Oh, the dreaded burpee. We love to complain about this uniquely punishing movement, and try to avoid doing them as much as possible. But have you ever stopped to wonder where the burpee came from and why this torturous exercise is a favorite of fitness professionals across the globe?

Burpees: A Short History

Royal H. Burpee was a physiologist in New York City in 1939. He invented the first version of the burpee as a part of a fitness test. The original movement was milder than the burpee we know and love hate today.

Mr. Burpee never intended for his fitness evaluation tool to become the form of exercise that it has become today. The burpee was intended to be performed 4 times in a row, and he would measure the participant’s heart rate before and after in order to assess their heart’s efficiency at pumping blood, thus determining their overall fitness rate.

Burpees: An Evolution

Over time the burpee was modified from its original, fitness evaluation form to the more vigorous modern movement. Here’s how the burpee evolved:

Original Burpee: Squat down and place both hands on the floor in front of you. Jump feet back into plank position. Jump feet forward. Return to standing. Perform only 4 times in a row, measuring heart rate before and after.

Modern Burpee: Bend over or squat down and place both hands on the floor in front of you, just outside of your feet. Jump both feet back into plank position. Drop to a pushup — your chest should touch the floor. Push or snake up to return to plank position. Jump feet back in toward hands. Explosively jump up into the air, reaching arms straight overhead. Perform as many times in a row as instructed by your trainer!

Burpees: The Most Effective Exercise Ever?!?

When you perform a modern burpee you are essentially doing a vigorous six-count bodyweight movement that requires you to move between six unique positions as quickly as possible.

Everything burns as you go through a series of burpees: your lungs, your legs, your arms, and most of all…calories. Burpees cultivate agility, strength, coordination and stamina while burning fat.

So the next time that you are told to do 20, 30, or 100 burpees: smile to yourself, think of Royal H. Burpee and be happy that you are doing an exercise that gets you enviable results in the shortest possible time. ​

When working towards a fat loss goal the question arises of how to best utilize the scale.

Do you step on everyday, meticulously tracking the ups and downs? Do you jump on it once a week, keeping your mind off the number most days? Or do you skip the scale altogether and simply navigate your transformation using the markers of how you organically look and feel?

Here’s a closer look at each method:

The Everyday Method: There’s a large school of the thought that says in order to lose the most weight in the shortest amount of time you must get on the scale everyday.

Weight yourself at the same time, preferably first thing in the morning, wearing as little as possible. Record the daily number and react accordingly. If your weight has gone up then make modifications to your diet (eat less) and to your workouts (exercise harder). If your weight has lowered then keep on doing what you’re doing because it’s working.

Everyday Method Pros: There is research that backs this as a reliable method. In a Journal of Obesity Study, published in 2015, researchers at Cornell University found that participants who tracked their weight daily for two years were more successful in both losing weight and keeping it off than participants skipped daily weigh-ins.

Everyday Method Cons: Facing the scale daily can be discouraging for some, due to normal fluctuation in water retention, which can take a toll psychologically. Those who get discouraged enough may give up on their transformation quest entirely. Others may get obsessive about their weight causing an unhealthy compulsion to develop.

The Never Method: In opposition to the Everyday Method is the Never Method – as in, NEVER get on the scale. This method requires that you rely on natural instincts rather than numbers and that you pay close, intuitive attention to how you feel and how your clothes fit.

Never Method Pros: No more feeling terrible when the number on your scale tells you that you’ve gained another 5 pounds! No more obsessing over a number! Your self esteem will be untouched and you’ll experience a form of freedom.

Never Method Cons: If you don’t keep close tabs on how you feel and how your clothes fit then this method easily results in pounds adding up gradually over time. It is very difficult to notice weight gain that takes place at a very gradual rate without the use of a scale.

The Once Per Week Method: A once per week weigh-in is the most popular method. Getting on the scale on the same day, at the same time, each week is a compromise between daily and never. It’s the compass method: frequent enough to notice when you begin to drift off track, but infrequent enough to not intrude on your life in a negative way.

Once Per Week Method Pros: You only have to endure the scale once per week, which is a blessing if the scale makes you feel demoralized. It’s frequent enough to bring gradual weight gain to your attention before it gets too far out of hand.

Once Per Week Method Cons: Getting on the scale once every seven days does allow a handful of pounds to add up before you notice, which simply won’t happen with daily weigh-ins. Weight gained in a single week can take more than another week to lose.

The Best Method: The truth is that there’s no universal right way to monitor your fat loss progress in order to stay on track. The method that you choose should be the one that positively supports you towards your goals. Since you know yourself better than anyone, think long and hard about the method that is best for you.

If you hate the scale but know that daily weigh-ins are the best way to keep you on track then bite the bullet and do it.

Remember, I am here to support and propel you in your fat loss transformation. If you aren’t currently one of my amazing clients then now is the time to call or email to get yourself on the right track. Let’s do this together!
​
3 Steps to Weigh Yourself Right
To ensure that you’re getting an accurate read when you jump on that scale keep the following steps in mind:

Time: Always weigh yourself at the same time of day, preferably first thing in the morning after going pee.

Clothing: Wear the same type and amount of clothing, or (if in the privacy of your own home) weigh without clothing.

Journal: Keep a log of your weight along with the date to create a history of data to assist you towards your fitness goal.