History of the Burpee - Fun Fact of Day

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thecrossfitter
thecrossfitter Posts: 424 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I saw someone posted a thread asking about burpees, and I actually found a little video explaining the history of the burpee! That thread is getting a bit, erm, lengthy - and I thought this was interesting so I started a new one.

Royal Huddleston Burpee, a veteran of World War I, developed the burpee as part of his doctoral thesis in exercise physiology in 1933. The army implemented it into their training during the time leading up to WWII.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eqkQ7azPm5c&feature=player_embedded

If anyone is super interested, here is the entry in the worldcat database. You know... in case you're bored and want to check it out to do some light reading of 151 pages of "Seven quickly administered tests of physical capacity and their use in detecting physical incapacity for motor activity" haha
http://www.worldcat.org/title/seven-quickly-administered-tests-of-physical-capacity-and-their-use-in-detecting-physical-incapacity-for-motor-activity-in-men-and-boys/oclc/016954913

PS - This is my fun fact of the day. I will not be back to argue the merits of this movement. Although you're welcome to go read the thesis and see what Burpee had to say :)

Replies

  • Faeriegirl74
    Faeriegirl74 Posts: 187 Member
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    While they are a great exercise that I have done in bootcamp fitness a time or two... while actually performing them I feel like they were made by the devil himself.
  • natalie2355
    natalie2355 Posts: 93 Member
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    haha love it!
  • Bella3119
    Bella3119 Posts: 104
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    Looks like I've found my next challenge. I'm scared and excited at the same time!!

    So what is the typical timeframe goal for completing a set of burpees?
  • Shizzman
    Shizzman Posts: 527 Member
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    Hahaha, awesome
  • ahsats
    ahsats Posts: 75 Member
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    That video is silly. Burpees are silly. Jumping up and down is silly. This post is silly. You are silly. Don't do burpees! Sillysillysilly.

    Thanks for the post ;) I'll do some burpees today in his honor!
  • Shizzman
    Shizzman Posts: 527 Member
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    That video is silly. Burpees are silly. Jumping up and down is silly. This post is silly. You are silly. Don't do burpees! Sillysillysilly.

    Thanks for the post ;) I'll do some burpees today in his honor!

    Hahaha, awesome!
  • snkeller24
    snkeller24 Posts: 459
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    Great thing with burpees is you can apply them anywhere, pull ups, deadlifts, KB swings! Anyone can do them
  • MercenaryNoetic26
    MercenaryNoetic26 Posts: 2,747 Member
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    I love burpees. I think anyone doing them decently looks bad@ss. They are way more cool than push-ups.
  • AmandaBroun
    AmandaBroun Posts: 126
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    Someday when I have a son, I will name him Huddleston Burpee.
  • grapenutSF
    grapenutSF Posts: 648 Member
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    Oh, hello, Burpee.

    I've kept the blue tape there above my doorway to remind myself of last weekend's 7 minutes in heaven of straight burpees. And because I will be beating my max number next weekend.

    Other Burpee lovers and haters, feel free to join me. It's fun...in an "I crave physical injury to make it stop" sort of way.
  • CallMeCupcakeDammit
    CallMeCupcakeDammit Posts: 9,375 Member
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    You don't have to do them with your legs together?! I do them with my legs apart because my knees won't let me do them any other way. I thought I was doing them wrong. Thanks for the video, very interesting! :smile:
  • htimpaired
    htimpaired Posts: 1,404 Member
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    You don't have to do them with your legs together?! I do them with my legs apart because my knees won't let me do them any other way. I thought I was doing them wrong. Thanks for the video, very interesting! :smile:

    They purposely have us do them legs wide in a gym class I go to, they call them "sumo burpees".
  • CallMeCupcakeDammit
    CallMeCupcakeDammit Posts: 9,375 Member
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    You don't have to do them with your legs together?! I do them with my legs apart because my knees won't let me do them any other way. I thought I was doing them wrong. Thanks for the video, very interesting! :smile:

    They purposely have us do them legs wide in a gym class I go to, they call them "sumo burpees".

    That makes me feel better :bigsmile:
  • snkeller24
    snkeller24 Posts: 459
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    Someday when I have a son, I will name him Huddleston Burpee.

    bahahahaha love this :laugh:
  • strawberrie_milk
    strawberrie_milk Posts: 381 Member
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    I love and hate burpees at the same time :p

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