5 Ways to Motivate Yourself to Do 100 Burpees

If you’re still relatively new here, you’ve probably noticed that on the first Friday of every month we do a 100 burpee challenge—100 burpees, in a row, as fast as you possibly can.

I love this challenge because it’s hard for everyone—newbies who’ve never done a burpee in their life, seasoned athletes, even people who have been working out consistently for years and years. There’s just something about committing to doing 100 burpees in a row and getting ready to push “GO” on your stopwatch that’s incredibly intimidating—even for those of us who have been doing the challenge every month for a while now.

Because there’s no doubt about it: doing 100 burpees in a row is hard. By the end, you’ll no doubt be gasping for breath and your muscles will be shaking, but it’ll be worth it, because you’ll have proven to yourself that you can do something most people consider impossible.

October’s 100 burpee challenge officially starts tomorrow (scroll down to the bottom of this post to see the full challenge rules), but in case you just found the site (or you just haven’t committed to the challenge yet), here are 5 ways to motivate yourself to do it:

#1: Plan a reward afterwards.

Giving yourself some type of reward after doing a tough workout like 100 burpees definitely works well for some people—but the trick is to make sure it’s something you really want—a massage, new training shoes, a fun dinner out, a weekend trip to the beach, etc.

Don’t just tell yourself you can have a protein shake afterwards or broccoli and sweet potatoes for dinner, because if you’re already struggling with the idea of completing 100 burpees that’s definitely not going to be enough motivation for you.

Think of your reward often as you push through burpee after burpee—it may just be what you need to stay motivated and keep on going.

#2: Make it an appointment.

This is one of the most obvious (yet underused) ways to make sure you do 100 burpees (or any other tough workout) when you say you will—simply write it in your calendar and/or set an alarm, then keep it just as you would any other appointment.

You wouldn’t cancel on your best friend for her birthday lunch or skip an important meeting at work just because you didn’t feel like going that day, would you? I didn’t think so.

So try and treat completing 100 burpees the same way: schedule it for Saturday at 9am (or whenever you like to work out). Then just know that once your alarm goes off, you’re going to throw on your workout clothes and crush it—no matter how much you don’t feel like doing it.

#3: Make a bet with a friend.

If you do best when competing with others, this one might work well for you.

Make a bet with a friend that if you don’t do 100 burpees in a row by the end of this weekend, you owe them dinner, coffee, a beer, or whatever is most motivating for you (and your wallet). That way if one of you doesn’t follow through, you can hold each other accountable and cash in on your bet.

If you can’t get anyone you know to agree to make a bet with you, you can always try using a site like Gym-Pact.com where you owe money if you don’t do what you say you’re going to do.

#4: Tell yourself you can’t do it…

Then prove yourself wrong.

If you’re terribly stubborn like I am, giving yourself goals that seem “impossible” will only make you want to accomplish them even more. If that’s you, try adding some mantras here too if that seems to help—whatever you have to do to get yourself to commit.

Because you can do anything you put your mind to, right?

#5: Remember your reason why.

Why did you get started on your health and fitness journey? Was it to feel more confident? Get stronger or add muscle? Feel better in your clothes? Gain more energy? Be able to keep up with your grandchildren and keep doing all your favorite hobbies when you’re older?

Whatever your reason, remember it—and remember that every burpee you do will get you closer to that goal. You haven’t picked the easiest path, but it’s definitely a worthwhile one.

October’s 100 burpee challenge rules

We’re going to mix it up a bit this month just to keep things fresh. So here are the rules for this month’s challenge:

Step #1: You do the 100 burpee challenge. Make sure to keep track of your time so you know how you’re progressing from month to month. You have by the end of the weekend (October 5th) to complete the challenge.

Step #2: Immediately after you do the challenge, snap a photo (a video works too) of yourself post-challenge. Post it to either Instagram or Twitter and make sure to tag me @12minuteathlete so I can actually find your photos. If you’re feeling really shy, you can email your photo to me at [email protected] (use the subject ‘100 burpee challenge photo’), but know that if you win the contest I’ll end up posting it on social media unless you tell me otherwise.

Step #3: I’ll look over all the photos and send a shirt (or tank top) to my favorite one.

Make sure to work as hard as you possibly can, and have some fun!