30 Day Burpees Challenge

Are you up for the 30 Day Burpees Challenge?

Do you want to find out how fit you are, or how much all that workout you've been doing has paid off?

Or are you perhaps looking for a no-complications (though by no means easy) routine that can get you off the couch, with the added promise of better-toned abs and greater strength in all your muscles? One of the things you can do is to hop on board for the 30 Day Burpees Challenge.

Wtf is a Burpee?

For those who are new to aerobics, a burpee, contrary to what it may sound like, has nothing to do with gases from your digestive system. It is a very effective full-body aerobics exercise that is used as a part of strength training. The U.S. Army used it as a way to assess the fitness of new recruits during the Second World War.

It's also a simple (again, not easy!) exercise, with four basic steps, that you don't need any special equipment to perform. Here's the correct way to do it:

Begin the exercise by standing firmly in place, feet slightly apart.
Next, drop into a squat on count One, landing with both your hands on the ground.
In a fluid motion on the second count, keep your arms extended while you kick back your feet to the position you'd take at the start of push-ups.
On the third count, immediately get your feet back to the squat position.
Finally stand and jump as high as you can.

That's all there is to a basic burpee. Each repetition has to be performed very fluidly from one position to the other, with no pauses between each count. There have been other variations added to the exercise, but this is all you need to know for the 30 Day Burpee Challenge.

So, What's the Challenge?

For the challenge, you need to do a specific number of burpees a day. Does that sound boring? It won't be when you begin the challenge, because each day you increase the number of burpees you do by 2 or 4 additional burpees. You are also expected to do the repetitions at a stretch, with no pause to rest between two. This goes on for 30 days.

You start on Day One with two burpees, and keep going the whole month. You get to take a day off (with just one burpee for the day) every four days. So by the end of the challenge period, on Day 30, you are expected to do 60 burpees at a stretch.

Err, Why Should I Take On the Challenge?

There are plenty of reasons to do so.

Firstly, you can love or hate burpees, but you can't ignore them. If you try your best to meet the challenge goals, you'll find that when the 30 days are over, you would have managed to tone your abs and increased overall body strength in the areas that are being exercised - which is all your body. This is what makes burpees better for improving overall physical fitness, as compared to triceps kickbacks or biceps curls that target specific areas. You'll get stronger, improve your endurance and get better at sports or other activities.
Plus, since you're adding a few repetitions each day, it seems realistic enough for most people to be able to stick to the challenge of at least trying each day. You get a sense of satisfaction from the two extra burpees you do today as compared to yesterday. This satisfaction builds up over the course of the month; until you've slowly worked your way up to the ability to do 60 burpees at one go! It's exciting to find how much you've progressed from the beginning of the month, even if you don't get to 60 by the end of it.
You can do them just about anywhere. Now you can't blame your lack of exercise on the lack of a good gym nearby!

Anything Else I Should Know Before I Begin?

You've decided to take on the 30-Day Burpees Challenge... Good. Now, to get the best out of the challenge, be sure to eat healthy and maybe drink some protein shakes after you workout for the day to nourish your exhausted muscles. You can make your own protein shakes in your favorite flavors. Also, be sure to eat a balanced diet during the 30 days. Burpees are intense, and you need to provide your body with the nutrient and energy fuels it needs to complete the challenge.

So go ahead and start your own 30 Day Burpees Challenge, find out how you are and get fitter!