# Swap for the exercise you hate

A fitness format, measured November 8, 2026 by Volume. https://tryvolume.app/working/fitness/swap-for-the-exercise-you-hate

Frame the tutorial as an escape or upgrade for a dreaded or impossible exercise (Bulgarian split squats, jumping). It worked for 3 accounts, with a median of 18x their usual reach. Type: Angle. Seen as: Video, Talking head.

## Why it works

Viewers already share the frustration, so the post speaks to a felt pain point instead of just naming a movement.

## How to make it

1. Name the exercise people hate or can't do
2. Show the swap or 'how I do it now'
3. Add form cues or the explanation in the caption

## Hook formula

I hate [exercise], what can I do instead?

## Examples

- @blousymay (35K followers, TikTok video): 44x their usual views. Hook: ““I hate Bulgarian split squats what can I do instead???”” [Original post](https://www.tiktok.com/@blousymay/video/7699802226604150038)
- @mabelmei_ (90K followers, TikTok video): 18x their usual views. Hook: “How I used to do bulgarians:” [Original post](https://www.tiktok.com/@mabelmei_/video/7701116829405613343)
- @findurfituk (36K followers, Instagram talking head): 4.2x their usual views. Hook: “CAN'T JUMP? 🦴 3 EXERCISES FOR STRONGER BONES 💥” [Original post](https://www.instagram.com/p/DeRlH0nipQn/)

More fitness formats: https://tryvolume.app/working/fitness.md

## Get the full library

The full library has every post, format and hook in fitness, plus long-running Meta ads, and your AI agent can search it over MCP. The library comes with Volume Core and Pro, from $29.99 a month, and every plan starts with a 3-day free trial. Start a free trial: https://tryvolume.app/library

Agents: add Volume's MCP server (https://app.tryvolume.app/api/mcp) and call `search_library(shelf: "formats", niche: "Fitness")` for every format, `search_library(shelf: "posts", niche: "Fitness")` for examples with transcripts and scripts.

## How this is measured

- Every post is compared with its own account's usual reach, not with other accounts. "14x their usual" means the post got 14 times the median views of that account's recent posts.
- TikTok videos and Instagram Reels are measured on views. Instagram carousels have no view count, so they are measured on likes against the account's usual likes, and say so.
- A post makes the library at 2x its account's usual or more. A format is a repeatable move (what is said or shown, or how it is edited) that several accounts used in breakout posts. It is listed here once it worked for 3 or more different accounts.
- Formats rank on how many accounts they worked for and how far above usual, damped so a fluke on one tiny account cannot outrank a format that worked for ten.

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