As a former ballerina-in-training, I know breaking the rules can be tough. To this day, I have to fight the urge to win over every fitness instructor – my former ballet master’s harsh critiques still ringing in my ears. But after developing a chronic illness, I learned that boundaries are not only important to implement into my fitness routine, but also incredibly freeing. Coming up with a few “hard stop” exercises helped immensely.
Hard stop exercises are the movements you hate so much, they just aren’t worth doing. In a February TikTok, creator Angelina Nicolle asked her followers about the exercises they “simply refuse to do” – and the answers were enlightening. “Lunges. Hate them. Will only do squats,” one commenter responded. “Single leg glute bridge sends me into a blind rage,” another said.
