Intermediate exercises are for when the basics feel repeatable and you are ready for more range, more load, more control, or more conditioning. This is the widest band of training, and most people spend the bulk of their time here. Progress comes from steady small steps, not from skipping ahead.
Below are 54 intermediate exercises, ordered from easiest to most advanced. Each one comes with a full form guide.
From Domenic: Most people I coach live right here for years, and that's good. Small steps. You don't need to chase the next hard exercise.
Related Exercise Hubs
All Intermediate Exercises (54)
Bent Over Reach Through
Butt Kicks
Butterfly Reach
Calf Hops
Camel
Chair Pose
Chin Negative
Cross Toe Touch
Deadbug
Donkey Kick
Downward Dog
Drag Curl
Dumbbell Chest Press
Dumbbell Front Squat
Front Raise
Full Back Curl
Glute Bridge Partial
Hand Plank
High Knee
High Knee Running
High Knee-N-Crunch
Hollow Hold
Hundred
I Raise
Leg Raise
March-N-Chop
Overhead Pullover
Parallel-Bar Dip
Plank Jacks
Quarter Pike Pushup
Quarter Squat
Quick Shuffle
Reach Up
Romanian Deadlift
Rotator Cuff Stretch
Seated Side Bend
Side Lunge Toe Touch
Single-Leg Iso Ham Raise
Skull Crusher
Spinal Twist
Split Squat
Standing Twist
Step-N-Clap
Step-N-Curl
Step-N-Punch
Step-N-Push
Sumo Squat
Superman Hold
Supported Row
Tree Pose
Twist Crunch
Twist Curl
Weighted Iso Ham Raise
Z Sit
Frequently Asked Questions
Which intermediate exercises should I try first?
A solid starting point is Bent Over Reach Through, Butt Kicks, and Butterfly Reach. Begin with whichever one you can perform with clean, controlled form for every rep before moving on.
How many sets and reps should I do for intermediate exercises?
A practical default is 2 to 4 sets of 8 to 15 reps, 2 sessions per week, with at least 48 hours before training the same muscles again. That is broadly in line with ACSM resistance-training guidance for general fitness. Start at the easier end of that range and add sets or reps before adding new exercises; each exercise's guide gives specific targets.
When am I ready to move past intermediate exercises?
Move on once you can complete every prescribed rep of moves like Bent Over Reach Through and Butt Kicks with clean, controlled form, and the last rep still looks like the first. Rushing to harder exercises before that point usually trades form for ego.
How do I make these intermediate exercises harder over time?
Once your form is repeatable for every rep, add load, range, or reps before adding new exercises. Each exercise's guide lists its regressions and progressions in order, so there is always a clear next step.