Monday Move

Burpees Are the Medicine You Need

Don’t @ me

Sometimes, you just need to go ahead and do the sucky thing: Tell people the news they don’t want to hear. Make the tough decision. Put that beloved toy that sings the creepy song out on the sidewalk while your toddler is napping.

Blast the death metal and do the goddamn burpees.

Hear me out: Yes, burpees suck, but if you’re physically able to do them (and willing to get sweaty and exhausted), they are also… the best. When you get into a rhythm of slamming yourself down on the floor and getting right back TF up again, the intensity is oddly cathartic. If you do enough of them, it takes absolutely every ounce of energy and strength out of you and leaves you panting on the floor like a wrung-out washcloth. Which is fun! You know you’ve done the absolute most right when doing the most is exactly the goal. I’m not talking about using intense exercise in a punitive way, to be clear; just that going all out and giving it everything you’ve got can really feel fantastic.

From a more pragmatic perspective, burpees are simply one of the most efficient, straightforward, full-body moves that engage basically every possible muscle while also challenging your heart and lungs. Because burpees involve moving from the floor all the way up into the air, the resistance of your own bodyweight is what makes them so freaking hard (and good). You can use them as part of your warmup to get blood flowing before you lift weights, or work…