Somewhere around today I hit 60,000 cumulative burpees since starting in December 2011. I don’t keep track rigorously, I only know I haven’t missed a burpee. Sometimes I do a few extra, like to show someone how to do them, if I lose count and want to make sure I do enough, or if I want to make up for eating candy.
What started as ten burpees per day has grown. Then ten was challenging. Now ten is easy. When my skills develop to make a SIDCHA too easy, I make it more challenging. Also, as much as burpees exercise most of your body, they have you push with your arms but not pull. So I added reverse-rows. Also, as my abs got more defined (mainly from diet) I added ab exercises to increase the definition.
So my twice daily workout is
- 26 burpees
- Seated hamstring stretch, hold for sixty breaths (I can’t reach my toes yet)
- L-sit (can hold 13 breaths now at half-extension)
- Mornings: 50 crunches and 50 bicycle crunches; Evenings: extended elbow plank for 30 breaths, 12 side plank lifts on each side
- 20 reverse rows
I don’t like using equipment so I count breaths for time, not use a clock. I’d guess a breath is two or three seconds.
The hamstring stretch isn’t because I value flexibility. I started doing it because my lack of flexibility was preventing me from doing an L-sit. I started doing the L-sit because the first ab exercises I tried seemed to hurt my back.
Sickness hasn’t stopped me. I’d say I’m sick less for the exercise and even when I’m sick, it affects me less because I know I’m going to do the burpees anyway. Injuries haven’t stopped me. I find a way to do them.
I find this routine gives me a body I’m proud of. Come to think of it, I have to put a picture to follow up my “Six pack pic for accountability” from over a year ago. Like anyone, I recommend exercise for everyone, but unlike many, I don’t recommend a specific exercise, even the burpee I write about so much. I recommend doing something—anything—regularly, no matter how simple, as long as it has some challenge, and to make it a sidcha by doing it daily without fail. You won’t be able to help yourself improving the routine as you improve your skills and research how to do it better.
