I think jumping lunges are making a run at burpees for the most brutal exercise on the planet.
In today’s Best Body Boot Camp lower body tabata workout, Tina paired jumping lunges with a lunge/squat combination exercise with only 10 seconds of rest between the two. During the workout I was cursing Tina, but afterward I wanted to give her a hug because the workout was tough yet doable and 10 times more entertaining than a basic leg workout.
My fellow boot bampers, did that combination kill you or what!?
(If you’re a Best Body Boot Camp fan or have been wanting to try it out, rumor has it that one of the Healthy Holidays Giveaway Week giveaways just maaaay include three free entries into the next round of BBBC!)
Breakfast
When I arrived home from the gym, I made myself a strawberry banana protein smoothie for breakfast.
In the mix:
- 1 frozen banana
- 1 cup frozen strawberries
- 1 spoonful cashew butter
- 1/2 cup honey Greek yogurt
- 1 scoop GNC vanilla cream protein powder
- Unsweetened vanilla almond milk
Slurp.
See ya in a bit with an awesome giveaway! If you’re in the market for some new shoes and workout apparel, I think you’ll love today’s giveaway!
December Book Club
With 66 percent of the votes, the winning book for the PBF December Book Club is…
We’ll be discussing this book on the blog on January 7. Happy reading!
Question of the Morning
- What exercise do you think is the most brutal exercise on the planet?
While jumping lunges make me die a little inside, burpees still win the honor of the most horrific exercise in the whole wide world.
I really despise lunges and squats in general–but jumping lunges and jumping squats? AHH! Just..no!
SO brutal.
Amanda @ Romancing the Unusual
I HATE jumping lunges so I think you’re right with this! Burpees are a killer too because they get my heart rate up SO quickly (sometimes I think too quickly?) but those jumping lunges I just can’t get behind.
Katie @ Talk Less, Say More
Burpees for sure! Totally agree.
Krista @ Blonde Aesthetic
I agree about the jumping lunges – those are tough! I’d actually happily take burpees over jumping lunges. I think it’s partly to do with the fact that I feel like I’m going to trip over my feet due to my generally clumsy nature. I’m also afraid of box jumps – I’m still in awe of Ryan’s crazy high jump. How does he do it?!
Stephanie @ Legally Blinde
I’d have to agree with you… jumping lunges and burpees are by far the most brutal! I think I hate burpees just a tad bit more though.
Ashley @ My Food N Fitness Diaries
Hah! I agree that burpees are the worst. I also think diamond jumps & power jumps in Insanity are the worst too. Quite jealous of your workout as I had to forgo mine today due to an injury
Smoothie looks delish!
Melissa @ Freeing Imperfections
i hope you recover quickly, melissa!
Julie @ Peanut Butter Fingers
Burpees and up/downs are equally brutal!
Stefanie @ Thin Vegetarian
Man that was a tough workout this morning. Between the jump squats and jump lunges, I was one unhappy jumping bean. However I felt great to get really sweaty and get an entertaining work out in.
Beth @ Lessons Life Teaches Me
Burpees are always hard but in the new body pump releases lunges and jumping squats have been painful hahha
Anne Marie
i miss bodypump!!!!!!!!
Julie @ Peanut Butter Fingers
I have a love/hate relationship with jump squats. I love them at the time but when the soreness sets in… ouch! Gluts, hamstrings, and buns are suuuper sore all the time.
Kerry @ Totes My Oats
Burpees and Pull Ups are the most brutal that I can think of right now. My answer might change tomorrow! Jumping lunges don’t bother me too much. Can’t wait for the giveaway!
Sara @ fitcupcaker
ugh my legs were screaming and I was cursing Tina as well, but loved the burn! I despise working my legs so this was a great way to get a good workout and beat the boredom I usually experience doing mundane leg exercises! Yayy I am excited for What Alice Forgot!
Kaitlin @4loveofcarrots
I had to do jumping lunges in my workout today too, definitely a killer!
Laurie @ Love, Laugh, Laurie
Oh, I love jumping lunges! But jumps squats are killers. I didn’t do very well with the workout this morning.
So excited that What Alice Forgot won! Get ready, because once you start it, you won’t be able to put it down. I can’t wait to read your review.
Beckett @ The Birchwood Pie Project
I’m with you on the jumping lunges. I would do burpees all day long rather than doing jumping lunges.
Kristy @ Kristy’s Health Revolution
I feel like I could do jump squats/lunges all day. Love ‘em! Now Gorilla Squats?? 30 secs at most…. sometimes not even that much! Ouch!
I am still perfecting the burpee so I know I take them too slow, but as I am getting better and faster with them I can totally see why they would qualify as the worst move ever!
Amanda @ Eat More Rabbit Food
I would have to say hamstring ball curls are the worst for me! Coming from someone who is not super coordinated, this proves to be a very difficult exercise. But I am always glad I did them when it’s all over!
Jackie Vore
Burpee-box jumps. Disgusting! And Crossfit programmers seem to really love them!
Alex
Oh great I haven’t done todays workout yet but now I am sooooo excited to!
Kellye
I agree, burpees are horrible, but I’m not even very good at the classic lunge, let alone being expected the jump (I have really short legs)!
Kathy Trithardt
Lunges. Jumping lunges suck, but I hate them during my Bodyworks class because weighted & having to hunker down & hold & pulse w/a bunch of weight is pretty brutal too! Def not on my favs list! I’m sure burpees rank right up there w/them! Yikes.
Karey @ Nutty About Health
Jumping lunges are super brutal…but I think I hate squat jumps even more. And any combination that involves pushups into plank into mountain climbers or something of that sort. My arms die!
Meghan @ After the Ivy League
I agree with jumping lunges. They hurt my knees if I do too many of them (and I inherited my mom’s knee problems, so I have to be EXTRA careful about it.
)
I’ve never actually done a burpee before, so I don’t know if I’d hate it more or not, though.
Beks
I’m not doing BBBC, but I did a workout this morning that incorporated a bunch of burpees, lunge jumps, pushup jacks, and squat jumps…ouch. I am convinced that burpees are the most brutal of them all though!!!
LeAnne
Burpees for the win! I hate jumping lunges and jumping squats purely out of fear of messing up my knees, or already fragile hips. Tuck jumps are usually pretty brutal especially in an intense cardio circuit, but I usually enjoy the challenge a bit more.
Darrecia
I have a love hate relationship with burpees, jump squats and box jumps!!!
Amber
Burpees are always the worst for me. Some day I bet that will need to change, but there are so many alternatives that I think I’ll stick with those!
Kelly
Oh I already own that book! Good I can participate in the book club for the first time!
Yea, burpees are so evil but make you feel so strong afterwards.
Sara @ sarasmiles
Push ups! I have NO upper body strength…it’s sad!
Stellina @ My Yogurt Addiction
wow jump lunges with lunges/squats sounds so tough! As many people have said, I have a love hate relationship with burpees. But I would say I hate rowing the most, it doesnt look hard, but its boring and hard!
Molly @ Happy&Healthy
Hi Julie!
Have you ever used Gliding Discs before? I have a love/hate relationship with them. They make core and leg work SO tough but so rewarding at the same time!
Aside from those, my vote goes to tricep dips and tuck jumps. Ow.
Potatoes and Pilates
Haha jumping lunges are pretty rough but I don’t hate them! I actually started doing them during the workout this morning and found they were hurting my knees. Since I’m already injured I didn’t want to risk anything so I did burpees instead!
Katie @ Peace Love & Oats
If you’ve never done “man-makers”, look them up… they are crucial. But def give you a lot of bang for your buck! Burpees are hard core, too!
Sabrina Clever
Okay, so I was really hoping for Code Name Verity there, but that’s the marvelous thing about book clubs. You read books you normally wouldn’t read.
And burpees, hands down, eat my lunch every day of the week.
Haley @ The Saucy Apple
For some reason I think mountain climbers are extremely brutal. I always avoid mountain climbers but I love burpees so much.
Chelsa
Well, this is terrifying. Haha. I do my Best Body Bootcamp workouts as soon as I get home after work. Maybe today would be a good day to stay late at the office
Haha. I actually don’t hate burpees as much as I used to. I don’t usually do them 100%, though (eliminate the jump at the end), so maybe that’s why they’re not so brutal for me.
Bethany @ Accidental Intentions
Wow what a cool idea…online bootcamps, sounds super fun!
Sarah (Shh…Fit Happens)
Ahh, jumping lunges and burpees definitely top my list too!
Emily @ Emily Eats and Runs
Pushups – they always leave my arms shaking!!!
Megan@funsizedfitness
Most definitely! That combination was brutal enough that I had trouble leaping between lunges. I even slightly tripped over my own feet at one point which made me feel like a total dork. Legs.Officially.Wiped.Out!
amanda
The backwards bear claw is brutal!!!
Chelsie
I’m with you on both of those.. yesterday I did a circuit with jump lunges.. today my butt is killing me hahaha
Rachel
Bulgarian split squats are horrific. I usually do them with 25 to 35lbs in each hand and hate every second! I even hate them unweighted.
JessicaR
There are many exercises I dread, but I recently started doing prone jackknives on an exercise ball and they are rough!
Elizabeth @ HobbyLobbyist
For some reason I absolutely hate mountain climbers. Sometimes they don’t even feel as hard as other moves, but they just flat out annoy me. Therefore, I avoid them at all costs.
Katie
Burpees and suicides! Uggggh.
I’m kind of bored with my gym routine… I’m doing more yoga which is great, but the cardio I used to do ( running, biking) is boring to me lately. Noy sure why! Any tips?
Joelle (On a Pink Typewriter)
Check out bodyrock.tv for some ideas! I don’t have the equipment they use and feel like an a-hole using my timer at the gym but you can get some AWESOME ideas from that site!
Megan
Ahhh thank you!! I have been an avid runner for years, so not sure what my issue is lately. I’m going to give your recommendation a try!
Joelle (On a Pink Typewriter)
You can do tabata at home really easily! I have a tabata timer app on my phone.. you can pick two exercises (say squat, squat jump) and alternate them until you’ve done 8 total rounds (four whole minutes) for 20 seconds on 10 seconds off, then pick two more exercises and repeat!
Jamie
That’s an awesome idea! A friend of mine suggested a tabata app as well. Thank you!
joelle @ on a pink typewriter
BURPEES! Ohhhhh burpees. Love to hate them.
Ashlee
I’m in the middle of a book right now but put this one on hold at the library!
Megan
Excited about December’s book. Glad I picked up my copy early enough to get a head start.
Malory
I just trained in Les Mills GRIT Series & I can pretty much say that combining burpees with jump squats onto a high bench is the worst. SO tough. Not to mention doing jumping lunges after doing a bunch of high jump work & squats. OUCH.
Love a good smoothie. Mmmmm
Annette@FitnessPerks