Burpees: Why they Hurt So Good and New Standards
AMRAP in 7 minutes of burpees: CrossFit Games Open 12.1.
The top score that year went to Danila Shokhin from Russia who busted out 161 reps in 7 minutes. Yes. For real.
Whoever was around that year most likely will never forget that Open workout. Brutal. Grueling. Crashing face first into the floor. Legs buckling from underneath you. Clock ticking down.
Yay, Burpees!
Whenever burpees come up in a WOD, it’s often followed by a few moans. They’re not everyone’s favorite…because they hurt. But they hurt so good… here’s why.
As a full body exercise, all your muscles are working together to get you from standing, down to the floor and back up again. The burpee uses your core, chest, glutes, hamstrings, arms, calves… every single rep. And since you don’t need any equipment or much space to do them, you can do them anywhere…anytime. Yay, burpees!
Why Burpees?
Burpees can be used to warm up your body, getting your heart rate pumping quickly. They can be used as a plyometric, they can be used to improve your dynamic movements. And they’re used as an intense bodyweight conditioning exercise, often paired with other CrossFit movements to test your fitness and skill.
Burpees also require a bit of lower body flexibility from the low back to the hamstrings and down to the calves. So, be sure to stretch and mobilize before you attack them.
New Standards for Burpees
For the open this year, Dave Castro announced a new standard for burpees. Athletes will not be required to leave the floor with both feet at the same time to kick out into the bottom position and jump back in at the same time on the way up. Only scaled athletes will be allowed to step back and step up.
Remember this, burpees only suck, if you let them. Keep a positive attitude and know that you’ll never fail a burpee. Keep your breathing as calm as possible and attack them with confidence.
Have more CrossFit questions Let’s chat!
Chat with us at class or shoot us a message at info@crossfitsalus.com.
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