1 Simple Tip To Improve Your Burpees By 111%*
*Actual percentage may vary
During my blogging hiatus, this was one tip that was a game-changer for my burpees.
For the longest time, I HATED burpees. I always felt like throwing up after like 5 of them. And every time we had them in a WOD, it’s like my brains were blowing out. Dropping weight did help me A LOT when I did my last Paleo challenge, but there was still something wrong with my burpees.
Part of the reason for this…
…was my lack of breathing.
It’s something that I didn’t learn until recently. To solve this problem, I would simply breath hard through my mouth right off the bat, which has helped me a lot with longer, 20+ minute burners. One of our coaches taught us to breathe 4 times during each burpee – twice on the way down and twice on the way up.
And no…that’s not the simple tip lol. That’d be weak shit.
Here It Is:
Do you ever feel that burn in your legs after a few burpees?
If that’s the case, then maybe it’s the transition from push up to your feet. Do you notice yourself landing in a frog-like, squat position?
Let me demonstrate through some drawings (not my best…but I’ll try):
Yep, that’s our mascot “Kip” showing us how not to do them and how to do them.
Okay, obviously in the first picture, Kip is about to come out of the push up position. Then in the bottom-left pic, he landed in a squat position. That extra strain on your legs is gonna burn you the fuck out.
So the trick is to transition from the push up to your feet with your legs as straight as possible. This maybe seem harder, especially if your hamstrings are tight or you still need to work on your flexibility. Regardless, improving your transition to your feet will change your burpees drastically.
At least it did for me and for others in that Saturday noon class I went to. I can’t thank my coach enough for that 1 tip.
If you’re someone who struggles with burpees, give this a shot. Who knows? You might actually grow to like this movement…
P.S. 1 last tip before I call it a night and read the new Harry Potter…I MEAN…JK Rowling book…
…when you drop to the ground to begin the burpee, once again, don’t land into a squat position and break your fall. Just DROP to your motherfuckin hips!
Practice it a bit, and you’ll learn how to drop safely and properly. Yeah, this may be tough for some of you with really minimal CrossFit shoes that have thin toe areas. Just make any necessary adjustments. Combine these 2 leg-saving tips, and you’ll feel a drastic difference in efficiency.
And as I’ve said before…I’m no expert. This is just shit that’s worked for me. Enjoy!