Burpees

Burpee {Arm} Burner

July 24, 2013 by Hillary 10 Comments

Believe it or not, I love burpees. I know, I’m one of those people (they’re hard to find!). Most everyone detests the full-body cardio push-up exercise… not I. Burpees are effective, and they are challenging. They are cardio, and they are strength.

I call this workout the Burpee Arm Burner; in actuality, it is a full-body workout with an upper-body focus.

What You’ll Need:

1 kettlebell, 15-35lb. {I used 25lb.}

Exercises:

Kettlebell Swings
Push-ups
Burpees

For each of the 10 sets, decrease the swings by one rep and increase the push-ups by one rep. Finish each set with three burpees.

55 kettlebell swings / 55 push-ups / 30 burpees total

Yesterday, I posted my very first Instagram video demonstrating the three moves. Follow me @hillontherun to see it in action.

Notes:

You can modify the push-ups to make them more or less difficult: knee push-ups / tricep push-ups / hand-release push-ups.
You can modify the burpees by eliminating the push-up and/or jump for a less intense version.
This workout only takes +/- 10 minutes to complete. I would recommend adding it to another workout for a sweat-dripping good time :)

Do you enjoy burpees and running? The Dirty Burpee Workout is just for you then. Oh, and if you want to join my burpee fan club, I’d be happy to have you.

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What’s on deck for your Workout Wednesday?

Weekend Things

March 3, 2013 by Hillary 13 Comments

Friday.

1. I broke out my new knee-high socks for the “surprise” WOD. Our workouts are always posted online the day before, but Friday was a mystery. I accepted the challenge, dressed as a true member of the CrossFit cult.

I’ll admit I felt a bit ridiculous sporting long socks… at least they saved me from the mosquitos!

3. I completed 130 burpees (4 for warm-up) and lived to tell the story!

4. My body and mind appreciated the cold beer and steamy jacuzzi after a 40+ hour work week and said ridiculous WOD.

Saturday.

5. If you didn’t know I am nuts by now, I was at the box for more torture by 10:00am.

6. Scattegories a la nutritional yeast popcorn and new foodie friends will make for a fun night… even for an I-don’t-play-games type of gal. (So Martha Stewart!)

7. When I say foodie, I mean those that bake blood orange beet {almond flour} chocolate cakes! Swoon.

Sunday.

8. My body feels like it was hit by a train. Hmmm, wonder why?

9. I took not one, but TWO naps today. Listen to your body, friends!

10. Meal prepping is satisfying; it is like completing an assignment in school… except the final product is usually tastier.

11. I swear I could live off of roasted veggies.

spinach / roasted butternut + red onion / apple / gorgonzola

toasted walnuts / tangy homemade vinaigrette

12. I am denying the fact that Monday comes after Sunday, but at least I’ll have a full pitcher of cold-brewed coffee in my fridge and sunflowers on my table.

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How was your weekend?

Knee socks, yay or nay?

Tuesday Tidbits | 2.19.13

February 19, 2013 by Hillary 5 Comments

1. I was skimming through my blog dashboard this afternoon – the behind the scenes stuff – and for some reason, I was compelled to dig deeper into my WordPress database of the day with the most pageviews. Ironically, it happened to be February 19, 2011!! Quite the coincidence.

The main source of said traffic was from Carrots ‘N’ Cake. I had written a guest post for Miss Tina, Nuts About Running: Tips for Training Indoors. Re-reading past posts is inspiring. I can hardly believe two whole years have passed since that was written. I can hardly believe that I am carrying on without the WREC, that I haven’t run on a treadmill in months!, and that I referenced light weight lifting. One thing that hasn’t changed since then is my perspective on accepting rest days:

Many of us exercise enthusiasts fear rest days; though, there is no need to feel guilty about revitalizing days away from the gym. Training day in and day out takes a lot from an individual physically and mentally. With all of my training schedules, I “schedule in” 1 day off per week. Not only do I do so to prevent injury and allow my body to recuperate from any strenuous exercise… I do it to recharge my mind. And when an unexpected rest day(s) arises – from illness, injury, life – keep your chin up!

2. I feel like I’m getting another cold. Again, so soon!? Not cool.

3. It felt like the longest 8 hours at work today. The signs of a cold coming on only made it that much longer. I was iffy about exercising after work.

4. When you open your mailbox to a shiny, hot pink package with a new workout outfit inside, you forget all about the cold coming on and get amped up for a WOD.

5. 75 was the name of the game tonight: push jerk @ 75# // 75 burpees // 75 chest-to-bar pull-ups. Fitter in February, I think yes!

6. I totally understand the idea of CrossFit as a form of meditation. It works for me.

7. Your body can only handle so much raw kale & Brussels salad. Too much of anything, even healthy food, isn’t necessarily a good thing.

8. Avocado toast may be a new addiction.

9. CrossFit cereal cravings are going strong.

10. I was reminded I over-pronate (can you spy the evidence?)… my medial knee pain… most likely not a coincidence. A cousin to my beloved Asics are amidst their travels to my doorstep!

11. I don’t have cable; therefore, every Tuesday I have a hot date with Miss Mac and The Bachelor… which means I must end this brain dump of a post stat.

12. Good night // Happy Running Tuesday // Happy Birthday, Dad.

Run