Transcription
Hello busy dads and busy people everywhere. Today's video is for those of you out there who are working through lower back issues. A question that is often put to me on this channel is if I've got a history of lower back issues, slip disc, that kind of thing, are burpees safe for me? And what I have discovered through working with hundreds of people one-to-one as their burpee coach is that the answer is it's dicey.
I have had people come to me with pre-existing shoulder issues, elbow issues, knee issues, and in every case, we have been able to build a thriving burpee training practice where we work around the issue. But when someone comes to me wanting to build their burpee practice with lower back issues, I warn them that this is the one issue where we have to tread incredibly carefully. And even with the most scrupulous and careful reps, there is always a danger of aggravating the issue. And I'm sad to say that several of my clients have found themselves in a position that they've just drawn the conclusion that burpee training isn't safe for their lower back.
And so I've been thinking about what a safer variation of the burpee would look like for those of you who have pre-existing lower back issues. Now, let me emphasize, I have never had any kind of lower back issues. Burpees have never given me a moment of thought about the lower back. I do not think that this movement will create new lower back issues for those of you who have never had them before, as long as performed safely. But if you have pre-existing issues with the lower back, you need to tread very carefully.
Now, let me emphasize that I am not a medical professional of any kind. I have no expertise or education in physiotherapy or anything like that. So, please take what I'm about to recommend with a grain of salt. But let me tell you the story of what you're about to see. So, one of my practitioners, a man by the name of Osie, who you're going to meet in just a second, um, is himself a very devoted burpee practitioner. He's very serious about his training, but he's also had a history of lower back issues and there was a six-count session where he found himself aggravating them. And Aussie was able to localize the source of the problem to count five of the six count. The part where you round the back in order to jump in. He wanted to create a burpee variation that would avoid that rounding of the back but still be dynamic, demanding, rewarding. And what he came up with is really quite intriguing. It is a very distinctive burpee variation. I've never seen anything like before and it's easily adaptable for a six-count variation and a Navy Seal variation. I've tried it myself and I have found it to be demanding and rewarding. It feels quite different to a six-count but no less demanding. And I really think that for those of you who are worried about lower back issues, experimenting with Aussie's burpee variation could give you a viable path forward.
So without further ado, I'm going to hand it over to my good friend Osie. He's going to explain to you the thinking behind this variation. He's going to demo it for you. Give it a try. Feel it out. See if it's right for you. This has to be a trial and error process. I'm not making any recommendations in this video. I just want to share this resource with you because I think it's been of real value to Aussie. It could be of value to you and it has the blessing of the busy dad. Like I said, I've tried it out and it is a really excellent movement. Very stimulating, very beneficial. Here's Aussie.
Well, hi there. My name is Aussie. I'm a burpee practitioner. I've been doing burpees for almost a year now and I started the Busy Dad program in July. So, I've been doing it for a couple of months now. It's a super amazing program, minimalist burpee program. I really enjoy it. An opportunity to practice commitment and strengthening the and testing the body and mind.
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In August, I was doing a six-count session and at the fifth count, you know, the jump back from the push-up position, I hurt my lower back quite badly. I have a history of lower back issues. So yeah, I couldn't do burpees for a week or so. I only did push-ups and dips instead. And I realized that I have to come up with a sustainable way to train the burpee because I really want to practice. It's such an amazing movement. So, I started experimenting and I found out that actually coming up from the push-up position with a lunge step instead of a jump protects my uh lower back. Well, I'm not an expert in fitness or physiology, but it seems to work for me. It keeps the back straight and it activates the glutes and the core. Everything is really tight in a good way. So, yeah, that's how the lunge burpee was born. And I'm going to show you the movement. I just quickly going to mention that I also switched to using push-up handles because they reduce the distance from the floor to standing up and also protects my wrists and they give a deeper push-up. So, win-win. Um, yeah. So, this is the lunge burpee.
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. Eight counts. Again. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. Few more. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight.
So, yeah, pretty simple. It kind of lacks the explosive part of the original six-count, but but I think it's okay. It's more about endurance. See how my heart rate elevated immediately. I actually did a session like half an hour ago. So yeah, it feels like a stair master stairmaster workout with push-ups and there is a lot to keep track with because you're already counting the different stages of the movement with the original six-count. With the lunge variation, you have to be mindful to use both your legs for the lunge equally. So, I like to alternate between sets. Do one set of 10 maybe with this leg and one set of 10 with this and so on. Yeah, that feels the easiest way. But yeah, that's the lunge burpee. And uh I hope you will try it. Even if you don't have back issues, it's quite a demanding variation. I feel like the cardio load might be even heavier than with the original six-count. So try it and enjoy. Bye-bye.