The 6 Exercises That Will Make You Swear

Here are the top six bootcamp exercises that consistently get the worst response from my bootcampers. Exercises that when challenged with during a session will have people pretending they never heard me, tying shoelaces with eyes averted, walking-off 20 metres to grab a drink or just plain effing and blinding.

Although these are some of the most hated and demonised of workout moves, secretly I know you get a kick from them and I’ll tell you why…

6. Walkdowns

We start with an exercise that I would say you thoroughly dislike, but not really really hate (read on for those horrors). A walkdown is a mobilising drill that’s guaranteed to set bootcampers eyes a’rolling.

Why you secretly love a damn good walkdown: I think they’re one of the best workout-prepping exercises. Employ them before embarking on a gruesome training session and you’ll pre-stretch the lower body (hammies, calves), activate your core and warm the upper body.

5. Skipping

Believe it or not a fair few bootcampers seem to like skipping. These weird creatures are vastly outnumbered however by the masses I see shouting obscenities as they wrap jump-ropes around their legs for the umpteenth time.

Why you secretly love a spot of skipping: At first you'll feel like you’re performing nothing more than some kind of Shades of Grey whipping, but gradually as timing, coordination and aerobic fitness start to improve you’ll find yourself morphing into a skipping machine, jumping faster and trying out new moves (check out these outlandish Hungarian skipping-youths to see what I mean).

4. Duck walks

The ultimate in demeaning bootcamp exercises, duck walks are almost universally hated by campers. Not heard of them before, well surprise surprise they involve waddling along on your haunches and (if you’re my lot) quite a healthy portion of swearing (see this brave young duckling crossing a busy thoroughfare).

Why you secretly like a waddle now and again: Believe it or not they are another super-marvellous mobilisation drill which can work wonders for opening-up tight hips and stretching glutes, helping prep your hips and posterior chain for a meaty workout.

3. Bear crawls

Another animal themed exercise that's guaranteed to rouse sweary barking noises from bootcampers. For most crawling around on hands and feet like a so-called ‘bear’ (like this bear-like creature) isn’t something done much of since the days of milk teeth and tantrums, but someone somewhere decided they are great for subjecting on grown adults in leafy parks at bootcamps so you'll see them a lot.

Why you secretly love crawling around like a bear: Approach the bear crawl with good form and you’ll receive a whole multitude of lovely strength and posture improving benefits. Travelling in this most awkward fashion will help wake the core, get those glutes a’firing plus encourage coordination.

2. B*stard sprawls

An appropriately named exercise that, if I traipse out at the wrong time during a bootcamp, will incite a full-on fiery-mob-with-pitchforks style mutiny. Essentially a supercharged version of a mixed-martial-art (MMA) fight training move called a sprawl (a tame version seen here) but with an added chest-to-the-ground press-up. Sheesh, it’s a tough one if doled out in large amounts.

Why you secretly love dastardly b*stard sprawls: One of the high-intensity greats that if performed powerfully with good form (sitting hips back when dropping hands to the floor, squeezing glutes as hips touch the ground, keeping the core tight as you lower and push you’re upper body from the ground) will deliver an all-round pulse-raising, lean-muscle building beast of a workout.

1. Burpees

It's hardly astonishing that burpees are the most groan-inspiring workout of the lot (see here a chiselled beardy man demo'ing a few variations). This hybrid jumping, press-up, squat thrusting exercise is guaranteed to have bootcampers uttering expletives more obscene than Linda Blair best lines from the Exorcist - with many preferring a damn good hiding with a skipping rope than a round or two of burpees.

Why you secretly love a burpee or two: You take a squat thrust (lovely lower body strength plus glute and core activation) a press-up (for upper body strength and endurance plus more core activation) and add a spot of explosive squatty jumpiness (even more lower body strength and power) and there you have it, the ultimate great all-round strength and high intensity cardio move.

#exercise #Highintensitytraining #Burpees