Yes, I am back to argue for another exercise that has not really gotten a fair shake. Burpees are a form of punishment in the eyes of most people. In case you are not familiar with a burpee allow me to elaborate. A burpee is performed in four steps, from a standing position place your hands on the ground in a squat, then your feet jump out to a plank and immediately jump back to the squat and finishes with a jump back up to your feet. The rest is just repeating at a rapid pace. They are rarely a favored option, but this is not respecting what a burpee offers. Maybe I just spent too much time thinking about burpees while mentally preparing to do 500 over a lost bet, but I think there is a need for a better understanding. An understanding that maybe burpees are not some torture tool schemed up by trainers to punish clients. Rather that these burpees were created for a happier purpose with proven benefits. Burpees are the superhero exercise that gives any workout a major boost, in record time, with no extra equipment necessary!
Where did the burpee come from? I mean what crazy person created such a thing, and to what avail? It was an American physiologist named Royal H. Burpee. He created the exercise in 1930 as a fitness assessment to evaluate different people's fitness level. Royal had a PhD in Applied Physiology so he knew what he was doing. From there it was brought over to the US by the Armed Forces as way to assess physical abilities of recruits during WWII. Since it's evaluating uses, it has spread into the main stream fitness industry. It isn't rare for fitness professionals to pull in ideas on training from our military and incorporate it into more everyday use, and so we get burpees being performed in workouts all over place.
So why has this form of torture become such a popular one amongst trainers all over? Is it possible that there is inherent value to this exercise that continues to be passed along? Absolutely, in fact the burpee proves to be more than just a tool for evaluation and assessment. Performing a burpee in quick repetitions is a total body exercise and also a fairly intense cardiovascular workout. We know the military uses them in training, but so do professional athletic trainers for football teams. You are using your chest, arms, shoulders, thighs, hamstrings, and abs in each execution, while driving your heart rate up. Adding intervals of high intensity work, like burpees, in strength training routines can burn up to 50% more fat than if you were just performing a basic strength training routine. Plus it is a great way to build up cardiovascular endurance, which is beneficial to everyone! Really what more could you ask of an exercise? Remember fun can be all about your perspective.
Well who would have guessed? Turns out the burpee was created for a purpose completely unrelated to torture. Instead there are actually big benefits that are gained when performing several in rapid succession, or multiple sets. We live in a busy world that is always hunting faster results in less time. Completing workouts that pack a powerful punch in a smaller amount of time is the reality of so many people trying to stay active and fit. You want to get in, get it done, and get the biggest bang for the time spent. With no equipment necessary, burpees can be added into any type of workout boosting your heart rate and keeping you in the zone. When you are working multiple muscles in one exercise it mean less exercises are needed. Who doesn't get excited about that? Try adding them on a run around the park, just drop down and do 10. It is such an easy way to add intensity to all the things you are already doing. I think about it like this, if you are taking the time to do the work, you should want to get the most out of your effort, right?
The truth is that a workout that incorporates burpees is not a punishment, it's a bonus! Making time in your busy life to workout means you have made a commitment to push yourself to stay active, healthy, and fit. When you arrive at the moment in your day that you have set aside to workout you should think about the value of that time. What does it take to create that available time amongst everything else that you have going on? It is very valuable time, and so you should put into that moment what it is truly worth. I challenge you the next time you are facing 20 sets of 25 burpees, don't wonder 'why is my trainer mad at me.' Instead think of how much more you are going to get out of these next valuable moments. I believe when it comes to fitness it's best to work hard, and never waste your time.
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