A Core Exercise

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Need a fundamental exercise to work your upper body, core (abs and lower back) as well as hips and thighs? And an exercise which will totally kick your butt if you take it seriously? Try doing some burpees. This exercise offers a foundation of both strength training for upper body and core, and generates significant aerobic effort as well.

Burpees have been a staple in the military, and in athletic programs at all levels, since before WWII. The exercise was originally developed in the 1930's by American physiologist Royal H. Burpee, as part of his PhD coursework. Burpees began as a simple and fast way to assess overall physical capability, and have been tormenting sports teams and athletes ever since.

To do a burpee, start by standing with your arms at your sides, do a full squat and put your palms on the floor, shoulder width apart, jump your legs back behind you (putting you into a pushup, or plank, position), then jump your legs right back into the squat position, and extend your legs to stand back up, ending where you started.

Go ahead and give it a try. If you're new to these and can grind out three burpees, I guarantee you will use muscles you haven't used in a long time, or maybe have never used. Crank out 10 burpees and you'll probably need to stop and catch your breath.

Living a wellness lifestyle should continually open new vistas which lead to new challenges, opportunities and growth. I had never heard of a burpee five years ago, and I'm just getting into the groove where I challenge myself to plow through five to 10 at a time, maybe more. Surprisingly, they do get easier the more you do...

By the Way

While I still think it's a big deal to do 20 burpees at a time, and I need a good recovery break afterward, I was really shocked to learn that the world record of burpees performed in 24 hours was set by Cameron Dorn in 2014... he did 10,105 burpees in 24 hours... whew!

To read all about Burpees, check out the Wikipedia article here:
Burpees.