Those who are in the know will acknowledge that there is nothing divides a fitness class like the love/hate relationship with the Burpee. The Burpee is a full body, explosive movement involving a drop from standing into a push up position – often taking the chest to the floor – followed by a return to a high plank, then a jump from a squat, ending with hands above the head. The Burpee takes its name from the man who invented it, Royal Burpee in the 1930s. It was designed to test the agility of the military and was usually executed in a shorter, four step version, omitting the chest to floor element. By the mid 1940s, the Burpee had become a major test of military fitness with over 40 in a minute being the sign of excellence and below 27 considered poor!
Well, there’s the background, but what has this to do with this Rev? Over the past two or three years, I’ve gone from never hearing of this brutal move to mastering the basic four stage Burpee. That is, until signing up to Joe Wick’s Fitness App and its associated workouts, which include, you guessed it, the full-on chest to floor, six stage Burpee!
I have to say that my first attempts were clumsy to say the least and I’m afraid to say, probably very poor form. And don’t forget, lovely reader, that this Rev is almost 63 years old! However, anybody who knows me, also knows that I will not let anything get the better of me, even if that something is a six stage, chest to floor Burpee.
So, between workouts I have taken the move apart stage by stage and analysed it and practised it until I’ve mastered the technique and corrected the form.
It was time well spent as if we fast forward to this morning when this Vicar found herself in a Circuit training with Mr Wicks, with a full section focussed upon – you guessed it again, the Burpee – six different variations of the exercise, to be precise.
I am so glad that I gave the time to working on getting them just right. It was well spent and I would recommend it to anybody struggling with a movement or exercise. Time getting the form correct will never be wasted or regretted.
Happy Burpees!!
