Day -6 / getting to know the burpees

Monday, August 19, 2013

This was the day I tought I would get an email with my fist HIWOD (High Intensity Workout Of the Day). Since that didn't happen as I explained on the previous post, I looked up some YouTube videos and realized that APHRODITE was most likely going to be my first week HIWODs.

APHRODITE consists in doing a round of 50 Burpees, 50 Squats and 50 Sit Ups, then rounds of 40, 30, 20 and 10 of each. As in general in Freeletics, the idea is for you to do the series as fast as you can, and "compete" with yourself, always trying to improve your record.

If you are not familiar with the term, burpees look something like this:

I tought it couldn't be so hard to do... its only bending, jumping back, doing a push up, juping foward, standing up and jumping. Well, I was wrong. Burpees are hard. Really hard.

I play soccer at least 2 times a week and in general I tought I was "ok" in the fitness department. Push ups have never been my thing (I simply lack muscles in my pectoral area) so I decided to take it easy and do the push up part of the burpee girly style (aka. with my knees on the ground).

With total honesty, as this journal is intended to be, I can say I am not able to do a single full burpee decently. The knee part only made the whole movement slower and more complicated, and overall it didn't help me to feel the exercise easier. However there was no way I could do the push up with my legs extended; I would just crumble and then get up. Since this was only my "getting ready for Freeletics week" and I failed miserably at my attempt to do the burpees, I decided halfway through to take things slow and just do 3 series of 10 burpees, 10 squats and 10 sit ups.

It took me 8 min 56 sec to complete the 3 series. I was sewating, my heart pumping and my last burpees, with modification and all, were not pretty (not to say ugly as hell). I had a really hard time with the push ups. The squats and sit ups felt easy, as I am used to such exercises. Overall I felt disappointed at myself since my intention was to get to 50 repetitions, but then again I found a comforting message:

I just never thought I'd be taking such tiny tiny baby steps!!!!



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