Over 5,000 Burpees in 100 Days.

by Analisa Naldi

Paul Schoemaker, CEO of consulting firm Decision Strategies International Inc., says, “People may fear failure, but they fear the consequences of it even more.” This statement could not have illustrated my motivation any clearer. Once I’d committed to the burpee challenge, had a partner to complete it with, and a gym full of co-workers, clients, and friends “supervising,” there was no room for failure. Not only would I let myself down if I stopped along the way, but everybody else would know!

One hundred consecutive days of burpees. Each day we were to complete one more burpee than the previous day, for a total of 100 on day 100. That was the challenge. We (Jimmy and I) were challenged on day 15. So, in order to catch up, we completed 15, 14, 13, and all the way to 1 (for 120 total), right after our regular workouts, on December 28, 2007.

To be honest, I hate burpees. They are not a movement I’m very strong or efficient at, so from the beginning I was dreading the remaining 85 days. I took it as the chance to prove that with a consistent, progressive increase in volume, strength and skill execution could both improve. I also took it as a personal challenge not to miss one day until the 100th day. (If you miss one day, you practically have to double up the following day; miss several days and you screw yourself to burpee hell.)

I began to look at each day of completion as a miniature success. We wrote the date and number of burpees completed each day on a whiteboard in the weight room, updating our totals each day. Having our progress publicly charted added to the motivation to finish. How motivated? On day 38, (a Sunday), I was sick, running a fever, and refused to miss a day, so I completed all 38 burpees, at my house, in sets of two. On day 77, we had a heavy snatch, clean and jerk, and squat session, in which I don’t even know how my legs were functioning afterwards. But, the burpees were completed, in sets of 7, 8, 9….whatever I could get out of my body. Each and every time my hands hit the floor was considered a mini-success for me.

Each workout became another success. During the 30s, 40s, and early 50s, I constantly battled failure. What did I consider my failures here? I had to touch my chest to the floor on every single rep or it didn’t count. Each push-up had to be full range of motion or it didn’t count. This added a whole new level of success and failure to the project. Not only was the focus on successfully completing the project (all 100 days), but now each repetition had to be “successfully” completed as well.

The funniest part of the additional “level” of failure and success added to the project was that I added it myself. I decided that if I were going to be successful at the end, I had to do every little part of the project correctly. That meant, forcing myself to the verge of muscular and mental “failure” in order to finish all of the burpees correctly on a given day. Why go through the additional mental and physical anguish of little “failures” just to achieve the same success?

Here’s why. Instead of viewing failure as something that I was working to avoid, I turned each potential failure in to a step closer to my ultimate objective. Richard Fenton, author of “Go for No!” wrote, “Success is the destination. Failure is how you get there.” With each failed burpee, each rep that wasn’t good enough, I was forced to complete more, in turn getting stronger, more determined, and more focused to do them correctly so as to not have to repeat them! With each day, the increased muscle soreness, the monotony of the movement, I was determined to not be beaten by a movement that I’d chosen to conquer.

I found that I developed the same mental state that I get when I failed a lift in Olympic-style weightlifting. You step up to the bar, focused, having decided that you’re going to execute and not be beaten by the bar. If you fail and miss the lift, you can choose to take it again or you can admit defeat and move on. I tend to get mad, focus more, and always step back up to the bar. That’s my competitive nature. That’s my refusal to fail. That’s me fighting to keep an open mind and know that with each failed attempt I am gaining strength of mind and body. This process has taught me that I am more competitive with myself than anything else.

In the beginning I quoted that people fear the consequences of failure more than the actual failure itself, thus motivation can stem from fear. Ask me on day 30, day 44, or even day 67, and I would’ve agreed, answered that there was no turning back now because everybody would see that we didn’t finish! As we got into the higher volume days, I realized that the only people paying attention to the recorded numbers on the whiteboard, the only people with high expectations, the only people not accepting failure, were ourselves! The only person that couldn’t accept failure was I.

The most important take-home message is to step up each day, open your mind, and know that failure is essential to success. Regardless of the type of success that you’re motivated by and for whom you’re doing it, understand that failure lights a fire within. Life is a series of failures, fights, and successes. Attack each day as such.

Count back from 100 burpees? Anyone? Anyone?

Top 5 Burpee Execution Locations:

1. Green Street, San Francisco: completed on New Year’s Eve, in a fabulous 70’s dress and black heels (18).

2. Naldi Acres, Livingston: completed 5 burpees in every room of my parents’ house, including bathrooms, in order to avoid the boredom (55).

3. Olema Farm House, Pt. Reyes: completed in farmhouse suite, Sunday morning, just before green tea and quality time (59).

4. Hard Rock Hotel, San Diego: completed on the 5th floor, in the hallway, next to rockin’ guitar signed by Van Morrison (83).

5. Pet-Co Park, San Diego: completed in the park/recreation area in center field of this beautiful MLB park (85).