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Broncos Challenge 9: burpees
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BSU's Austin Pettis has surely done burpees, the latest addition to the Broncos Challenge.
The Boise State Broncos take on the La. Tech Bulldogs tonight at 6 p.m. in Ruston, Louisiana. This week’s Broncos Challenge focuses on a classic football drill, burpees. No, that’s not what you get when you overdo it at the tailgate party before kickoff. A burpee is a conditioning exercise that is useful for many sports and can be done by nearly all ages and abilities. So get your family to do them with you. They are sometimes known as “up downs,” but think of how excited your kids will be when they find out they have permission to participate in a “burpee contest.”
The basic move is comprised of four simple steps:
- Squat with hands on the floor/ground
- Keeping arms straight, kick legs back to pushup position
- Quickly return to the squat
- Leap as high as you can with your arms extended over your head
This video shows a perfect example of the basic burpee. Using your body weight for resistance, the burpee is a plyometric move that will get your heart rate up in a hurry. You’ll feel it in your legs, arms, chest, and shoulders before too long. But the basic move requires no special equipment and you can do them in your living room. Just be sure to move the furniture out of the way first. They’re great on their own as a warm-up, or for a quick workout break when you’ve been sitting a while at your desk. (Oh, like your cube-mates care! Make them do it with you.) Or if you really want to maximize your workout, do a set of burpees between your strength training sets.
There are numerous variations. A simple one is to hold the position between steps two and three and then bend your arms for a slow pushup. That’s a good start and even your kids should be able to do it with you. Or try tucking your knees to your chest on the jump. If you really want to go for that football feel, go into a semi-squat and run in place for a count of five before popping down to the ground. Your heart will be pumping.
This video shows an impressive range of variations, using resistance bands, weights, park benches, playground equipment, and more. There are some pretty cool plyometric moves in this video. Check out the guy’s vertical leap as he does chin-ups. Talk about impressive. And the Warrior Burpee, around the 5:35 mark, takes some serious skill and coordination. Music’s not too bad, either.
Instead of a high five, try doing five “Bronco burpees” every time BSU scores tonight.
Who will win tonight, Bulldogs or Broncos?
Read all of the Broncos Challenge articles
About the Broncos Challenge: Watching the big game doesn’t have to mean plopping down on the couch to eat and drink in excess. On every game day, this column features health-related articles to help keep you moving and eating healthy. So far, we’ve talked about having a healthier tailgate, working some exercise into your game watching, strength training, increasing speed, plyometrics training, increasing agility, and healthy Hawaiian and Halloween-themed tailgate menus. Come back each game day for a new article. Go Broncos!
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