One Move You Need for Total Body Fitness
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 | | In today's edition, Joe shares: - The History of the Burpee
- One Perfect Fall Food
- How to Build Confidence
| | | A WAR-WINNING EXERCISE | Spartans!
I'm not a huge sports fan, but I love a recent story a friend sent me about the NFL's Detroit Lions.
The Lions haven't been to the playoffs since 1991, and are best known for hosting an annual televised Thanksgiving Day game that puts more people to sleep than all the turkey, stuffing, and pumpkin pie combined.
This season, however, the Lions are leading their division with an exciting 3-1 record. What? How? Why?
The Mighty Burpee.
The multipurpose burpee has been credited with helping the team improve its agility, stamina, and overall performance on the field, while also creating a bond through the inevitable suffering. Even the coach does them.
Burpees are my favorite exercise because they represent the essence of Spartan philosophy – simplicity, intensity, and effectiveness. No gym, no equipment, nothing extra. In fact, I did a Ted Talk on their value.
The recipe is simple: Squat > plank > pushup > repeat. That's it.
Burpees simply and effectively target the entire body in a way that quickly (and painfully) overloads the cardiovascular system of weekend warriors and elite athletes alike.
And while you can slow down or modify almost every other form of exercise, there's no avoiding the almost instantaneous "burpee burn."
In my life, I've done more burpees than I can count — as part of my daily routine, while waiting in line, on long flights — and each one has brought me closer to my goal of being fitter, tougher, more resilient, and mentally stronger.
I recently learned that the move has not only helped a decade of Spartans and a pro football team, but it may also have helped us win World War II.
It turns out that the burpee was created (and named after) a man named Royal Burpee in the late 1930s. A physiologist, Burpee invented the move to address an epidemic that sounds awfully current.
A report on military fitness at that time in Popular Science magazine reported:
"Today's recruits are softies compared to their fathers of a generation ago. They look all right: they're taller, heavier, better nourished, and freer from disease. But they haven't exercised as much as their fathers used to and they're physical weaklings by present day military standards."
Sound familiar? Soon after, the Army adopted a 20-second burpee test for new recruits, and made the exercise a cornerstone of its Daily Dozen conditioning program credited with getting our military in fighting shape, just like it has for the formerly hapless Lions.
So as you plan your Fall workouts, don't forget the formidable burpee and check our burpee-based training plan guaranteed to get you super-fit in just 10 weeks. It might just help you change your game.
Here's to The Hard Way!
Joe | | | They Said It | | "The quality of your life is in direct proportion to the amount of uncertainty you can comfortably live with." | | ― Tony Robbins | | | AN APPLE A DAY | It's apple season on my farm in Vermont. They not only taste great, they are the perfect health food.
Why? Pectin, the type of fiber found in apples, is linked to a number of health benefits, including lowering cholesterol and controlling blood sugar. Here are three more research-based reasons to eat more pectin: - It's a prebiotic that promotes gut health.
- It fights prostate and colon cancer cells.
- It helps reduce blood pressure.
| | | You Ask, Joe Answers | Q: Hi Joe, I run, use weights and do yoga regularly, and I completed a Stadion six years ago. I'm older now and want to do a Spartan race. Is there a less challenging one I can try?
- Savatri R., Alexandria, VA
A: Hey Savatri, the short answer is no, we don't have "easy" races. But if you've done a Stadion, and you're as active as you are, you can tackle a Spartan race. Don't overthink it, commit to a race, try this 30-day training plan, and show up. My guess is you'll surprise yourself.
Aroo!
Question for Joe? Want to tell him what you think of The Hard Way? Email him at thehardway@spartan.com. | | | | The Hard Way Podcast | | | "Once you start doing anything, and you surprise yourself with success, you build confidence. You only have to do it once to know that you can."
–Jessie Kanzer, author of Unlocking Your Inner Zelensky | | | | | | Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up here. | | | WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THIS NEWSLETTER? | | | | | |
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