Today’s post is from Coach Kate, who lays down a new fitness challenge for everyone. It appears Coach Kate is going to do this challenge along with us, so let’s see how many people will commit to her burpee challenge!
I love burpees, even though burpees don’t always return the love to me! Why the burpee love you ask?
Burpees are one of the best overall bodyweight conditioning tools available anytime, anywhere. Got a body? You got burpees. I don’t think any other bodyweight movement gets your heart rate up and running as fast as a burpee. Doing a little burpee research alleged that a Lieutenant (Burpee of course) used this movement to condition his troops during the Civil War, where this exercise movement may have gotten its name.
What’s so awesome about the burpee, besides its amazing power to crumble you quickly? Well for starters it can be done just about anywhere. All you need is enough space to do a push up, and enough room for your hands to clap over your head. You need absolutely no gear. No running shoes, no wrist wraps, no nothing. All you need is the floor or the ground, which can be found anywhere. Best of all, not only does a burpee cause physical fatigue, but it also challenges your inner voice which helps keep you pushing when times get tough.
All of this is to say, there are NO excuses for NOT doing burpees. Even if you are stranded at the airport or a gas station or in a hotel room, you can always get a workout in with the good ole burpee!
Who it up for doing a 100 day burpee challenge with me? I am going to start August 1st. Here is how this 100 day challenge works:
Do one burpee today. Do two tomorrow, and keep adding one each day until you get all the way to 100 burpees on the 100th day.
So simple. So effective. It’s really that simple.
I know, I know, you’re already training each day at the gym, but you always have more to give. And what better way to give than burpee love!
Here’s how to perform a burpee:
- With your feet under your hips stand straight up
- Bend down and place your hands 12-24 inches in front of your feet
- Kick back your feet simultaneously all the way back to a plank position
- Touch your chest to the ground
- Jump your feet back to where they began (back to in front of your hands)
- Stand & jump while clapping overhead
- The clap is the count
THE FINE PRINT:
If you miss a day, you must do the day you missed, as well as the current day’s number. This is not a big deal if you miss day 5, but really crappy if you miss day 80. You may break the burpees up throughtout the day. As it gets more involved, spread them out. You may include burpees that happen to be in a workout you are already doing.
However, for best results:
1. Do them first thing in the morning, maybe even before you eat breakfast. Nothing will get your metabolism cranked up better, and you can even keep your pj’s on – but make sure not to sleep in those same pj’s again.
2. Don’t scale them. Make sure your chest touches the ground!
3. Don’t skip a day.
Let me know who is in for the 100 day challenge – just write in the comments here if you are willing to commit! This is a great way to amp up your training and start taking your fitness to the next level!
Click here to read about our goal of competing in the 2013 CrossFit Games.
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