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Fitness

The 8 Most Hated Exercises

I recently conducted a poll to find out which exercises you hate but know are good for you. Here are the top eight exercises, based on 76 responses and listed from least to most reviled.

Tom Kelso

Written by Tom Kelso Last updated on January 11, 2014

I recently conducted a poll. This involved my current clients, as well as a number of former clients and athletes I have trained over the past 25 years. The intent was simple: to find out what are the top three exercises you hate but know are good for you.

The specific question was this: What three exercises do you dislike more than another when they were performed with maximum effort? Sharing any particulars as to why they were hated was also encouraged. Here are the most-hated eight exercises, based on 76 responses and listed from least to most reviled.

The 8 Most Hated Exercises

8. Bent-Over Row

Considered uncomfortable to perform due to the bent-over position. The one-arm dumbbell row was particularly singled out because the bent-over position had to be maintained for each arm.

7. Stiff-Leg Deadlift with Barbell or Dumbbells

Holding posture was listed as a pain in the ass, let alone the repetitive transition from upright to bent-over to upright to bent-over. The fact you have to think and focus made this exercise even more a pain.

6. Running

This one surprised me. As an athlete, you need to run in some capacity to either get in shape or replicate sport skills. How do you expect to improve if you eschew sport-related running? Yes, it can be brutal, but it’s a fact of life. A head scratcher for me on this one as running should be enjoyable.

5. Leg Press

The uncomfortable nature of being jammed into a compact position to begin the exercise was not favorable. Leg presses that commenced with the legs in the extended position garnered a bit more favorability. On top of that, my goal of pushing my trainees to the point of muscular fatigue was apparently not popular.

4. Close-Grip Pulldown

An upper-body exercise ranked so high? I believe it being a long-range, large-muscle-group-activating (latissimus dorsi) exercise (if worked properly through a full range of motion) was the clincher. As a matter of personal opinion, I would have to agree here. This exercise is brutal if performed properly. I’ll take wide-grip pulldowns any day.

3. Burpees

Or, as one person called them, “Barfees.” These are the essence of annoying and uncomfortable exercises. The act of long (standing) to short (crouched) to long (plank position) to short (crouched) back to a jump (standing) can be a tedious routine. Add to that all the various burpee variations (single leg, spread eagle, dumbbell, or dumbbell plank row) and it makes them even more disgusting. No matter how you slice it, burpees suck according to my people.

2. Deadlift

Soliciting feedback resulted in these comments: they suck, brutal move, I hate these, I would love to avoid these, very demanding, why do you make me do these? Any time you must lift a resistance from the ground – either heavy for a few reps or lighter for a maximum number of reps – it requires extreme muscle fiber involvement. This is manifested in the heavy breathing and extreme muscle fatigue that ensues from the effort. For one, the deadlifter needs to latch onto the resistance, thus requiring a strong grip. Then, the major muscles of the body – that is, the back, buttocks, quadriceps, and hamstrings – are activated throughout the set to the point of fatigue. Yep, that sucks.

1. Barbell Squat

This is the king of all exercises. The bar sits on your upper back so there is no grip failure issue. The entire body is involved: the calves, the quads, the glutes, the abs, the low back, and the upper-body stabilizing muscles. Much of performing the barbell squat comes down to your intestinal fortitude to overcome the inevitable fatigue that will ensue if indeed you push this exercise to the limit. If done properly – using significant resistance, good form, and maximum repetitions – your heart rate and breathing will be challenged to the upper limit. In addition, you’ll feel awful due to muscle acidity and the uncomfortable nature of that bar resting on your upper back or neck for an extended period of time. It takes cast-iron testicles to squat properly and with extreme effort, which renders this exercise as the most-hated. It is analogous to your mother-in-law driving your 2014 Mercedes over a cliff into the ocean. You love it and you hate it, simultaneously.

Photos 1 & 2 provided by Miguel Tapia Images and CrossFit LA.

Photo 3 provided by CrossFit LA.

Tom Kelso

About Tom Kelso

Tom Kelso is currently an Exercise Physiologist with the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department. He also trains clients through Pinnacle Personal & Performance Training in Chesterfield, Missouri.

For 23 years he was in the collegiate strength and conditioning profession, serving as the Head Coach for Strength and Conditioning at Saint Louis University (2004-2008), the University of Illinois at Chicago (2001-2004), Southeast Missouri State University (1991-2001), and the University of Florida (1988-1990). He got his start in the strength and conditioning field as an Assistant Strength Coach at Florida in 1984 where he was also a weight training instructor for the Department of Physical Education from 1985 to 1988.

In 2006, Tom was named Master Strength and Conditioning Coach by the Collegiate Strength and Conditioning Coaches Association for his years of service in the field. In 1999, he was named NSCA Ohio Valley Conference Strength and Conditioning Professional of the year. In 2001, he received an honorary certification from the International Association of Resistance Trainers (I.A.R.T.).

Tom possesses C.S.C.S. and S.C.C.C. certifications with the NSCA and CSCCA, respectively. Additionally, he is certified by the Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board in basic instructor development and as a specialist instructor by the Missouri Department of Public Safety. In 2012, he became certified by the IBNFC as a Certified Nutrition Coach.

Tom has worked with athletes at the Olympic and professional levels, presented at various clinics/seminars, and worked several athletic-related camps. He is a strong advocate of safe, practical, and time-efficient training and has published a collection of periodical articles, book chapters, complete books, and user-friendly downloads promoting such.

Tom received a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Iowa in 1981(It's great to be a Hawkeye!) and a Master's Degree in Physical Education from Western Illinois University in 1984. He was a member of the Track and Field team at Iowa and served as a Graduate Assistant Track & Field Coach while at Western Illinois.

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