If you want to be an unstoppable athlete, you need a strong, powerful and agile lower body. It'll help you move faster, jump higher, and blow past your opponents. It'll also give you a leg up on the competition at the Men's Health Urbanathlon, a 10-to-12-mile run that's filled with tough obstacles like swaying cargo nets, stadium steps, and police barricades. So how do you build a superior lower body? TRX lunges and TRX hip presses, says Pete Holman, PT, C.S.C.S., director of Rip Training at TRX, who included both moves in the leg-burning fitness challenge shown above.

"The lunge is a foundational movement pattern which must be mastered if you want to run harder and longer," he says. "Doing it with one leg suspended in a TRX emphasizes any strength or balance asymmetries between sides, so you know what leg you need to train more."

As for the hip press, it improves your hamstring and glute strength -- two areas that are often underdeveloped, explains Holman. "The TRX will cause your feet to want to 'float' away from you. You must force more hamstring activation in order to keep your knees at a 90-degree angle," he says. (Do these Fat-Blasting Cardio Combos just once, and you'll rethink cardio forever.)

Are you ready to try the challenge? Here's how it works: Complete 40 TRX lunges on your left leg. When you're finished, perform 40 more reps on your right leg. Rest for one minute, and then do 40 reps of the TRX hip press. If you can't complete 40 reps of each move, perform as many as you can in a row with perfect form. When you're finished, add up the total number of reps you performed of the left lunge, the right lunge, and the hip press. Your goal: 120 reps. What was your score? Let us know in the comments below.

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Didn't reach 120 reps? Click here to get a full TRX Urbanathlon training plan. It'll prepare your lower body for race day and get you in the best shape of your life.

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Worthless Exercises You Probably Do

 

Overrated: Crunches

This gym-class standard needs an update: According to research from San Diego State University, the traditional crunch is the least effective strengthener for both the rectus abdominus (6-pack muscles) and the obliques (waist muscles).

 

Overrated: Crunches

What's more, because sit-ups require more strength from front ab muscles than obliques, this move can create a strength imbalance in the core

 

Overrated: Crunches

-- setting you up for back problems.

 

Your Upgrade: The Plank

Not only does the plank require more muscle activation in the obliques than the traditional crunch, according to research,

 

Your Upgrade: The Plank

but researchers have also found that practicing this position can actually help lower the risk of developing lower back pain later in life, according to Matthews.

 

Your Upgrade: The Plank

Why? "The plank targets your abdominal muscles, helps to build muscular endurance and spares your spine in the process," she says.

 

Overrated: Pec Deck/Chest Fly

While research has found that the pec deck machine is a great way to build chest muscle, the fact is that this machine puts your shoulder joint in an extremely vulnerable position, as it simultaneously rotates and abducts, according to Matthews.

 

Overrated: Pec Deck/Chest Fly

While this is especially dangerous for those with shoulder problems, using this machine can also cause injury in otherwise healthy exercisers.

 

Your Upgrade: Bent-Forward Cable Crossover

Engaging the same muscles as the Pec Deck, the Bent-Forward Cable Crossover allows you to build strength quickly and effectively.

 

Your Upgrade: Bent-Forward Cable Crossover

But it does it without unnecessary risk to your joints.

 

Overrated: Bench Press

Though research has shown this staple gym exercise to be excellent for building chest and triceps strength,

 

Overrated: Bench Press

some bench press-related shoulder injuries are common enough to have earned the nickname "bench-presser's shoulder."

 

Overrated: Bench Press

Also, the bench itself limits natural movement in the shoulder blades, putting tremendous stress on rotator cuffs. As such, some fitness experts have deemed bench press unsafe.

 

Your Upgrade: Push-Ups

Push-ups are a safe and (happily) equipment-free exercise that builds muscle in the pecs, triceps and shoulders while developing core strength.

 

Your Upgrade: Push-Ups

What's more, it can be modified dozens of ways to work different muscles or increase the intensity and complexity of this tried-and-true, basic movement.

 

Your Upgrade: Push-Ups

There's a reason it was the foundation of fitness icon Jack LaLanne's routine. For more worthless exercises and ones you should do instead, go to TheActiveTimes.com.

 

More Fitness On ThePostGame

Moves Guaranteed For Great Glutes.

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