Getting to the bottom (& back up) of a Burpee

Burpees are known as the hardest cardiovascular exercises to perform in consecutive repetition. The term 'burpee', according to various online sources, is coined after an American psychologist Royal H. Burpee who in the late 1930's developed the Burpee test,consisting of a series of exercises performed in rapid succession, meant to measure agility and coordination. Further reading did not provide what the actual test movements were, so that leaves current definitions as a benchmark. 

To begin with, lets all agree that the foundation of a burpee is the squat thrust. This is done by dropping from a standing position into a frog like stance, kicking or thrusting both legs backwards entering a push up position, then bringing the legs back under the body and standing upright. Whether this is the entire definition of the exercise, or not, is debatable.  I'll begin the debate with two unimpeachable sources.

1. Oxford Dictionary definition: a physical exercise consisting of a squat thrust made from and ending in a standing position. 

2. The current Guinness Book of World Record holder for burpees is Mr. Patty Doyle from the United Kingdom. In 1994 he did 1,850 in one hour. According to Guinness, Mr. Doyle did not perform a push up or jump, therefore reverting to the Oxford definition. 

So two of the most widely accepted sources of definition and execution define a burpee as synonymous with the squat thrust. But wait a minute. Those are a bunch of Brits defining how to do a burpee. I'm an American. What do the pointy headed, 4-eyed, know-it-all's on this side of the pond say about how to do it right?  

Most people learn of the exercise for the first time in military basic training. Depending on branch of service, it may have been called a Burpee, or 8 count push up, 8 count squat thrust or some other permutation of titling.  Current US Army doctrine from manual TC 3-22.20 describes a  burpee as the 8 Count Push Up;  A squat thrust with two push ups in the middle. As an army veteran and a former Drill Instructor who taught PT, I certainly recall 'burpees' as called the 8 count squat thrust, which added a push up and jump (standing upright was position 1) to a squat thrust. 

In my opinion the real confusion on what does or does not constitute a burpee comes from a company called  Crossfit, or more specifically its affiliate gyms and individual advocates. Between local clubs having autonomy in workout protocols and individual acolytes interpreting the centralized online Workout Of the Day (WOD) and everyone videotaping how they do things, any yeah-hoo with a video camera can upload a clip with 'Burpees' in the title, diluting the subject by presenting hundreds of conflicting videos on the matter. 

My irritation is that this isn't really found in other affiliation groups or schools of thought. If someone practices yoga, a downward dog, warrior one pose or sun salutation is the same if its in a studio or someones living room. It is the same with martial arts. If you follow an  certain art, a follower can enter any dojo of that philosophy and with very little prompting from the Master, fall right into place based on a practiced consistency. 

The standard burpee, endorsed by Crossfit for years, mirrored the Army 8 Count Push Up. Thanks to internet videos, or perhaps a general lack of leadership, doctrine or care from the parent organization to not enforce a standard methodology, people started filming how they do the burpee and some variations have made it into common practice, all the while not denoting the change in their version of the exercise. Most notably is the change from a  push up, into a more fluid body drop into a prone position where the chest and thighs touch the ground. Another variation includes hand clapping at the apex of the jump, (which by the way is taken directly from the US Army jumping jack). 

Since Crossfit type WOD programs are often subjected to a posted time request as a method of  competition, my secondary issue of a push up and jump being considered burpee SOP, is followed by my disdain of change based on ego. Specifically I believe people who endorse substituting a prone body drop over the push up are muddying the waters of what historically is a considered a burpee in an effort to shave time, therefore they are creating short cuts and I consider the change unworthy. On the other hand, adding a hand clap to the jump should be prescribed as an additional movement in the description of burpee and not assumed a part of what is a classic technique. I won't deny hand clapping is a progression to a burpee, but I don't consider the body drop to prone a regression or progression, I consider it a mutation. 

I'm calling out Crossfit specifically because their model represents the standard of publishing WOD but I make this charge against all WOD programs that utilize burpees. This annotation style is nothing new as many WOD will describe if the burpee of the day includes using dumbbells, a weighted vest, pull ups or olympic rings, so why not 'drop into prone', or 'clap at top'? In comparison, I will say that Crossfit and most WOD publishers do an excellent job describing differences in doing pull ups in a circuit, using terms as kipping, straight arm or hanging to mention a few methods. I am just asking for either leadership from them or for anyone to step up and say, "Hey, for the burpee, this is what the standard is, and anything else needs to be considered a stated change." Is that too hard to ask? 

Why should there be clear definitions?  Is it really necessary? Well, depending on some of the WOD I receive from multiple sources, it makes a big difference on what the standard is. If the workout is to run 5 miles and perform 50 burpees per mile, the difference of those burpees including push ups, or not, really affects the time and outcome of that training day. If that WOD instructs the performer to do five sets of a six exercise circuit and the first exercise is 50 push ups and the last is 50 burpees, is the person doing 50 push up movements or 100 per circuit?  300 total or 600 total for the workout?  

At least the Brits, endorsed by Guinness have an definitive position, a burpee is a squat thrust. Maybe these should be called English burpees. The American burpee would follow the standard 8 count squat thrust the military and Crossfit (originally) endorsed. I'll make the concession that regardless of doing an English or American burpee the ability to include a push up and/or a jump is based on the progression or regression of the person doing the exercise. Any technique that allows someone to complete of a WOD and feel they didn't cheat themselves did it right that day. And if someone calls you out for not doing a push up, or body drop or jump or jump with a hand clap,  you can confidently state you did them according to Guinness standards. Now, is that a good thing or bad thing? 

It's not enough to exist, I am going to live. 

Upcoming race: GORUCK Challenge.

On my computer desk is a stack of paper; spreadsheets, printed out calenders and scribbled notes of how I want to spend my weekends between now and the end of 2012.  A schedule of A, B & C races that if I sign up for just half of them, takes me around the country in my first ever planned travel racing season. I'll be able to not only enjoy other locales in this great country but see old friends and meet newer online friends, face to face. 

One problem. I promised Mistress that I wouldn't sign up for any races until I found a new job. We are both a little tired of me staying home after selling the business. Personally, I really miss the energy and investment of hard work. But looking for my next career move is proving to be harder than expected. During this process I have gone from seeing this addendum to our Training Contract* as a stick, to now using it as a carrot. The sooner I know what what I'll be doing and have a schedule for doing it, the sooner I can map out my racing. 

*If you have never heard of our famous Training Contract, I have provided a short explanation at the end of this post.  

Seeing that I have devoted almost every day of the last several weeks to finding a new career, Mistress came to me last night with a Performance Bonus. I could sign up for one race. I immediately rushed to the computer and signed up for the Phoenix GORUCK CHALLENGE. 

Unlike an obstacle race, triathlon or road running race, GORUCK is event that takes a small group of people, two or three dozen per 'class', and over the next 10+ hours and 15+ miles, in an overnight setting in a major metropolitan city, throws you into a collective suffer fest based on military conditioning and intense functional training. It is obstinately to test the strength of their company gear (use of a GORUCK pack is mandatory) but really its a test of your own personal ability to work with others to accomplish a mission while battling your own mental and physical demons to go farther than you think you're possible of doing. 

GORUCK presents a unique challenge in fitness and endurance pursuits and is creating a base of raving fans. It was the one race in 2012 I did not want to miss. I am ecstatic I got the opportunity to participate in my States first GORUCK challenge, thanks to my wife for the Bonus, and you can bet there are more of these on my list of potential 2012 events. 

It's not enough to exist. I am going to live. 

Training Contract: Before training for my first Ironman, Mistress and I spent several weeks developing a contract between us on training allocation versus family life. It was a very heated debate that ranged from how many hours a week I would train to how many days I had to forego morning workouts so she could wake up with me next to her (because that was important to her), she demanded penalties for not completing simple chores she needed done around the house, (loss of training time), I was able to include she could not roll her eyes or have a bad attitude when I told her I would be gone 6-8 hours on a weekend to train, I had to inform her of my training at least a week ahead of time so she could not double book me for a social engagement, (I did this by turning our large bathroom mirror into a dry erase board w/ my entire week of upcoming training, with projected start time, duration, location and partners). It was very much as if a professional athlete was signing a contract with a sports team. If I met certain performance measures as an athlete or husband/father, I was awarded Performance Bonuses, usually something like new gear or guys night out. We both fought for me to succeed at my goal but create the balance she needed to run the house. It worked so well we have managed a version of a Training Contract every year since, though we have built enough trust in each other that its much less formal a document. 

go·ruck noun [verb go + verb ruck] ruck is a noun short for rucksack (aka backpack), it’s also a verb: to ruck is to move with a rucksack, and implies action, energy, and purpose.

#GRHQ

I hate my scale

I've have avoided writing a new blog post because I hate my scale. How do these two things even come close to comparing to each other?  I have no idea. They just do.  My psychosis is such that my self-esteem is based in large part on what the scale says. Somehow this doesn’t affect my generally optimistic disposition during the day, but it also hasn’t seemed to affect what I put in my mouth between 8pm and midnight each night.

I dread the scale. When I see it each morning it makes me anxious. I can’t get out of the bathroom fast enough and I scold myself for not having the courage to face any poor eating or exercise trends I have developed. Thankfully this daily affliction only lasts as long as it takes for me eat breakfast because there isn’t a chance in hell I will stand on a scale with more than a cup of coffee in my stomach.  The thought is banished from my mind until the next morning.

Doesn’t everyone have a ritual when they get on the scale?  No?  Just me then, okay. (AWKward) The ritual is always the same. As I stand on the scale, in my head, I round up my weight to the next ten pound increment. So even if I put on a few pounds it’s still less than what I just thought I weighed in my head just a second ago. If everything has gone according to plan I have lost weight or maintained weight. In my reality it is never good to put on weight. 

When I am on a training and nutrition tear (and happy with how my body feels), I’ll get on the scale fairly often, maybe twice a week because I know the numbers are trending down. If I think those numbers are going up or my clothes are feeling tighter, I’ll avoid it until I have strung together a few days of solid nutrition and exercise to hedge my results.

Today I fought my demons and stepped on the scale. I haven’t stood on it since the day I left for the iron distance triathlon I did at the end of July. I really felt due to the lack of iron distance training, that in the last five weeks I’ve put on weight. I haven’t. I’ve maintained my weight from taper week.  I’m gobsmacked because Lord knows I’ve significantly increased my peanut M&M and beer consumption.  

I’ll take today as a good sign. Like most everyone I feel better about myself when I weigh less, even if it’s just five or ten pounds.  So I’ll take the positive from this morning and start making some changes to my nutrition for the better, which really means cutting out the unconscious eating between 9pm and midnight.

It is not enough to exist, I am going to live.

Training resumes.

Few things rank higher on the Suck scale than the summer flu. For the last week, it seems months, this thing hammered my body. Today with only mildly throbbing temples thanks to some early morning sinus stuffage, I plan on getting back to a training routine.  

Some people get sick and they lose a bunch of weight. These are the same people that when they stop working out also lose weight. I have never been that guy and I cannot stand the whining of people in that category. I don't think I put on much if any weight with this illness but I feel heavy and fat. Bulbous, flop sweat, have to buy two seats on a SouthWest airlines fat. Like I have a layer of water under my skin that makes me thicker all over. I am sure some time running, riding, burpees and carrying a heavy rucksack of sand this week will whip me back into shape fast enough. 

Now, hold on, hold on. I probably could have started working out over the weekend but purposefully took at least one extra day off and probably two. I realize I have tendency to train hard into a illness, so I like to take an extra day where I feel normal again without any sweating (exercise or illness induced), sinus pain, nose blowing, coughing, throat tickling, tired feeling. As I ease into the week, I'll be working on simple stuff and then ramping back up to full speed. 

It's not enough to exist. I am going to live. 

Preparing your life documents for evac

I have developed a pretty good system for containing important family documents that I think is worth sharing, especially in light of several friends who this week are in the path of hurricane Irene along the east coast. I have been through several CAT3's, a few CAT4's and one memorable CAT5. Mistress when she was just old enough to be a Princess, went through her house burning down and all the family pictures and documents going up in flames.  These life experience helped develop our Bug Out Folder (BOF). Your folder will allow you in a split second to leave your house but not your life behind you. 

To prepare your BOF you need to be organized. All these items can be purchased very cheaply at any office supply store, if you don't already have it. 

• Legal sized (11x17) expanding wallet folder. Purchase a very bright, eye catching color. 
• Letter sized file folders, with spine tabs. Each a different color. One for each member of the family, plus one extra.
• Fat tipped black permanent marker. 
• Business card organizer pages with side hole punches.  One package. 
• Sheet protectors with side hole punches. One package. 
• Digital camera.
• Jump drive, CD or Secure Digital (SD) camera memory card.  

On a table, place one brightly colored file folder down for each family member and the one extra file folder. Make sure that each file folder is a different color. No two the same color if it can avoided.  Using a fat tipped black marker write the name of each family member in large letters on the front of each folder. On the extra file folder write, 'HOUSEHOLD'. Next, insert several pages of business card holders and sheet protectors in each folder. Business cards in the front. Place all the prepared file folders in the brightly colored, legal sized expandable wallet folder.

Your current organizational skills will determine how long the next phase will take.  From your wallet, your purse, your junk drawer or multi-use filing box shoved next to the unused stack of Yellow Pages in your closet, start collecting all the documents that will fill your personalized file folder. Items or copy's of items to include in each personal folder will vary from family member to family member and adult to child but should include items such as birth certificates, social security cards, passports, business cards for all every doctors and clinic, lawyers, banks, insurance agents, a recent photograph, personal policies such as Wills and Life Insurances, any ongoing organizational cards for unions, sporting clubs and groups. Include a voided checking deposit slip for each bank account.

In the Household folder use the sheet protectors to hold a copy of a mortgage bill, a utility bill, contact information for home warranties and insurance policies. Add business cards for the tree guy you used last year and really liked, the pet vet (unless you have a pet folder) the yard guy, the maid agency that got you out of a jam last year, the neighborhood handyman, plumber, all the people that you use one or two times a year but can never remember where you put their contact information. 

At a minimum take a digital picture of every item, if possible scan the item directly into a computer file to print out for the folders and retain a digital copy. Remember that digital files can be zoomed in on when viewed using a computer. Thus it is not important to take multiple up close photos of important documents as long as the one picture taken is clear enough to be read by blowing it up on the monitor.

A worst case scenario for a homeowner is a situation where you have to talk to insurance about damage/destruction of the residence or home robbery. Most current digital cameras have a basic video shooting feature. Using this option, slowly walk around your house capturing images of each room, pausing briefly to highlight specific brands of items, the condition of expensive furniture, if possible serial numbers. Do the same outside the house and with each automobile, especially ones with aftermarket products. If there is collection of stamps, coins, comics, dolls or other smaller items in the house lay them out on a bed or floor and slowly scan over each item rather than take individual photographs.

Once a complete video log has been created and placed into a computer system, drop that information onto a jump drive, compact disk or keep it on the camera memory card and pull the card from the camera. Place this digital storage item in one of the business card holders or sheet protectors in the Household folder. This is incredibly helpful when filing a claim for damages.

The cynic will state that all that information out in the open is dangerous if its stolen. They would be right if the following conditions are already met; your house has a history of break in's and a brightly colored expandable file folder presents a better theft item than all the hard items in your house. Otherwise, you and your family will know where this is located in the closet, on a bookshelf, where ever and in the event of an emergency it can be grabbed on the way out the door.

For those that want an extra layer of security and not have hard documents in the house or on a physical hard drive there are a few options. The easiest is to have previously scanned or photographed every item, then create a digital folder for each person and the house and place this on a password protected jump drive that you would not forget in an emergency. The next would be to create a new email address using an online provider like Yahoo or Gmail. Prepare a new email and attach as many pictures, scans and video's that be sent in a single message. Use the subject line to describe the attached items. Then save the message in the draft folder. Repeat this process until all your documents are online and secured in the Draft folder. Now from any computer with internet or your smartphone you can go back to the email account, open the draft folder and view all the attached files. Only those that know the email and password would be able to see these important items.

I hope this effort only becomes a lesson in organization and never needs to be used for an emergency. If the only benefit is that by forward thinking you don't have to waste any time finding the number for someone who did work at your house a year ago, it time well spent.

It is not enough to exist. I am going to live. 

Vineman Fallout

After a big race, it is pretty normal to toss all your gear in the corner and not look at it, let alone touch it for a couple weeks. Being no exception, I did just that and worked on my post race recovery by engaging in active rest in ways that did not require my triathlon specific gear. 

As part of my recovery I have been doing treadmill inclines and weighted ruck runs but not actual, 'normal' type of run workouts. Thus I had no need for my usual running shoes, the ones I used at Vineman. Until today. And guess what. I completely busted the heel on one of them. Folded in, squeaky and there is separation lines along the outer sole. Bummer.  So I guess it's time to hit RoadRunner Sports for a new pair of shoes. 

I decided to inventory the rest of my gear and realized my goggles are missing. I've been using basic swim goggles since I've been home but like my Aqua Sphere Seal mask I use for open water.  So I need to hit the sports store and get a new pair. 

Since I am not so focused on triathlon at the moment, its finally given me some clarity on troubleshooting my adventure gear. I have been cataloging items and writing notes on what need to be fixed, improved upon or researched for updated versions. That list, more want than need, is quite long and not easily resolved. Nor do I want it to be. For me researching and considering the benefits of an item give me more pleasure than the purchase itself. Needless to say, the 'Possible Buys' folder under my web browsers bookmark tab is growing exponentially as I add things to read up on. 

It is always fun to accomplish long term goals. Especially one as personally redemptive to me as completing an ironman distance triathlon.  Yet, I have more that I want to do and once I finish a goal, I create a another that builds off it. I am not comfortable, being comfortable. 

It's not enough to exist. I am going to live. 

Metamorphose

Triathlon has been very, very good to me and I doubt I will ever stop swimming, cycling and running. There is too much benefit to me with that combination of endurance training. After finishing the Vineman 140.6 race a couple weeks, I wrote that I wasn't going to just rest on my laurels but return to a Toughening Phase and rediret my fitness into other areas. I thought I'd give you all a bit of a glimpse into my thinking. 

My next confirmed and possibly most responsible race this year will be the Sally Meyerhoff 5k in Tempe, this December 10. I only knew her tangentially but she was a real hope and inspiration to young women athletes and her abrupt departure from this world has left an indelible gap in progress towards that end, here in the Valley of the Sun. This race will include a Who's Who, of local and nationally ranked running legends, some I am proud to call friend, and I intend to bring my A game. Based on previous short course races, I think I can hit a sub 19 pace or hold around a 6 minute pace. That would be blazing compared to my usual long course training pace of  9-10 minutes, but I think based on looking at all the data I have, it is doable. A hard goal but achievable. 

I still have no real desire to enter a 140.6 race. Train. Sure. Complete is something else. That day really put the physical and mental pain on Mighty Mo and I have no desire to do that to him again. Plus, two weeks later, my legs are still recovering and my body battery is not totally recharged. 

By taking my focus off long course triathlon, I can be guiltless in my desire to tackle some credentials that can only be tackled on weekends, like PADI and Skydiving certifications, clinics for pre-race certifications like rappelling, Wilderness EMS, kayaking, horseback riding and the like which you are often required to show certification or proficiency in at event registration. 

For race fun, I am really looking more towards the obstacle course stuff. Take your pick, orienteering, Adventure Racing, Tough Mudder, Warrior Dash, Spartan Super or Beast, GORUCK challenge. I have done all those events in title or real world experience through the military, so it's a natural extension of my personality. The difference from focusing on just triathlon is less time and funds for triathlon specific items but more in travel expenses as some of the events listed above are best done in other states or only done in other states. A long term goal might be the 2013 Spartan Death Race. (10 minute video, highly recommend you watch it).

In essence, I am looking for a more well rounded life of endurance pursuits. I always have sought this and Lord knows that triathlon, especially long course like 140.6, has given me great challenges and pleasures, but I have a bad habit of being too loyal to a goal. Training for an ironman becomes a singular purpose, one that requires significant investment for specificity. Everything else in fitness or fun is balanced against the long ride, early swims and training runs, deposits in the Bank of Ironman. And you don't miss making those deposits. Where as, two hours of compass work, two hours of running cross country with a weighted pack, an hour of jumping over my cinder block backyard fence, high crawling through my yard, pull ups, burpees, sledge hammering a tractor tire, can translate into a lot of other races.

As you can tell, lots of thinking on the future. A great big weight lifted off me by finishing Vineman, but the distance, right now, doesn't appeal to me. Staying in half iron shape is easy and sustainable. I firmly believe that once a goal is completed that another goal should be added to the list. One that improves on the previous goal or one that takes the foundation of what you just accomplished and go in a completely different direction, like I just laid out. 

It's not enough to exist. I am going to live.