Oh, Facebook… The lair of slacktivism and trolling. The refuge of those who criticize, bitch and complain, instead of actually doing anything.
So, get this… there is this guy in Nevada, right? Who is trying to do something good and meaningful (to him). He decides to set a burpee world record, as a fundraiser for SPCA (Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) – most burpees done in a 24 hour period.
You know what the most overwhelming response is from the interwebz?
That’s not a burpee. That’s pathetic. Omg! That’s ridiculous. Haha, squat thrusts maybe, but definitely not burpees. That’s not a burpee!
Before you get your panties in a bunch, let me ask you a question… How do YOU know that what YOU know as a burpee IS actually a burpee?
Are you SURE?
The origin of a burpee goes back to the 1930, when an American physiologist (last name – Burpee) developed the burpee test to assess fitness. Burpee went on to become very popular, when it was adopted as way to measure the fitness level of military recruits. When done in rapid succession, burpees include a number of fundamental movements and require a strong aerobic base.
Oxford dictionary currently defines a burpee as “a squat thrust made from and ending in a standing position”.
… mic drops.
Since then, everybody and their mother came up with their own version of the burpee, including chest-to-ground burpee, flip burpee, and my favourite – pull-up burpee.
So, it follows that any time a world record is involved, you can bet your ass that the minimal movement that still qualifies will be performed in order to maximize reps.
Kipping pull-ups, anyone?
Now I am not here to argue which definition of a burpee came first or second, or whether kipping pull-ups are bad for you (I’d be too worried about the angry mob).
Instead, I am here to remind you that apple is a fruit. So is a pear.
And just because you prefer apples, you can’t really scream and yell when people refer to pears as fruit. Or prefer pears for that matter.
Just shut up and eat your apple.
Metaphorically speaking… Or literally, if you’d like. [Still with me?]
In Spartan Race, a burpee (explicitly) refers to chest-to-ground burpee. Everybody knows that. Fail an obstacle, do thirty burpees. Chest to ground.
Yet to call a burpee not a burpee, simply because it does not look like what YOU are used to, is like telling someone who does not have a barbell on their back during a squat, that they are not actually squatting.
That makes you wrong at best, and an elitist prick at worst.
For those criticizing this guy’s burpee form, I am curious… what’s the latest fundraiser YOU organized?
Yeah… So please, go do some burpees – plain OR chest-to-ground. Just stop being a dick.
Hugs, SOLO