Welcome to the 21-day, 100-burpee challenge. In just 21 days, we’ll be tackling 100 burpees like the champions that we are! Join me!
HAPPY JANUARY! Gosh, time has gotten away from me. Truth be told, I have a post sitting in my drafts folder but it hasn’t really spoken to me and therefore, has sadly not been published yet. BUT! My dear friend Renée from Run, Laugh, Eat Pie just happened to be wearing the ALL TIME cutest shirt EVER in a photo she posted yesterday. Her shirt purchase was inspired by me (apparently) last year when we were doing the Burpees, Planks, and Push-Ups Challenge. Which I had no idea about until yesterday. In turn, this shirt totally inspired ME to post another challenge for us to keep us accountable this month. So now here we are with a brand new blog post and a brand new fitness challenge! Win-win for everyone, right?
Hopefully you enjoyed the challenges in 2018 and will join me for 2019!
21-Day 100-Burpee Challenge
And with that, I welcome you to the 21-day, 100-burpee challenge. That’s right! In just 21 days, we’ll all be tackling 100 burpees like the champions that we are!
There’s an optional 10-day slow build up if you start this challenge any other time besides today and/or if you prefer a slower build-up.
There’s nothing intimidating about this challenge. We’re just doing burpees and we’re only adding five every day. And you don’t have to do every. single. burpee. in a row. You can spread them out. If you prefer to do sets of 5 or 10, do it that way. Whatever method you use to stay consistent and get them done is what you should do.
How to do a Burpee
Burpees get a bad rap. People love to hate them. Or hate to love them. Maybe a little bit of both. But burpees are legit. They challenge and strengthen all your systems at once. Burpees are strength and cardio in one! If there’s one exercise you have time or ability to do, make it the burpee. It’s effective, challenging, and requires no equipment. So the question isn’t “why burpees?” It’s “why NOT burpees?”
Now that we know why burpees are so awesome, let’s talk about how to do one. There are a few options:
Traditional Burpee
In the traditional burpee, you begin in a squat, jump your feet out behind you, then lower into a push-up. After you complete the push-up, you jump your feet back in and then jump up explosively with hands towards the sky.
Regression Option A
If you’d like to dial it back a bit, there are a few simple adjustments you can make. The first option is simply to remove the push-up. You’ll still get the heart-rate up but it won’t seem quite as taxing.
Regression Option B
Another regression option is to slow it down. In this regression, instead of jumping your feet out behind you and back in after the push-up, you’ll walk your legs back and forward. So your burpee would go like this: squat, step your right leg back and then your left leg, lower into a push-up. After the push-up is complete, step your left leg back up followed by your right leg. Jump up to complete the movement.
Regression Option C
While not a true regression, removing the push-up and the jump at the end turns this exercise into a squat thrust. Use this option only if you can’t do push-ups due to weak wrists and can’t jump due to weak ankles. Otherwise, stick with regression option A, B, or the traditional burpee.
Progression
While a burpee is challenging in and of itself, there may come a time when you desire to progress a little bit. An easy progression to the burpee is to add a clap during the push-up and instead of a little jump at the end, go for a big explosive tuck jump.
Let’s see what we’re getting in to here (remember, there’s an optional slow build up at the beginning just in case you want to use it):
Days 1-5
1 — 15 burpees
2 — 20 burpees
3 — rest
4 — 25 burpees
5 — 30 burpees
Days 6-10
6 — 35 burpees
7 — 40 burpees
8 — 45 burpees
9 — 50 burpees
10 — rest
Days 11-15
11 — 55 burpees
12 — 60 burpees
13 — 65 burpees
14 — 70 burpees
15 — 75 burpees
Days 16-21
16 –80 burpees
17 — rest
18 — 85 burpees
19 — 90 burpees
20 — 95 burpees
21 — 100 burpees
It comes down to one simple thing: how bad do you want it?
Again, you can do as many reps together as you’d like. And you can change it up so if you need to regress or progress, you can do that any time during the challenge. Consistency is key, though, so keep up with the daily reps and you’re well on your way to achieving your goal!
This will be one heck of a challenge and I’m super excited to get started with you guys. Let’s see what we’re made of!
But wait — there’s more! I have a lot of loot I’m giving away in the next couple months. This marks the first of my giveaways. I’ll be tracking your participation every time you post selfies and tag me (@running_onhappy on Instagram and Twitter) using hashtags #NoExcuses and #RunningOnHappy. The more you participate and tag, the greater your chances of winning a really awesome surprise prize pack!
For extra accountability, join me in the challenge group on Facebook!
I hope you’ll join me for the challenge. It’s going to be so much fun! What say you: are you in??
xo
Let’s talk!
Did you participate in any of my previous challenges?
What’s your big goal for 2019?
