Learning to love the Burpie

[carpecanis]

I actually hate burpies like a 5 year old hates brussel sprouts. However I know they’re a great exercise and I’m trying to learn to tolerate and eventually perhaps even to love the burpie.

I don’t have any problems with the individual exercises that makeup a burpie (pushup, squat-thrust, jumping squat) and I can do quite a few of them before crapping out from muscle fatigue. However, when I put them together in a burpie I end up gasping for breath after about 10 or so reps.

I think my problem is with the breathing. A basic 2-motion, up-down, exercise has an easy inhale/exhale rhythm to it and doesn’t cause me any problems. With all the various burpie motions I’ve not figured out a good breathing rhythm. Trying do to one inhale/exhale cycle through an entire burpie doesn’t cut it, but trying to do 3 cycles (1 for each part) results in hyperventilation. I figure the sweet spot is 2 inhale/exhale cycles but I’ve not figured it out yet. So, any advice would be appreciated. Thanks!

[tacticaltimmy]

Re: Learning to love the Burpie

I generally explosively breathe at the top of the jump and suck air in all the way to the bottom of the pushup. Once I start to move up I keep my breath in while I contract the core and jump. The other aspect is having efficient movement. Letting your hips sag after kicking your feet back will make the movement harder, as will doing a pushup with your hips down or too high. As a progression, do a pyramid burpee workout starting with about 5 and a few seconds of rest.

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