By Corb Amos (Houston, Texas)
Burpees are legit! Legit!
How to do Burpees
- Stand up straight.
- Bend your knees and touch the ground, back straight, and feet on the ground.
- Straighten your legs, to reach a pushup position.
- Commence one military push up (1).
- Return to the Step 2 position.
- Commence one rocket jump (2).
- Repeat preferably between 10 & 20 times.
(1): Military push-ups are just regular push-ups, only your arms are squarely at your side, and you bend your arms until your nose almost touches the ground.
(2): Rocket jumps are your typical jumps, straight up into the air.
Why Burpees are Legit
- Cardiovascular fluidity (3).
- Full-body workout.
- No weights or gym required.
- Excellent time-waster for when you’re bored.
(3): Cardiovascular fluidity is the term used to say “Increased blood flow to all of your body.”
Why Burpees Match Swimmers
- Push-ups increase arm strength, and therefore arm propulsion.
- Going into and coming out of push-up position increases hamstring strength, which is essential for kicking.
- Jumping also increases leg strength.
- Burpees are a very switchy exercise, so it, in theory, would get novice swimmers more used to swimming in one direction and quickly switching directions as they kick off of the wall.
