Earlier this year on January 5th, about 6 weeks before my 54th birthday, I subjected myself to a burpee challenge. It consisted of a Monday through Friday daily set of 54 burpees. To motivate me to stick with this simple program, I told myself “no burpees today no food tomorrow”. In other words, if I didn’t complete a Monday through Friday daily set of 54 burpees, I wasn’t allowed to eat the next day.
Well I was burpee rusty and almost died on day one. It took me 7:51 to complete that day one set. In fact, I don’t recall one day ever being pleasant because, as I become more efficient and adapted my cardiovascular system to the demands of this devilish exercise, I ramped up my pace even more so I was never ever in a comfort zone. There were several days when I thought about taking the no food tomorrow option but realized that would ill-prepare me for the next day of burpees and that I would starve myself with consecutive days of wimping out.
This challenge gave new meaning to TGIF and a profound realization of how much I enjoyed my Saturday and Sunday burpee respite.
Well I survived this burpee challenge, didn’t miss a Monday through Friday burpee day, and completed it on February 19th, my 54th birthday, with 54 reps completed in 4:46 for a birthday personal best.
That was then and this is now, and that was the last time I did a burpee!
Lately I’ve been thinking about incorporating these bad boys into my training mix, probably because recently I have been dispensing fitness training advice and encouraging a young man whom I am serving as a mentor of life of sorts. I’ve thought about doing a set at the end of my weightlifting workouts, or perhaps a set on non-training days just to give me a living proof reminder of my adage that "I’m a middle-age man and only as good as my last workout".
Yup! I’ve been thinking about burpees lately. But thus far, that’s all I have been doing . . . just thinking about burpees.
Pax Domini sit semper vobiscum
Well I was burpee rusty and almost died on day one. It took me 7:51 to complete that day one set. In fact, I don’t recall one day ever being pleasant because, as I become more efficient and adapted my cardiovascular system to the demands of this devilish exercise, I ramped up my pace even more so I was never ever in a comfort zone. There were several days when I thought about taking the no food tomorrow option but realized that would ill-prepare me for the next day of burpees and that I would starve myself with consecutive days of wimping out.
This challenge gave new meaning to TGIF and a profound realization of how much I enjoyed my Saturday and Sunday burpee respite.
Well I survived this burpee challenge, didn’t miss a Monday through Friday burpee day, and completed it on February 19th, my 54th birthday, with 54 reps completed in 4:46 for a birthday personal best.
That was then and this is now, and that was the last time I did a burpee!
Lately I’ve been thinking about incorporating these bad boys into my training mix, probably because recently I have been dispensing fitness training advice and encouraging a young man whom I am serving as a mentor of life of sorts. I’ve thought about doing a set at the end of my weightlifting workouts, or perhaps a set on non-training days just to give me a living proof reminder of my adage that "I’m a middle-age man and only as good as my last workout".
Yup! I’ve been thinking about burpees lately. But thus far, that’s all I have been doing . . . just thinking about burpees.
Pax Domini sit semper vobiscum
1 comment:
Sometimes just thinking about burpees can make you tired.
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