Yes Sir, Lt. Burpee
By SARAH COLEMAN
PERSONAL TRAINER
For those of you who are familiar with a burpee, the utter sound of this exercise sends chills down your spine, cramps through your legs and trembling through your arms. For those of you who don't quite know what a burpee is, lucky you... but it will hurt soon enough. I have never in my life encountered a person who gets excited for a burpee. As a matter of fact, most of my clients beg repeatedly to NOT have to do them ever. When explained, the burpee does not sound all that bad but when preformed more than once it becomes a mix of pain, sweat, blood and tears.
The burpee: Simply put, a burpee is a squat + a thrust + a pushup + a jump. Add speed and time to this and it becomes a killer workout. A person must simply throw him or herself on the floor, remembering good form and all the pieces of the exercises, and then jump to standing with a clap overhead. Go ahead, try 10! No really, get up off the couch and try one!
Though many of us cringe at the thought of 10 or more burpees in a single workout, they somehow invoke curiosity and wonder. Who would invent such a thing? And why? With the worldwide web at my fingertips, I did a little burpee research and found, to my surprise, fabulous answers to all our burpee questions.
"The exercise known as the "burpee" may have been originated by a man named Lieutenant Thomas Burpee. Lt. Burpee (1757-1839) was an officer in the New Hampshire Militia during the Revolutionary War and was described as having the innate fondness for martial exercises." An interesting fact to see that the burpee maybe older than many of the other modern exercises we perform today.
"Lt. Burpee may have used the combination of pushups and squat thrusts as a means of drilling, conditioning, and disciplining the troops under his command. In addition, the exercise may have also been used by the troops as a way to stay warm during the winters in wartime New England." Brrrr... Maybe the next time you have a little chill, a burpee could be the answer to keeping you warm.
So, how did the burpee make it all the way to us today? "Following the Civil War, as the former soldiers were released back into the world, some fell into lives of crime. Criminals eventually find themselves incarcerated, whether in jails or prisons, and New England certainly had no shortage of those. Those New England inmates who used to be soldiers in the 21st Regiment incorporated "Burpee's exercises" into their daily routine to combat boredom and to stay in shape for fighting on the inside."
Ahhh history! Never my strong point but what an interesting find. So, the next time your trainer asks you to do a set of burpees, use your new found knowledge to amaze them and maybe you will get out of a few as a reward for your knowledge. Or maybe you don't go to the gym, this exercise is amazingly equipment free so try adding a few sets of burpees to your at home routine.
And, why not put your newfound knowledge to work... At the next board meeting when boredom sets in, in the lift line to fight the early morning chill, at that keg party to challenge your friends in a round of living room Olympics, or to prepare for your next jail fight drop and give me 20. Yes sir, Lt. Burpee! I promise you won't look like an idiot.
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Attend Sectional and
Regional Competition
in Denver Area
"Fire Breathers", the elite of the elite in CrossFit will be competing in Denver in attempt to claim the title of Sectional Champion in the Mountain Region. If you want to watch this crazy competition head to Denver on March 20th and 21st. The Colorado State Patrol in Golden, will be the headquarters for the CrossFit Sectional Finals where 30 men and 30 women will advance to the next level hoping to qualify for the World Games.
Participants have no idea what CrossFit workouts are awaiting them at the tournament. Running with sandbags, Fran, Cindy, Michael, pull-ups, thrusters, dead lifts, maybe all of these could be on the agenda. These athletes have been CrossFitting for years and are ready for the challenge.
While many of us struggle through our daily workouts, there is a CrossFit world of individual and team competitions across the world who live to compete in these annual events. Currently there are more than 1,700 CrossFit affiliates worldwide, with about 1 million people doing CrossFit daily. Most are like you and me, doing CrossFit to get stronger, maybe lose some weight and stay fit. But that unique group eats, lives and breathes CrossFit.
The top athletes will move on to the Regional events, which will also be held in the Denver area. The Regionals will be held at the Douglas County Events Center in Castle Rock. Four men and four women will advance out the Regionals along with the top team and the top Masters competitors (+50). They will then compete in the Finals. The top competitors from around the world will meet in Aromas, Ca., July 16-18 in Aromas, Ca., near Santa Cruz.
Prices for the Regionals have not yet been posted, but expect them to be the same. For more information on all of the events checkout www.crossfit.com look for "The Games" on the left side of the site. |
7 Great Rules For Healthy Living
1. I promise to do my best. My best will vary from day to day, minute to minute. But in that minute I will do my absolute best.
2. If I can run, I run. If I have to walk, I walk. When I am forced to crawl, I crawl. Then I rest and live to fight another day.
3. I may struggle, curse, and cry but I will never quit.
4. I will never criticize or beat myself up for what I can't do today. I will just try again tomorrow.
5. I promise to believe in myself, beginning each workout with the thought that "I can do this!"
6. I show up to my workouts because I am committed to my health. My commitment to health is an act of self-love.
7. I acknowledge that my diet is the most important part of my program. The cleaner it is, the better I do.
How do you prepare for a 162-game season and try to stay injury free? TRAIN WITH CROSSFIT!
CrossFit's three fitness standards provide general physical preparedness for everyday athletes, but they also prepare professional baseball players for the demands of their sport. That's why the Florida Marlins are using CrossFit as their spring training conditioning.
According to the Marlin's strength and conditioning coach, Paul Fournier, "In a highly skilled sport such as baseball, not all are athletes, but the good players are certainly athletic, and most were multi-sport athletes prior to being professional baseball players. Baseball players also utilize all three metabolic pathways, though a player's position will affect which energy system is dominant and when. The game, of course, is ever-changing and presents infinite scenarios."
A general physical preparedness type of program will equip the player for whatever he may in encounter on the field of play, and if a baseball player is adequate in all three of CrossFit's fitness standards, he will have a better chance to be injury-free and perform to his best ability throughout the long 162-game regular season--plus playoffs, hopefully, added Fournier.
Information provided by the CrossFit Journal
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