Physically can’t do a burpee

[blj]

@bootsie1 Totally! Scale/modify for sure. Even if it means just doing hand-release push-ups, so that you finish around the same time as everyone else. Doing anything progresses you in the right direction. Chop wood, carry water, don't focus on the result, and show up to have fun. It's all good!

 

[hannah18]

@bootsie1 I don’t know if this will help you, but when you jump in, jump your legs wiiiide.

 

[mysolo]

@hannah18 Yes!! It requires some mobility, but jump your feet back to outside shoulder width then when jumping up try to get your feet to where your hands were. I've found that this method takes the least effort, but you will want to go back to the step back,/step up method if it's a longer workout.

 

[beauharnais]

@bootsie1 Same boat with burpees and overweight (large belly) I jump up with a wide leg landing. but its still a struggle.

 

[dawn16]

@bootsie1 There are so many ways of modifying these. When I'm not feeling like doing them (which is every day that ends in a Y) I just spread my feet and put one foot forward then the other follows. I'll clap over my head w/o a jump. Sometimes I just go into plank and never further down.

 

[dawn16]

@bootsie1 Don't be so hard on yourself. Do the mountain climber and be proud of the work you put in. Eat right, get your sleep, avoid alcohol and you'll get there!

 

[theological1988]

@dawn16 I get that alcohol is not good for us, However, I drink alcohol in moderation and can do burpees.

Diet and sleep improvements are also great for improved health, but are not super relevant to the question, and the reason I think this is important is because (even though they shouldn’t be) to those who are starting out these things can feel massive and unachievable resulting in people thinking g CrossFit isn’t for me. It sort of sounds like OP is already feeling a bit overwhelmed and questioning whether CrossFit is for them. If OP changes nothing else but practices burpees they will almost certainly become able to do them. Instead of implying those changes are instrumental to being able to do burpees, I’d reword it to say “any improvements you make in diet, sleep and alcohol consumption will also help”

 

[dawn16]

@theological1988 I feel like what I said is near identical to what you said. I'm sorry you feel so attacked about your alcohol consumption by benign encouragement not even directed at you. Maybe you're not as confident in it as you think.

 

[theological1988]

@dawn16 I didn’t feel attacked. I also didn’t say I was confident. I do, however, know what I like and dislike about myself and I wasn’t triggered. I don’t mind if you believe that.

I was just offering a different perspective, and how the extra comments could be interpreted is all.

 

[theological1988]

I also didn’t intend any criticism of you. Just saying for anyone reading and feeling inadequate because diet isn’t good and they do drink, that those things aren’t prohibitive of improvement.

 

[enochswalk]

@bootsie1 I think I know what you mean and I think this is how I do a burpee too. If you can get down and up again and repeat, that's good enough!

Meanwhile we can work on hip and mobility in the back

 

[christianbeliever69]

@bootsie1 Before I could do burpees I just substituted up-downs so to speak. Keep at it, keep working your push up and squat, you’ll get there. For me I was doing up downs for a while and it just sorta clicked eventually

 

[ladybugjb]

@bootsie1 I have the proportions of a T-Rex so this is familiar. With practice I was able to get the pop up you describe, but only for the first dozen or so reps. After that point I’d have to go one leg at a time. I figured it was just how I’d scale burpees and didn’t worry about it too much. One note tho - try to alternate which leg you use to get up.

 

[pam76]

@bootsie1 Do it scaled to a bench

 

[raykane]

@bootsie1 I will have people scale to half burpees on occasion. Careful though as you get better they get much meaner as you don’t get the “rest” of laying on the ground.

 

[survive777]

@bootsie1 Try kickback burpies as a scaled option

 

[nebula1]

@bootsie1 So scale them or continue with your current scaling method. Stepping up and back or elevating the hands are the most common scales.

 

[wolfcub44]

@bootsie1 Oh same, honey. In fact I avoid burpees wherever possible and if they are programmed I avoid going to the floor because it jacks my heart rate up so high it's impossible for me to do more than 4 or 5 a minute. It's so fucking miserable. So I scale massively and take peace in the fact that I'm out-exercising 90% of the planet and 100% of me for the last 40 years.

 

[muzi]

@bootsie1 6' low BP, I have to scale or i'll pass out, also mountain like climb to stand up position.

 

[antcart]

@bootsie1 do what you can!