As an ex-rugby player, I’ve always had what I’d call a hate-hate relationship with burpees. They were always used as a punishment during practice when someone dropped a ball or missed a tackle. One practice, we ended up having to do 100 burpees over the course of an hour. That was a dark day indeed (and one I clearly remember 13 years later). As a result, I’ve never been able to to consider burpees as anything other than a punishment for the last 11 years since I stopped playing rugby. I would do them if I had to, but would hate every moment of it. Since stating the XIT program at my gym, I’ve actually formed a somewhat loving relationship with the once dreaded burpee. This is mostly due to the fact that this program has introduced me to a couple different modifications to the standard burpee
The video below was from the third week of our most recent three week session, and I can honestly say it’s my favorite burpee to date. I’m actually slightly in shock that I can say I have a favorite burpee but it’s true. This type of burpee is amazing, because it pairs the motions of skaters with a one-legged burpee. That’s right, I said a one-legged burpee. It’s super challenging, but such a great way to not only raise your heart rate but also maintain it. It really challenges your balance, since you have to balance on only one foot while doing the actual burpee. Mine were definitely not this pretty on week one or week two. But with some practice, I’m pleased with my progress. So even if you’re the type of person who HATES burpees with the heat of a thousand suns, don’t give up on them. It may just be that you haven’t found your favorite burpee yet.