… only to pull the exact same one the next session.
Trust me, this happened to me with a 1,000 yard farmers walk AND multiple assault bike finishers, both of which absolutely crushed me and the second time was harder mentally. However, it was EASIER physically because I already did it! So essentially, you’ll get more out of doing it twice in a row both mentally and physically.
The big key here is that these are selected at random! The randomness is what makes the mental aspect of this so powerful, so be sure to cut them up and throw them in a hat to select from or simply have someone else choose for you at random.
15 Brutal Workout Finishers:
1.) 100 Burpees (Timed)
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Nobody likes burpees, let’s be honest… But they are brutal, pack a metabolic punch, and if your movement capabilities allow it — can make for a great “functional” movement that prepares you for real life! It’s why it’s a great tactical exercise, because getting down to the ground and back up as fast as possible can be useful in dangerous situations. Adding to all that, it’s probably the most mentally daunting workout finisher of all! Which makes it the most beneficial, in my opinion.
Here’s what to do:
- Start a timer, blast some angry music, and get to it! Your goal is to reach 100 reps as fast as possible. I suggest pacing yourself so that you do not have to stop, because once you stop… it only get’s worse.
2.) 1 Mile Run
If you’re a runner or just well conditioned, this one will be nothing to you. But if you haven’t ran a mile since middle school P.E. class… you’re in for a devilish surprise!
Here’s what to do:
- If you’re not well conditioned, simply run a mile at your own pace WITHOUT stopping. Ideally on a nice treadmill like an assault runner, because it can help your running gate. If you’re someone who is well-conditioned or used to running a lot, then I’m going to suggest the progressed version of this… SPRINT! You’re doing it for time. Push yourself and make it count.
3.) 100 Push Ups – 10 Variations x 10 Reps Each
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Pray that you don’t get this on a bench press upper body day, like I did… WOW. Brutal, to say the least! I could barely straighten my elbow by the last set of push ups.
Here’s what to do:
- With this push up circuit, there are 10 different variations you’ll be going through — doing 10 reps of each variation, resulting in 100 reps total. Your goal is first to accomplish all 10 reps each set, with a full range of motion. Goal after that would be to do so with minimal rest between sets. Here are your variations:1.) Feet Elevated Push Ups2.) Clapping Push Ups3.) Foam Roller Squeeze Push Ups4.) Around The World Push Ups5.) Valslide Fly Push Ups6.) Staggered Push Ups7.) Dive Bomber Push Ups8.) Spider Man Push Ups9.) Tiger Push Ups10.) 1.5 Rep Push Ups
4.) 50 Cal Assault Bike Sprint (Timed)
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The Assault Bike (or Rogue Echo Bike) is a brutal, but extremely beneficial, training tool to have in your gym. It’s a great metabolic piece of equipment, but it’s also awesome because it has zero eccentric loading phase and a very strong concentric phase. This is great because you can CRANK on this thing, quite often throughout the week, without causing serious muscle damage or fatigue. Making it useful to use on a regular basis, to improve metabolic conditioning or recovery from a knee surgery.
Here’s what to do:
- On the screen of either bike being used, you’ll see “calorie expenditure” as a metric you can track and follow. With this workout finisher, you will push hard and simply reach 50 calories burned as fast as possible!
5.) 2k Meter Row (Timed)
The 2k row is a classic aerobic test to measure your aerobic capacity and general conditioning level. However, if you’re using it as a metric or performance test to help you improve your level of conditioning over time – you definitely don’t want to do it at the end of the workout, because that’s when you’re NOT going to be performing your best! Which is exactly why it makes for a great metabolic-conditioning finisher.
Here’s what to do:
- Set the rower resistance level about mid-way, so that it’s a challenge but still allows you to maintain a good pace throughout the entire 2,000 meter distance. Then… GET AFTER IT! Record your time so you can attempt to beat it next time around.
6.) Leg Matrix w/ Weight Vest
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The leg matrix is a quick and brutal finisher that really sneaks up on you. Once you’re about 50-60% way through, your quads feel like they’re going to burn and slide right off the bone!
Here’s what to do:
- Throw on a weight vest, unless your physical capabilities won’t allow you to do so without injury (never sacrifice safety for these finishers), and perform 24 air squats, 24 alternating reverse lunges (12/side), 24 jump squats, and finally – 24 alternating jump-lunges (12/side). Make sure you do it in THAT order, so that it gets worse as you go!
7.) 1-10 Push/Pull Ladder
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The 1-10 rep ladder can be performed with just about any exercise and is also a great partner exercise to do, as you can treat it as a “you-go, I-go” type of superset. For this challenge I did it as a push/pull superset, using the push up and inverted row as my choices. However, you could do this with a kettlebell swing/push up pair or even an isolation pair like curls/tricep pushdowns.
Here’s what to do:
- Perform 1 rep of each exercise, then 2 of each, then 3…. all the way until you reach 10 reps. Then you will perform 9 of each, 8 of each, etc…. all the way back down to 1 of each, for a grand total of 200 reps (10 each)!
8.) 100 KB Swings (Timed)
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Just like the burpees, but now…. KB Swings! And this will LIGHT UP your glutes!
Here’s what to do:
- Start a timer, hit the music, and get to swingin! Your goal is to reach 100 reps as fast as possible, but make sure your form is solid so that you do not hurt your lower back.
9.) 5 Min EMOM – Devils Press x15 Reps
An EMOM stands for Every Minute On the Minute, which means at the top of each minute, for whatever time frame is programmed, you will perform the exercise with the given rep range programmed. For this, we’re doing the Devil’s Press… and yes, it’s as bad as it sounds. Imagine a burpee combined with a swing and an overhead push press, too…. Not fun, but it’s challenging and gets the job done!
Here’s what to do:
- Start a timer and at the top of each minute, for just 5 minutes, perform 15 reps of the Devil’s Press.
10.) 5 Min Sprint Ladder on Assault Bike
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Sprint ladders on the assault bike are brutal because the further you get, the longer you’re pushing the interval – while simultaneously reducing your rest periods. Another one that is not suited for your best performance… But hey, that’s the point here! You’re here to PUSH yourself mentally and physically, to see what you’re made of!
Here’s what to do:
- Get on the assault bike and perform intervals at your maximum effort, hitting the following intervals (time in seconds): 10/50, 20/40, 30/30, 40/20, 50/10
11.) Quad Torcher
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This is exactly how it’s titled…. TORCHES your quads, because they will be burning! But the good thing here is that there is minimal, if any, eccentric loading and that ensures your muscle damage and lingering soreness is almost non-existent.
Here’s what to do:
- You’ll use a slight different interval approach here, by having two work intervals back to back and not having a rest interval until AFTER both are done: Assault Bike Sprint x20 Sec, Squat Hold x20 Sec, Rest x20 Sec (5 Rounds)
12.) 5 Minute Walking Lunge AMRAP
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Anytime you have an AMRAP or Timed Circuit, with just ONE exercise… you’re in trouble! I was surprisingly sore after this one. But I did estimate doing somewhere around 500-600 total reps!
Here’s what to do:
- Set a timer for 5 minutes and find enough space to move in, I suggest about 20-30 yards of space. Once the timer starts, you will start performing walking lunges down and back across the space you have chosen, with no weight added—just bodyweight, non-stop until the timer stops.
13.) BB Complex – 5 x 1 Min AMRAP
Barbell complexes are a great high intensity, full body, training method that allows us to build muscle, work on muscular endurance, AND get a great metabolic stimulus — all at the same time! You can do these with Dumbbells or Kettlebells, too, and can vary the types of exercises used, reps counted, rounds accomplished, for time vs. volume, etc….
Here’s what to do:
- Set your timer for just one minute and complete as many ROUNDS, not reps, of this barbell complex as possible. I say rounds, not reps, because you will only do 1 rep of each exercise per round. This way you’re consecutively changing the exercise you’re doing as you go through each round. It will look like you doing 5 total exercises, for 1 rep each, over and over again until the 1 minute timer goes off. Here’s the complex: 5 Total Sets – 1 Minute Work/Rest Per Set (10 Min Total): RDL, Bent Row, Hang Clean, Front Squat, Squat Thruster.
14.) 1,000 Yard Farmers Carry (Unbroken)
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Get ready to challenge your grip and BLAST your traps! This is also a great functional core exercise, because any form of carry is a great way to challenge your core stability and develop your trunk stiffness.
Here’s what to do:
- Find a space that you can accurately measure your distance (or by using a smart watch that tracks steps/distance moved) and grab a pair of kettlebells that are lighter than you’d normally use (because this is a long carry)… I used 35lb KB’s, for example, and I will typically use 80-100lbs for distances of 25-50 yards. Grab the bells, pull your shoulders back, and start walking, not letting go of the bells, until you reach 1,000 yards.
15.) DB Bicep Curls – Run The Rack
Last, but definitely not least… In fact, this is the absolute most fun finisher you could possible do, if you resemble a gym-rat-meathead in any way shape or form. Because, it’s just curls!
Here’s what to do:
- Estimate what your 5 rep max is for curls — that’s your starting weight. You will perform as many reps as you can with that, in any curl variation you’d like, and then slowly but surely work your way down the entire rack, 5lbs at a time, until reaching the final weight on the rack (typically 5lbs). I suggest changing between a supinated and hammer grip, as well as bilateral and unilateral curls.
