Burpees ONLY for body conditioning

[andy100]

andy100,

I guess what I'm trying to say is that burpees are great, but why are you doing them? If keep doing burpees and stop going for your three mile walk you'll probably find that next time you go for a hike it'll be harder than it needs to, because you haven't done much endurance training. Good fitness stems from cardiovascular fitness, muscular fitness, and eating appropriately. Without putting some effort into all three you'll never be the epitome of the human specimen

I get what you're saying Sperki - my research has progressed a lot since I posted this question originally. I have to admit in answer to your point about walking, that when I started it again after a few month's lay-off of walking, my legs did ache quite a bit, but soon adapted.

As for now, I'm still doing burpees (about 90-100 per workout) but the amount I can manage had definitely increased as they've got easier. In fact, I'm now doing more burpees/squat thrusts than press ups. I'm also doing pull ups but due to difficulties of where I can do them (a long story) I'm not happy with the ratio of pulling to pushing exercises and the muscle imbalances it could potentially lead to.

Currently I'm considering dumping the whole BW conditioning routine at home in favour of picking up Muay Thai. I've tried kickboxing before and enjoyed it on the whole, but didn't continue for various reasons. Money & classes permitting, I'm starting to think that participating in an active MA like Thai boxing will be better for a healthy body & mind than doing plain BW exercises alone. It'll also provide a greater range of variation and stop plateuing I hope!

Time will tell!

[Jeffrey]

Yes Sperki,

Anything you do must have a cardio attached to it along with a balanced diet. Skipping rope is a great cardio work out for those of us that get stuck in doors during the winter months. A brisk walk or and light run goes far to gaining a greater fittness level.