Figure Out Puzzles Puzzles are heavily left-brained activities; they focus on sharpening your deductive and reasoning skills. Crossword puzzles and Sudoku are the most popular puzzles that also make excellent left-brain trainers. A standard puzzle will also help exercise your left brain, but make sure to keep it appropriately challenging. You’ll get more left-brain exercise from a 1,000-piece puzzle than a 250- or 500-piece puzzle.