They are, supposedly, the "best" exercise you can do. The burpee uses many large muscle groups, strengthens your core, and increases balance. It also makes you want to cry if you do too many in a row. It's a fairly popular training method now a days, due to crossfit. It's popularity is best defined by a quick google search.
Jenny was a large advocate of the burpee, and the Burpee Challenge. It's starts off so simply - on day one, you do one. Easy and smooth. On day 2, you do 2. Please, thats not hard. By day 40, you're breaking them into several sets, and you're starting to regret this decision. Then, you miss day 44, and you have to do those the next day with the new 45. 89 burpees later, you hate life.
This was my experience the fist time I tried the challenge with Jenny and her facebook group in the fall of 2012. I did not make it, and I felt so shame in that. After we lost her, my gilt kicked in, and I felt like I let be she and myself down. I immediately started my own 100 day challenge, and powered through it. I found that I actually liked the concept of the challenge one I really committed to it. You do the burpees everyday, so there's very little thinking involved. "Is today a rest day?" NO. "How many burpees do I do today?" One more than you did yesterday - it's not rocket science.
As I finished my personal 100 day challenge, I felt empowered, strong, and entirely sure that I would be done with these self induced torture moves. Then, someone suggested on the 100 Day Challenge Facebook group that we do a challenge that ended on Jenny's birthday. I knew that I could complete it, and I'm a glutton for punishment, so I joined in. We all posted video's and pictures on the group page, and I feel like a lot of people completed that one together.
Then someone wanted to do another challenge that ended at the end of the year, just like Jenny did the last year. What the hell, lets see how much I can handle in year. I exposed my poor friends to watching me do burpees on new years eve while normal people were having drinks. 15,500 burpees later, I declared myself King of the Burpee, poured myself a celebratory drink, and promptly stopped doing them.
This year, I've been a slacker, and I'm completely OK with that. I did an abridged challenge over lent where I went up by 2 each day, but other than that, I've been avoided them. But now, it is time to climb back on the torture horse. Yesterday was day 1 of the next 100 days, and I'll finish exactly one week before the Chicago marathon.
My burpees will be my companion for the summer. They will always there, waiting for me at the end of the day, making me stronger, making me want to puke, and humbling me.
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