What is it about Burpees that makes most active people break out into a cold sweat? Burpees are one of the best fat burners out there! So why do we avoid them like the plague?
Burpees are a popular exercise within the Crossfit Community (of which I will totally advocate) and also with Elite Military Forces for obvious reasons! Burpees can be performed anywhere; in your lounge room, bedroom, hotel room, on the balcony, in the bathroom..... no excuses!
THE BENEFITS OF A BURPEE
Burpees are the ultimate full body exercise! When performed correctly, they burn fat, increase your heart rate, increase your strength and conditioning, and most of all, they are FREE - No equipment required! Your own body weight is all you need. But, beware, they are HARD!
THE ANATOMY OF A BURPEETHE SQUAT
Squat down and place your hands on the floor beside your feet.
THE THRUST
Using a powerful Hip Extension, thrust your feet back into a full plank position
THE PUSHUP
THE FORWARD JUMP
Jump your feet forward so you are in the squat position again.
THE VERTICAL JUMP
Jump up vertically as high as you can. Give a loud clap at the top, arms fully extended. Also known as giving yourself a much deserved round of applause.
I promise you, regular Burpee workouts will provide you with immediate positive results. I've currently set myself a challenge of performing 100 x Burpees per day. I WILL increase this as I increase my fitness!
To monitor your results, you can time your reps, e.g. how long to perform 100 x Burpees or count how many Burpees you can perform in 30 seconds etc. Keep a record and check your progress.
GREAT BURPEE CHALLENGES
100 x BURPEES
How fast can you perform 100 x Burpees? Keep a record. Can you improve on your last time?
30 SECOND CHALLENGE
How many Burpees can you perform in 30 seconds? Again, keep a record.
DESCENDING BURPEE LADDER
Start with 10 x reps, followed by 9 x reps etc until you reach 1 x rep. Record how long this took you. Try and improve.
NOTE:
Burpees were named as such by an American Physiologist Royal Huddleston Burpee, he earned a PHD in Applied Physiology at Columbia University in 1940 and created the "Burpee" exercise as part of his PHD thesis as a quick and simple way to assess fitness.
Personally, I think the guy was MAD!
:)
Combine burpees with Fartlek training for a real gas. Ahem. Sorry...
ReplyDeleteGood work on the 100 burpees a day. I've managed to avoid ever having them on any of my gym programs. I bet I couldn't manage 10 in a row.
I do like the analogy though :) (Is that the right word?)
DeleteThey certainly suck, but for proven results they are a great exercise. I have to admit, I really do not like them, I'm not good at them, and will avoid them where possible. Which is why I created the challenge for myself....... 100 x Burpees per day........ 2 days so far and counting......
ReplyDeleteIt's true that the exercises we avoid are generally the ones we should be doing!