Saturday is the birthday of a great personality and animal lover who inspired a generation of zookeepers and conservationists. Steve Irwin would be 58 years old. We lost him way too soon, but I feel somewhat fortunate that his legacy lives on in his children and the Australia Zoo.
Steve inspired the idea of doing Conservation Hero Workouts, influenced by CrossFit’s Hero Workouts (called WODs) that are named after fallen military heroes. To make it on the ZooFit Conservation Hero list, one must have dedicated their life to preservation of animal species and inspired others to learn, care, and act for conservation. If there is only ONE human being who fits this description, it was Steve, the Crocodile Hunter.
I’ve posted this workout before, but it bears repeating. This workout is my go-to whenever I travel or can’t think of what to do. It is my all-time favorite, and I know you’ll love it, too. If nothing else, it’ll make you say “crikey mate” and gives you a whole new appreciation for burpees.
Steve Irwin
This workout is known as a Burpee Countdown. I have programmed a 400 meter run between rounds, but you can do whatever is convenient/accessible/modified for your level or needs. In place of the “run” (trust me, even when I run, I don’t run), you can row 400 meters, do 20 shuttle sprints, 100 jumping jacks or jump rope, a quarter mile on an elliptical. The choice is yours. You can also modify burpees as you need, doing them on a chair or bench, not going down all the way if you need to, taking out the jump at the end, or stepping back in place of jumping.
- 10 burpees, 400 m
- 9 burpees, 400 m
- 8 burpees, 400 m
- 7 burpees, 400 m
- 6 burpees, 400 m
- 5 burpees, 400 m
- 4 burpees, 400 m
- 3 burpees, 400 m
- 2 burpees, 400 m
- 1 burpee, 400 m
Isn’t that workout BEAUTIFUL? Keep it up, and remember to train positive!