100-Burpee Challenge

I read an article/ blog on CharlotteObserver.com today all about one woman's fitness challenge to herself.  She and her husband have decided to embark upon "The 100-Burpee Challenge."  Beginning with 1 burpee on night one, increasing to 2 burpees on night two...50 burpees on night fifty, etc., they will work their way to 100 burpees in one day by day one hundred.  Just to refresh your brain, a burpee is a squat down to the floor, followed by a hop out to plank position, then push-up, hop in, stand up, and jump up.

I LOVE the idea of this challenge.  Choose a single full-body exercise that is difficult for you and try this yourself at home.  I'm certain you'll be amazed at your improvement.  One single rep may be difficult for you at the beginning, but by day 50, 20 in a row may seem like a breeze.

See the article at: http://obspoundingaway.blogspot.com/2011/05/im-trying-new-challenge.html

I posted a comment to the article; below is a copy of my response:

Oh, the burpee....the dreaded burpee. Elizabeth, I am a certified group exercise instructor at the Y and a certified personal trainer, as well as being a former elite athlete (member of the U.S. National Springboard/ Platform Diving Team). I am also the fitness expert on our local morning show, "Charlotte Today." I use some form of the burpee in almost every class I teach and with nearly every client I train each and every day. 

The burpee is not only a brutal move, but just as you mentioned in your article, it is an efficient one working every major muscle group in one single effort. In performing this exercise, you get the dual benefit of both a weight training and a cardio workout: you use your own body weight as resistance (muscle toning/ sculpting) and by nature of the difficulty of the move and by performing it with some speed, you sky-rocket your heart rate (cardio benefit). It is surely a calorie-buster!

Did you know that there are an infinite number of varieties of the burpee? Make sure you reach your 100-Burpee Goal without boredom...change it up! Try the sideways burpee, the frog-hop burpee, the sumo burpee, the inverted burpee...and the list goes on. You can Google/ YouTube videos and explanations of each of these variations. Changing it up will also enhance your results...hit different muscle groups, slightly alter how you work each muscle, and confuse that body into giving you results. 

Good luck!

Read more: http://obspoundingaway.blogspot.com/2011/05/im-trying-new-challenge.html#ixzz1LVcskNZU