I did 100 burpees a day for a week – here’s what happened

ActiveI did 100 burpees a day for a week – here’s what happenedI detest burpees but decided to give them a try anyway and train my body and my mind to be more disciplined (and burn some calories in the process)When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

I detest burpees but decided to give them a try anyway and train my body and my mind to be more disciplined (and burn some calories in the process)

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Young fit woman doing burpees in the gym with an elastic band around her legs

(Image credit: Getty Images)

The problem with disliking burpees, however, is that they’re an incredibly effective and versatile exercise that work your respiratory system to the max until you’re gasping for air and target just about every single muscle in your body at the same time. Which begs the question: why just jump, squat, plank or do press-ups separately when you can string all these elements together to form one single timesaving move?

What is a burpee?

How to do a burpee?

You can read T3’s full explainer here:How to do burpeesand master this much loved/hated full-body cardio exercise. Below, you’ll find a quick explainer of the sequence:

I did 100 burpees a day for a week – here’s what happened

I split my burpees into five sets of 20 on days one and two to spread them through the day. My thinking was that this would help to ease the load and reduce some of the physical and mental stress I’d be putting my body under (please note, you probably shouldn’t attempt this challenge if you have issues with your back or wrists).

If I’m honest, I detested every single second of my burpee sets and felt utterly miserable knowing I still had more sets to do. Physically, I woke up on day two feeling very sore and stiff, especially around my core and glutes, but the mental agony was far worse.

Get all the latest news, reviews, deals and buying guides on gorgeous tech, home and active products from the T3 experts

If truth be told, I took minute-long rests after every 10 burpees to catch my breath and refocus and crumpled into a sweaty heap on the floor after I’d completed my 100 reps. But at least they were finally over, and I could get on with the rest of my day, even if stairs were a bit of a problem because my legs and glutes felt so wobbly.

The burpee is the most effective cardio exercise… from hell(Image credit: Getty Images)

young fit man doing burpees outside

The burpee is the most effective cardio exercise… from hell

(Image credit: Getty Images)

On day four, I was grateful to wake up and find that most of my DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness) had disappeared overnight. Physically, at least, I felt much better and stronger, but mentally, I tackled the burpees as though I had a death sentence hanging over me.

But on day five, I’m glad to report that something finally clicked in my head. Maybe it was the repetition of doing so many burpees over and over for five days in a row, or that I was getting a little bit fitter, but suddenly the burpees were becoming easier, less painful, and I didn’t have to take so many rests.

When my final seventh day arrived, I had mixed thoughts. Yes, I was glad the challenge was almost over, but I found my feelings towards burpees had changed considerably. I’m not going to say I love them now but doing 100 burpees every day for a week meant that I felt stronger, fitter, better coordinated and more mobile, and that meant I found them a lot easier. More importantly, I was able to do all 100 burpees in 12 minutes straight, and I’d actually like to keep doing this challenge a few days a week to see if I can knock a few more minutes off that time.

Would I recommend others to try this challenge? I would, actually – especially if you have a mental block about burpees. As the saying goes, practice makes perfect, and who knows, you might even grow to like them!

Today’s best Women’s Athletic Shoes deals$39.95View DealLow Stock$135$83.05View Deal$109.95View Deal$109.96View Deal$120View DealShow More DealsWe check over 250 million products every day for the best prices

Today’s best Women’s Athletic Shoes deals

$39.95View DealLow Stock$135$83.05View Deal$109.95View Deal$109.96View Deal$120View Deal

$39.95View Deal

ASICS Women’s Trail Scout 2…