Burpee Madness

[shanmonster]

Yesterday, I completed my 100-day burpee challenge. Technically, I should have completed it on Sunday, but I had a stomach flu on day 93/94, and there's just no way I was going to do them in that state. By the strict rules of the challenge, I was supposed to make up for the two missing days plus do 95 on the 95th day, but considering I'd already done an enormous workout that day and was still recovering, I figured, bite me, challenge. Purists would say I cheated, but they can bite me, too. Heh....

Six months ago, burpees were my most dreaded exercise. I loathed them. Doing 5 left me staggering and heaving like a horse with its wind broken. Burpees still wear me out, but I can do about 15 at a stretch before really wanting to stop. And as soon as I get my breath back, I can go right back to them. Doing the 100 yesterday was no big thing. I would not have believed that possible a year ago.

The two hardest days were the day before the flu made me take a break (doing burpees with what feels like half-formed churning concrete in your guts is horrid), and the second competition date for the CrossFit Opens, where I did 30 45-lb snatches (that sounds so dirty) and 8 75-lb snatches. I actually had to bribe myself to do my burpees that night. Snatches plus burpees is a cruel combination. Sadistic, even.

And yeah, I'm participating in the CrossFit Opens this year. I have no illusions that I'll be finishing anywhere in the top 25%, but I'm challenging myself to do my best. The first round was burpees. I did 65 burpees in 7 minutes. I'd hoped I'd do better, but my asthma was giving me grief that day. I can't be too disappointed, considering my lack of burpee acumen last year.

The third round of the competition is being announced tonight. I will be attempting whatever it is tomorrow afternoon. The suspense is killing me!

Now that I'm through with the burpee challenge, I want to repeat the challenge, but with pushups this time. Pushups aren't nearly as physically demanding as burpees, but my technique could use some tweaking. The challenge will do this wonderfully. I'll wait for knightky to finish his challenge (he has a few days left), and then we'll start them together. Anyone else want in on this? We can keep one another motivated.

(By the way, you've probably seen all those motivational posters and such that say you can regret not having worked out, but you'll never regret having worked out. The exception to this is when you have the flu. Specifically, ass flu. Just so you know, and don't go there....)

Also, this picture makes me laugh:

Comments

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

Congratulations!

I am a little jealous. And still recovering from the back/hip problems that my attempts with the burpees aggravated. =(

I hope my local Crossfit can work with me on my myriad issues. My intro session is Tuesday the 20th!

[shanmonster.livejournal.com]

Best of luck! Pretty much all of the exercises are scalable, so I hope a solution can be found for your burpee issues.

I don't now what the issue is for your back/hip, but mine was caused by an imbalance. I was able to correct this by working on strict form with a broomstick marking alignment on deadlifts and one-legged Romanian deadlifts, foam rolling, stretching, and by continually doing single-leg training. A few times a week, I do weighted single-leg squats (either pistol squats or off a high box to just below parallel with the thigh and back up again), one-legged bridges (with supporting leg on an exercise ball), and slow-motion bodyweight lunges in all directions. If you want to try the squats but don't yet have the strength to go as far as I do with them, you can practice getting up and down off a chair using just one leg.

I haven't seen any single-leg training at CrossFit, so I do this as part of my typical warm-up.

I could probably make a quick and dirty video showing the various single-leg exercises, if you like.

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

Thank you for the info! I know most of the movements you mention, so I can look up the ones I don't, or ask the trainer when I meet with him in a couple weeks.

Very interesting that your problems were caused by imbalance. I know I have something wonky with an uneven gait, caused by a slightly longer leg (or at least one masquerading as such). Hm!

[shanmonster.livejournal.com]

My physiotherapist said my muscles are so strong that they compensated for the imbalance without me even knowing there was one at all. And then I was making tiny adjustments in my form that were strengthening those imbalances. With the single leg training, it's impossible to make those compensations, and after a couple of months, I'd evened everything out. I haven't felt even the slightest twinge since November, and I've been lifting heavy and frequently.

[hayet.livejournal.com]

I just started a pushup challenge, and I'm already two weeks behind thanks to illness/house-selling stuff...I'd love to start it up afresh. :) I'm doing a chin-up challenge, too. My upper body strength is pathetic. I can't even do full pushups with good form yet, and I can manage a single chin up. That's gotta change if I'm ever going to climb a rope again!

Where's this 100 burpee challenge, out of curiosity? I *loathe* them but they're such good exercise that I want to use them for my intervals for awhile.