RAM Burpees - The Next Evolution of the Burpee

The history of burpees, also known as squat thrusts, can be traced back to the 1930s when they were originally developed as a fitness assessment tool rather than a popular exercise in their own right. Here's a brief overview of the history of burpees:

Origins:

• Burpees were created in 1939 by Dr. Royal H. Burpee, a physiologist at Columbia University in New York City. Dr. Burpee developed the exercise as a part of his doctoral thesis, which was published in his work titled "Seven Quickly Administered Tests of Physical Capacity and Their Use in Detecting Physical Defects and Imbalances."

Original Purpose:

• Dr. Burpee's intent in creating this exercise was to devise a simple and quick way to assess the fitness of individuals. He designed the exercise to be a part of a comprehensive fitness test that evaluated an individual's agility, coordination, and muscular endurance.

The Original Burpee:

• The original burpee, as designed by Dr. Burpee, was a four-count movement that began with a squat, followed by a plank (push-up position), another squat, and then a vertical jump with hands raised. This sequence aimed to test an individual's ability to move quickly from one position to another while maintaining proper form.

Military Adoption:

• During World War II, the United States military adopted the burpee as a part of their training programs to assess and improve the physical fitness of soldiers. Burpees were used to prepare troops for the physical demands of combat.

Evolution in Fitness:

• Over the years, burpees evolved from being solely a fitness assessment tool into a popular exercise in the fitness community. This evolution is attributed to the exercise's effectiveness in improving cardiovascular fitness, muscle strength, and endurance.

Today, burpees are a staple in many high-intensity interval training (HIIT) workouts, boot camps, and fitness routines. They are recognized for their ability to provide a full-body workout in a short amount of time and have become a symbol of high-intensity and functional training. While the original intent of Dr. Burpee was to assess fitness quickly, his creation has had a lasting impact on the fitness world and remains a challenging and effective exercise used by individuals of all fitness levels to improve their health and physical fitness.

The RAM Burpee builds on the ground work laid by Dr Burpee, by allowing you tp easily add in weight, in a controlled and safe manner. After performing his first st of RAM burpees , Spartan CEO, and Burpee champion Joe De Sena said " Finally , the Burpee is a complete exercise" . What he meant was that the traditional bodyweight burpee had now "pull" part, and by adding in the RAM, the exercise was now 100% full body, working the back muscles too.