Reaching the Plateau

As I ploddingly drag my abused body toward the summit of that Burpee plateau, I am left with a feeling of both triumph and relief.

Pictured: Triump and Relief

Yes, I know it's only been one month. Yes, I know I still have roughly 240 more days of Burpees ahead of me. And yes, I used the word ploddingly. Look it up.

But I've passed the first test I set out for in this experiment and did so while constantly pushing myself to work harder every day. That, to me, is something to be proud of.

With that being said, here are my final workout results from the first month:

Date	Workout	Sets	Total Time	Beak Time Per Set	Total Burpees
1/23/2012	Ladder	14	20 min 32 sec	70 sec	105
1/24/2012	Ladder	14	20 min 38 sec	70 sec	105
1/25/2012	Ladder	14	20 min 36 sec	70 sec	105
1/26/2012	REST
1/27/2012	Ladder	14	20 min 29 sec	70 sec	105
1/28/2012	Ladder	15	22 min 43 sec	70 sec	120
1/29/2012	REST

Now that I've reached the plateau of 120 burpees in a day, I figure it's time to post my monthly picture update:

As you can see, not a lot has changed in terms of my physical appearance, but I can easily tell my cardiovascular endurance has improved substantially since the start. I also understand the physical results will take time, but I know they'll come if I continue to stay the course.

This next month brings about a new round of Burpees, and with it a renewed sense of pressure on myself to perform without fail.

But as our beloved 2011 Heisman winner, Robert Griffin III, said in his victory speech:

"No pressure, no diamonds."

L&R,
Drew

Vanquishing the Beast

Week three has been thoroughly vanquished, and already in my journey I've gained awareness on quite a few things I thought I'd share with all of you.

First off, slowly but surely things are getting easier. As my body is getting used to the burpees, I've noticed my soreness recovery time getting shorter and shorter. Second, to a very small degree, I now understand what it feels like for a chain smoker to quit cigarette's cold turkey. Since giving up on fast food, beer, and snack food, I've found myself craving them at all different times of the day. I even had a vivid dream recently involving the infamous red solo cup and peanut butter cookies...Explain that one.

But one thing I've also noticed, is that my drive to work harder has increased over these past three weeks. Not only have I been more motivated in my workouts. I've also been more active in both my work, and around the house (my wife thoroughly appreciates this).

However, this doesn't mean that I'm not fatigued and worn out from these workouts. And I'm not going to lie. After the first week, I was seriously questioning whether or not I was crazy for starting this experiment in the first place.

But since then, I've had a couple changes in my overall attitude. I came into this experiment excited and a little nervous. After the first week, I felt miserable at how ridiculously tired and sore I was. Now, after three weeks of burpees, I can say that I'm happily exhausted. For any of you that work out on a regular basis, you may not enjoy your workouts, but one thing I feel we can all agree on is that afterward we feel a sense of accomplishment.

With that being said, the results of this weeks' 'accomplishment' are posted below:

Date Workout Sets Total Time Beak Time Per Set Total Burpees 1/16/2012 Ladder 12 13 min 41 sec 50 sec 78 1/17/2012 Ladder 13 17 min 25 sec 60 sec 91 1/18/2012 Ladder 13 16 min 53 sec 60 sec 91 1/19/2012 REST 1/20/2012 Ladder 13 16 min 50 sec 60 sec 91 1/21/2012 Ladder 13 16 min 46 sec 60 sec 91 1/22/2012 REST

Whether it be the endorphin coursing through my body or a trick my mind's playing on me, I'm actually starting to look forward to these workouts every day. Winston Churchill said it best when he stated:

"Attitude is a little thing, that makes a big difference."

L&R,
Drew

Reservation for Burpee, Party of One

One question that's been posed to me a few times since the start of this experiment is, "Since you've put so many restrictions in place for your diet, what is it that you CAN eat?"

Now I'm not going to take up an entire blog post discussing all of the foods I can and can't eat, but I will be throwing in "shout outs" over the coming months, spotlighting different healthy products that I've deemed worthy of consuming.

One healthy snack alternative I thought deserved a shout out, is a cookie I've recently been made aware of, produced by a brand called WhoNu?. This cookie manufacturer boasts that their products are an excellent source of Calcium, Iron, Vitamins A, B12, C, D, and E, while also having as much fiber as a bowl of oatmeal. Now, I have to say at first I was a little skeptical of any kind of "health" cookie that's supposed to rival the juggernaut that IS Oreo, but I must say, after trying them I actually found them to be quite tasty.

Sure, they aren't Oreos, but if you're looking for a healthy cookie replacement, I say look no further!

Who knew??

Now on to the nitty gritty! My workout results for the week are posted below:

Date Workout Sets Total Time Beak Time Per Set Total Burpees 1/9/2012 Ladder 11 10 min 41 sec 40 sec 66 1/10/2012 Ladder 11 10 min 17 sec 40 sec 66 1/11/2012 Ladder 12 13 min 21 sec 50 sec 78 1/12/2012 REST 1/13/2012 Ladder 12 13 min 36 sec 50 sec 78 1/14/2012 Ladder 12 13 min 26 sec 50 sec 78 1/15/2012 REST

As I continue to move up the ladder (pun intended), my never ending search for motivation trudges on. This week I leave you with the insightful words of the influential author and gastronome Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin:

"Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you who you are."

L&R,

Drew

Hell Week

And so it begins...As the first of many brutal weeks comes to a close, I believe one word best summarizes my experience thus far.

                                                 "Ouch."

To say every muscle in my body is 'sore' would be an understatement. But that's the price you have to pay when you start down that winding road toward sedentary liberation. I knew what I was getting into when I first came up with this experiment. Now just comes the follow-through. Below, I've listed my official workout and results from the first week:

Date Workout Sets Total Time Break Time Per Set Total Burpees 1/2/2012 Ladder 10 8 min 43 sec 30 sec 55 1/3/2012 Ladder 10 8 min 16 sec 30 sec 55 1/4/2012 Ladder 10 8 min 34 sec 30 sec 55 1/5/2012 REST 1/6/2012 Ladder 11 10 min 54 sec   40 sec 66 1/7/2012 Ladder 11 10 min 35 sec   40 sec 66 1/8/2012 REST

As you can see, I decided to start at 10 ladder burpees and painstakingly work my way up over the next few weeks. This means that for the first week or two, my workouts will most likely be under the 15 minute mark that I set out as a requirement for this experiment. However, over the next month I plan on moving up until I reach 15 ladders. Once I reach this plateau, I will begin to vary up my workouts over the coming months, while also increasing the number of reps I do on the days I perform ladders. This will obviously increase the time of my workouts, helping me to maintain my "goal" range of 15 to 30 minutes every day.

(Side note: For any of you that don't know what a 'ladder burpee' is, it's when you start with a certain number of burpees and work your way down each set until you get to zero {i.e. 10, 9, 8, 7, etc...})

I have also decided to make a slight tweak to my weekly workout routine per the direction of my Burpee Advisor (my wife Rae). We decided that due to risk of injury, it would be better to work out Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday, while spreading out my rest days to both Thursday and Sunday. This will give my muscles more time to recover throughout the week. 

Although my muscles and joints may be aching after only the first week, I know it will continue to improve as my body gets used to the workouts. I'm using the inspirational words from one of the greatest marines that ever lived, General Lewis B. "Chesty" Puller, as guidance:

"Pain is just weakness leaving the body!"

L&R,
Drew