When it comes to exercise, there’s a variety to choose from, and some of the most beneficial exercises are also the most basic. Many of these exercises are called bodyweight exercises, and most require no equipment. They include squats, lunges, sit-ups, push-ups, pull-ups, and planks (via the Mayo Clinic). One of the benefits of bodyweight exercises is that they are what experts call “functional,” meaning that they work many different muscle groups and joints at one time, according to Harvard Medical School.
Bodyweight training may feel basic compared to fancy exercise machines, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t working for you. In fact, the Mayo Clinic reports that they can be as effective for improving strength as lifting weights. Not to mention, some of them can be downright tough, which might be why you dread them. With this in mind, Health Digest wanted to know what basic exercise our readers dread the most.
The most dreaded is also one of the toughest
For the survey, Health Digest polled 610 readers, and 28.03% said that they dreaded a pushup the most. This makes sense because pushups are difficult. Studies indicate that your arms are supporting 60% to 70% of your body weight during a pushup, per the Montreal Gazette. The second-most dreaded bodyweight exercise, according to 23.28% of our readers, is a sit-up. Squats come in at a close third with 22.79%. Fourth in line is the plank, with 16.23% of our readers dreading them. The lunge rounds out the top five, with 9.67% dreading them the most.
All of this being said, dreading an exercise doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do it. If you find that one is painful or simply too hard, remember that most bodyweight exercises can be modified to fit your level of fitness. Furthermore, an adjustment might make you dread it less, per Harvard Medical School.
