Those Burpees Don't Suck
Reflection on my first attempt at a challenging workout.
I’ve learned that the “Those Burpees Suck” workout was created by Gym Jones with specific standards behind each movement. Those standards were not known or followed by me in any way at my initial go of the workout. Therefore, my time shouldn’t be considered to any of the impressive stats and badass workouts you can find at the Gym Jones website:
https://gymjones.com/leaderboards/?amp
No FKT for me… yet…
I train every day in some capacity. Occasionally I’ll share some of my workouts and every once in a while I will record them. Even though I deeply understand the How behind the progress I’ve made over the past ten years, it is still wild to reflect on what I am able to accomplish at almost 40 years old while sore, tired, or any other form of less than 100% compared to myself in the “peak” athletic years of my late 20s.
Finding new challenges to test my current abilities, establish a baseline, and then work to strategically improve is one of my favorite ways to expand my capacity.
After reading the fantastic interview between Chris DeMuth Jr and Sam Alaimo, and Chris’s follow-on post, I learned of the workout “Those Burpees Suck:”
For time:
10 pull-ups
20 KB swings (53lbs)
30 box jumps (24”)
40 push-ups
50 sit-ups
60 burpees
10 pull-ups
This was my first attempt at seeing what I could do.
I’m highly adapted to many bodyweight movements, especially burpees, so this challenge aligned with my current strengths. That being said, I haven’t done anything extraordinary in my training over the past ten years aside from making it intentional, doing it with my best effort, and remaining consistent. Raising your floor - your capacity to do work at any moment - is always possible if you’re willing to consciously and strategically apply yourself.
My primary goal as a functional fitness coach is to provide systematic progressions within the most basic of human movements so anyone can become highly proficient over time. The benefits of intentionality, effort, and consistency apply to all areas of life. If you’re interested in working with me to enhance your life in any mental, physical, or spiritual domain of interest, I’ve significantly reduced the cost of my annual and founding membership costs for the remainder of this month.
Honored for the recognition from Chris DeMuth Jr and looking forward to hitting that workout a few more times in the coming weeks while following the standards from Gym Jones.
Almost 40 🙄. Lol, looks like an awesome workout!
Pull-ups: Strict pull-ups are usually required, with the chin clearly passing the bar at the top and arms fully extended at the bottom. Kipping is generally not allowed in their standard benchmarks.
Kettlebell Swings: Must be an American Kettlebell Swing, with the bell finishing overhead, not just to eye level.
Box Jumps: Full extension of the hips and knees must be reached while standing on top of the box for the rep to count. Stepping down from the box is often required to reduce injury risk, rather than jumping down.
Push-ups: The chest must typically touch the ground or a target, and arms must fully lock out at the top of the movement.
Sit-ups: Common variations usually involve an abmat, with shoulders touching the ground at the bottom and the chest touching the knees or feet at the top.
Burpees: The standard requires the chest to touch the ground at the bottom, and a jump with a clap overhead at the top, ensuring feet leave the ground.
Mark Twight has noted that many attempts at this workout fail the movement standards, especially on the burpees and box jumps, meaning those reps "would not have been counted back in the day".
Scoring: The score is the total time it takes to complete all the prescribed work. The fastest recorded times for the workout on the Gym Jones website are around 7:11 for men and 8:06 for women.