When my friend Luise posted about #100burpeeschallenge on Instagram it was the first of September and summer was already gone in the Netherlands. In my mind I was thinking “how can she do this, that’s insane”. But the challenge idea was bothering me all day long and in the evening I decided to give it a try: I made 10 set of 10 burpees, it took me more than 30 minutes and I was really sweaty after it but I made it.

I took a video and I posted it in my instagram, tagging Luise: “challenge accepted buddy”.

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What are burpees?

Burpees are full-body exercises, performed in four step including: squats, plank and jumps. The guy who invented them (WHYYY?!) is called Royal H. Burpee. The “burpee” exercise was mentioned in his Ph.D. thesis as a quick and simple way to assess fitness. They became later on popular during World War II when the United States Army adopted them as part of the physical fitness assessment for new recruits.

Check out how a burpee should be done, seems easy but trust me it’s not:

So why should I do it

Well first of all burpees work nearly every muscle in your body and burn lots of fat and calories. You don’t need anything else than your bodyweight, so you can do them everywhere and every time. Burpees are cheap, no need to pay gym subscription. Burpees are for everyone.

How to get motivated

I found motivation in my community, my Crossfit buddies. We started this challenge together and we were motivating each others by sharing pictures and videos all over the place, from an airport lounge to the living room of our own houses.

Some tips

• Use pen and paper to count every round you do: our brain is a fucking bastard and it will make you lose count. You will always think you have done more sets than you’ve actually completed.
• At the end of the second week I said to myself “no, they will never get easier” but actually from the third week yes, they were. I was faster and I had more breath.
• It’s better to train with shoes than barefoot, it’s better to train in the gym (on a soft floor) rather than at home (on your parquet). The downstairs neighbors will thank you as well.

So you made it? Sort of.

I’m happy and proud of myself. I completed “only” 25 days. I started 1 day later I skipped 4 session, one a week on average. I did it sometimes because I was really busy (traveling or working offsite) but mainly because my body asked me for a break and I decided to accept it.

We are not machines and it’s ok to feel weak sometimes, what matters is the final result and I am satisfied with my achievements. On the other side it’s very easy to find excuses all the time, but the truth is… we all have 20 minutes of time in a day to train. What we need is to commit.

Some questions I received

How long did it take to do them?

I organized the workout in 10 sets of 10 burpees, 1 minute of work and 1 minute of break. So in 20 minutes I completed the exercise. It’s really fast and effective, great if you have no time to lose!

If you are in better shape than me you could also try to complete the session in 10 minutes: it takes 30-40 seconds to do 10 burpees , you can rest the other 20′ and start again the following minute.

Did you see any improvements in your body?

I lost 2% of fat percentage and my body is definitely more toned – especially my glutes! I also feel more energetic and I’m aware that, with a bit of willpower, I can do everything.

I haven’t changed my mealplan during this period, my daily amount is more or less 1800 kcal, macros are around 40% carb, 35% pro and 25% fats. Of course I cheated with lots of aperitivos and dinner out while I was in Italy.

Did you also workout these days?

Yes, I’ve added burpees to my normal training routine, that is Crossfit on Mondays, Wednesdays and Friday mornings at 6am. I do also some extra sessions when I feel like it. The days I was training I did burpees in the box, after the workout. The other days I did them in my living room or in the park.

What’s next

No more burpees from tomorrow on my Instagram, I promise. My new challenge will be nutritional! A few months ago I booked an appointment with Dr. Soliman, co-author of a book that I really enjoyed : 300 InVictus – nutrition for mixed sports, such as Crossfit (suggested by @superaletta ). The aim of the book is to give advice on how to improve performance and body composition. There is also a special section dedicated to women.

I went to Milan last weekend just to meet Dr. Soliman and we built together my new nutritional plan, I will receive it this week. Surely I will have to cut some calories and probably I’ll have a different amount on days when I train and on days when I don’t. I will have a also free meal, that’s good because I want to keep a social life and not being an annoying person saying “I can’t eat it all the time”. Ah, a glass of wine is also allowed – but only one eheh. My goal is to reduce fat percentage without affecting my muscles. I want to improve some basic movements that I still struggle with, like pull ups! So well… stay tuned.