Although many of us look back fondly at our time in boot camp/basic training now, it was hell at the time. Sleep deprivation, no time to eat, and the constant stress of trying to avoid being singled out definitely took their toll. After all that, these 5 exercises made getting through the day that much harder!
We asked our readers what the most terrible basic training exercises were – here’s what they said:
1.) The Duck Walk
The dreaded duck walk.
This workout was hard on your knees, and seemed to never end. Many times, trainees would duck walk to the chow line. Others reported going even farther distances.
Some Veterans even said they had to quack while doing them!
Despite what your DS’s put you through with this training exercise, it was all to the end of making you the best Soldier, Sailor, Marine, Airman, or Coastguardsman you could be.
Find and reconect with your Drill Sergeants here.
2.) Mountain Climbers
While this exercise isn’t inherently difficult, Drill Sergeants know how to make the easiest of tasks incredibly hard. Minutes of these can feel like hours, as all BCT Veterans know!
Upload pictures of before and after you went to boot camp to show how much you changed here.
3.) The Crab Walk
This one left many trainees feeling pretty crabby.
Despite it’s funny name, this exercise was no joke. Walking like this to chow, back to the barracks, or anywhere would leave you pretty sore. Plus, if it was blazing hot outside, better hope you don’t burn your hands too badly on the pavement!
4.) 6 Inches
For this exercise, you lay flat on your back and hold your legs up 6 inches from the ground – often for minutes at a time. It’s a great core workout, but it starts to burn pretty quickly!
Check out these cadences and see if you can find the ones you sang most often while training.
5.) The Inch Worm
It seems like some of the worst training exercises are all named after animals/bugs.
This one seemed to be the worst when sandwiched between two or more of the other exercises listed above.
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Check out more articles like this:
10 Basic Training Photos to Remember Your Recruit Days
8 Pictures of KP Duty Tasks You Probably Forgot About
10 Rare Pictures from the Korean War You’ll Want to See