This CrossFitter Is Going to Attempt 10,000 Burpees in a Day for Charity

Philip Ellis
·3 min read
Photo credit: Mitchell Adams - Instagram
Photo credit: Mitchell Adams - Instagram

From Men's Health

A CrossFit athlete from Britain is raising money for frontline healthcare workers during the coronavirus pandemic by taking on a physically grueling challenge involving the notoriously difficult burpee.

Mitchell Adams, a five-time CrossFit Games Regionals athlete and two-time winner of the Fittest in the UK title, has set himself the task of doing 10,000 burpee reps in a single day. He hopes to raise £1 (around $1.24) for each and every burpee, in order to meet his donation goal of £10,000 for the National Health Service.

Since announcing the challenge, Adams has been posting updates to his Instagram grid, providing additional details such as the technique he will be using during the challenge, and the movement standard required for each individual burpee.

The standard that Adams must achieve in order for a burpee to count is as follows:

  • Chest and hips to the ground

  • Jump both feet in together

  • Jump off the floor with both feet leaving the ground at the same time

  • Hips and knees must both meet full extension whilst in the air during the jump

  • Both hands must finish above the head at the top of each rep

"The time cap is 24 hours for this, however 16 hours is my personal target," Adams wrote on Instagram. "That's just over 10 reps per minute."

View this post on Instagram

2,500 BURPEES - 3 Hours, 37 Minutes &10 Seconds. . . The Break down: 10 Rounds 10 Minutes on at 13.1 RPM Rest 60s Straight into: 14 Rounds 5 Minutes on at 13.3 RPM Rest 60s 3 Minutes rest 253 reps unbroken @12.6 RPM. . . Total moving time: 190 minutes Total rest time: 27 minutes Total time 217 minutes (including 3 toilet breaks) . . 2500 ÷ 217 minutes = 11.5 Average RPM. . . Forecast time at 11.5 RPM = 14 Hours 29. . . 90 Minutes ahead of target time if 16 hours and 9.5 hours ahead of the 24 hour time cap. . . Obviously this is only 25% of the work and alot can go wrong in the 75% that remains, still this 2,500 went much better than anticipated and i certainly could have continued at this pace. . . Main discomfort: Wrists (although much better than the last 2 sessions). . . I'm putting in the work to put in a valiant effort to get these 10,000 done. Please make it worth while by donating just a small amount. Huge huge thankyou to those supporting this event and those who have already donated. Special shout out to @sophiejeannelaird for rep counting today :). . . @crossfit_wolverhampton @theathleteprogram @xendurance_eu @prepkitchenuk @wolversonfit @competeforce @compex_uk

A post shared by Mitchell Adams (@mitch_adamsz) on Apr 21, 2020 at 3:09am PDT

"When you're doing you average CrossFit workout, a burpee is used for quite high intensity workouts where you're going really really fast," he says. "For this, 10,000, or arguably anything over 100 reps, it's going to be more endurance-based."

He stresses the importance of having an efficient movement pattern in longer workouts and challenges like the one he is training for, in order to minimize the strain on the chest and shoulders. For Adams, this involves using the mechanical advantage of the body to "snake up" out of the lower part of the movement.

The 10,000 burpee challenge will take place on Sunday May 3. To donate, visit Adams' JustGiving page.

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