"We become what we think about." —Earl Nightingale
Maya Angelou has passed away at 86. There are so many ways that great women like her have sparked fires and led us into our own battles with weapons of self confidence, respect and tenacity. Women like Maya have taught us to live life lovingly, to always grow and to never accept defeat.
"We may encounter many defeats but we must not be defeated.” —Maya Angelou
Are we having fun with burpees yet? I know I’m … not. This week’s ADOTW involves a burpee-like move and adds agility to all the already awesome goodness. Think of it as an ode to my hometown footwork fame plus a crossfit addict’s need to add plyos to EVERYTHING.
Figure 8 Up-Downs
Set 2 cones a few feet apart, just wider than shoulder width apart. Starting in the middle of the cones, shuffle around them in a figure 8 motion. When you return to the start, pause, place your hands on the ground in front of your feet while bending your knees. Next, jump back into a plank position with your neck and spine in a neutral position and immediately jump your feet back to your hands. Stand up, adding a vertical jump at the end, then repeat the figure 8 motion in the opposite direction. Do 10 to 12 reps or see how many you can do in 1 minute.
Pro Tips
- Use your whole body to perform the drill: swing your arms and drive the actions with both your hips and legs.
- When jumping back into a plank, you shouldn’t look like you are trying to do the worm on the way back. Concentrate on keeping your body as flat as a board as you push back up. Since this is a full body move that means your arms and core are doing work too.
- Look up! Train as if you were training for your sport, so don’t be caught looking at your feet when you could be focusing your eyes on what is happening around you.
- Form over speed: do a run through once or twice at a slower pace to get the rhythm and form right. Speed in these drills won’t benefit you if you are running through them like a wacky waving inflatable tube man. Once you’ve gotten a handle on technique, go for speed.
Did you just throw up in your mouth a little bit? Yeah. I did too. The burpee. The motherload of exercises. No one likes to even acknowledge that this exercise has essential benefits, just that it sucks the life out of your very soul no matter how fit you are. If you happen to know a person named Megan (aka Sara Problem), then you have agreed to do her birthday burpee challenge for her upcoming 44th birthday. That means starting with just 1 on day 1, adding a burpee to the previous day’s count and ending with all 44 on the last day. Someone very smart and pretty did the math and that means 990 burpees in 44 days. I think I just threw up in my mouth again.
I am not one to try fitness challenges on my own. But doing something in solidarity is definitely better than going at it alone, especially for someone awesome. So in honor of this birthday burpee challenge, today’s FFOTW is, you guessed it, the burpee! For the challenge, it was requested that everyone do a traditional old-fashioned burpee (which excludes the push up) so I will go over form for this particular burpee.
1. Stand straight up, feet shoulder width apart.
2. Bend down and place hands on the ground just in front of your feet and jump your feet straight back behind you, ending in a plank position.
3. Jump your feet back to your hands in one swift motion and keep your knees bent.
4. Immediately follow up with a vertical jump, driving with your hips and your hands extended above your head and land softly with knees bent.
Pro Tips
- A burpee involves power. If you are concentrating on form, it is important to remember where the power comes from—your hips! That means in-between steps 3 and 4, you are loading for the jump, not standing up in between and losing that power. Think of thrusting your hips from the squatting position to execute the jump.
- This traditional burpee does not require a push up or lowering down to the floor. BUT if you choose to add these steps, remember:
- Your push up requires good form too—neutral neck and spine with your core engaged
- If you are lowering to the ground, you shouldn’t look like you are trying to do the worm on the way up. Concentrate on keeping your body as flat as a board as you push back up. Since this is a full body move that means your arms and core are doing work too.
- Power comes from form first, speed second. Start slow until the technique is there, then go for speed.
Want to learn more about burpees? Check out:
Where Do Burpees Come From? (Spoiler Alert: Not Hell) | via Greatist
How to properly do a burpee demo (video) | via Hockey Training Pro
Five Reasons Why Burpees Should Be Your Favorite Exercise | via 12 Minute Athlete
Follow my progress on Instagram, or join the challenge on Facebook.
" ... There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them."
—Bruce Lee