Pretty much every week for the past month and a half we have had burpees in our workouts. You may ask what is the deal with burpees and why are they in anyway important. I know that I actually hate burpees with the passion of a thousand suns. Some of you may like them some of you may,like me, hate them. However these are a staple bodyweight movement that will help you develop your full potential.
One of the greatest reasons for burpees is because it is possibly one of the longest gymnastic movements we do here. It may not be the most technical but it requires alot from a person. Think about it in the span of two seconds you go from standing to the ground to jumping overhead. Within that time you must not only control your momentum down ?(unless you enjoy face plants) then reverse your momentum and explode upwards. most other movements we do, do not require such a drastic shift in body position.
Another reason why burpees are so great is because we, as coaches, are sneaking two or three movements into one exercise. Think about it! ?First you squat, then go into a pushup position and perform a pushup then jump back to squatting then you explode straight upwards. This is a great full body movement that is done all over the world independent of CrossFit. Burpees are done in prison, in the army, and in sports programs the world over. It also translates well in real life by getting up and down you are training for those rare occasions when you trip.
Now you know why burpees are so important. I know this has enhanced your outlook on life but this going to be more than just a brain-bender, this is going to be a PEB (performance Enhancing Blog). ?Here are some tips to help you master my arch nemesis.
1) Stay tight- a tight core in this movement will make getting up and down much easier
2) Chest to the ground- believe it or not if you are shorting your reps by not going all the way down you are wasting more energy with all the control you must exert.
3) Fall with style and purpose- Thats right get on the blue mat and drop to the ground with what some have described as reckless abandon for your face. Use the rebound to help you get back up. Also, remember tip #1
4) Keep Moving!- don’t stop in the middle of the movement if you want to know why, go look up inertia.
5) Don’t do more than necessary- a jump is required in the burpee but a 5 ft NBA jump is not, just get off the ground and you’ve met the standard.
6) Keep your head up- keeping your head up throughout the movement will help you breath and help get those hips all the way open (also part of the standard).
Last but not least 7) DO MORE BURPEES-( I know I hate it too) this goes back to that do what you hate thing, keep doing it and you may not hate it as much.
How do feel about burpees? ?Love them or hate them?
-T.I.
