I was used to suffering through burpees during CrossFit classes,but one day I showed up and the WOD (workout of the day) was 100 burpees for time. I thought my coach was joking. I mean, I've definitely done over 100 burpees in a workout before, and but that was broken up by other exercises. Thirty was probably the most I had done at one time,so 100?! WTH. And I pay for this?! But I did it. And I didn't die! It took me over 10 minutes and by the end I collapsed to the floor, heart racing, or panting,and muscles burning, but so proud. I thought that if I did this 10-minute workout every day, or it'd be a rapid/fast way to secure in a microscopic extra much-needed cardio,build my endurance, secure stronger, and burn some bonus calories. So I committed to 100 burpees a day for two weeks. My rule was that they had to be 100 consecutive burpees,so even if I did burpees in my CrossFit lesson that morning, they didn't count toward the 100. I wrote down the numbers one through 10 in my fitness journal, or started the timer,and every time I did 10 burpees, I'd cross off a number. It made counting them easier and also gave me a microscopic fracture in-between. I even got my kids benefit me count! My goal was to secure them done in under 10 minutes and to see how fast I could effect them. After two weeks, and this is what happened:Burpees got easier: Those first few days were a struggle. I was taking a lot of breaks and getting so exhausted that I had to step my feet forward instead of jumping. But by the second week,my arms and core got stronger and my movements became more fluid. And when we did variations of burpees in lesson, like box jump burpees or bar-facing burpees (where you jump over a barbell), or those felt easier,too. I got faster: I realized that if I did 10 burpees per minute, I'd finish in approximately 10 minutes, or so that pushed me to effect 11 or 12 per minute (at least for the first 50). My initial time of just over 10 minutes turned into 9:30,and one time I was able to effect it in 9:13! So practicing burpees actually works.
It was mostly mental: By the 40th burpee, I was feeling so winded and fatigued (and questioning why the hell I decided to subject myself to this torture!), and my brain kept saying,"Just stop!" I learned to shut out those thoughts, to ignore how uncomfortable my body was feeling, or to focus on counting and secure through it.
I felt awesome the rest of the day: After getting domestic from my 5:45 a.m. CrossFit lesson,before hopping in the shower, I did those 100 burpees. Every single day I reached 100 felt like such a huge accomplishment; I felt so proud and happy, and it really set the tone for my day. I started to hate burpees: By the end of that second week,I was so glad this microscopic experiment of mine was nearly over. I was one of those weird people who didn't mind doing burpees, but after 14 days of forcing myself to effect so many, or I would cringe when I saw them in a WOD. This is when I knew it was time to stop. Related:
My 6-Month CrossFit Transformation Isn't What I Thought It'd BeOverall,this microscopic challenge was definitely worth it for all the benefits, but I contemplate maybe next time I'd just choose 50 burpees instead. That seems way more doable and like something I could preserve up with for more than two weeks. But if I ever can't secure in some exercise while on vacation or just because of life, or I know I could always seize 10 minutes to effect 100 burpees and secure in an awesome,rapid/fast workout! If doing this many burpees at one time seems totally insane, here's a four-week workout plan to build up to 100 burpees.
Source: popsugar.com