I have fibromyalgia and a dodgy lower back. Can I skip burpees and do something else?

[PhilSwagielka]

Background: I have fibromyalgia and as a result, my joints and muscles are pretty painful. I had a crosstrainer but the thing broke and I can't fix it, so my main forms of exercise are workouts or walking/playing Pokemon Go. I've recently started looking at Neila Rey's superhero themed workouts and while a lot of them look fun, I can only do one circuit (you're supposed to do three) which is embarrassing enough. But a few of them have FUCKING BURPEES. And I can only do one or two at most, and I know loads of people rave about them and how great they are but they're torture for me and I always end up in agony when I attempt them. I'm embarrassed about it because I used to do a Boxercise class and I was the one person there who couldn't do burpees. Are there any alternatives?

I get angrier by the day at silly Joe wicks. No, of course you don't have to do burpees at all! They are a hideous exercise only designed to shame people who cannot do them. I don't like hiit at all, it's pretty pointless. I walk and lift weights, no need for anything else. You need to find some new workouts to do. I like Alice liveing on Instagram, she does bodyweight and weights exercises.

Definitely, I'm pretty fit and have never done a burpee in my life!

I'm hypermobile and have two totally trashed knees, so have to be pretty careful about what I do. Like the pp, I lift weights and get my cardio from walking. If you don't have any kit at home there are plenty of body weight exercises you can do in a slow and controlled fashion that will get results whilst protecting your joints.

I've avoided all high impact workouts for 20 years because my joints can't handle them. If I had to pick a class now, I'd go for Body Pump or Body Balance as the weights room at the gym isn't an option.

If you enjoy the higher energy HIIT type stuff, always explain to the instructor about your back problems and get them to give you alternatives. For now, google alternatives or just don't do them and jog on the spot rather than hurting yourself.

I have hypermobile knees too, @AlannaOfTrebond, lifting weights has helped me no end. I was starting to get odd knee pains when standing up from unusual angles and I just don't anymore! I'm sure hiit would do me no good. You don't have to get in a sweaty mess with a soaring heart rate to keep fit, it's just a lie! Controlled movements with resistance (ie bands, weights, your own bodyweight) is the way to go.

I'd just do squats as a burpee alternative - that's what they suggest in combat

Just realised my last post could be a bit confusing.

The weights room at the gym is my favourite place and learning how to lift has improved my joint problems immeasurably as well as totally changing my body shape. My suggestion of classes instead is for doing virtual ones at home whilst gyms are shut.

I did weights as well at the gym, and I have a couple of light dumbells at home. I just have to be super careful about posture because I got sciatica due to deadlifting with bad posture. That was not fun.

@dementedpixie When I did Boxercise and we were warming up, the instructor got me doing squats instead of burpees or sprinting as he knew I had a dodgy knee (early onset osteoarthritis, runs in the family). I always dreaded having different instructors because they always made us do burpees and I just refused. Especially when in between sparring, you had to do burpees with your gloves on, and it's not easy balancing on your hands with boxing gloves on.

@MrsJamin my stepdad does Joe Wicks and yes, burpees are on the agenda. My mum mentioned this last night and said she knows people who just will not do them because they're so painful. I was never into the whole military fitness thing either. I went to a boot camp session once and was in floods of tears at the end because it hurt so much.

If you are on Instagram, Fly London does low impact workouts, with loads of options for people with injuries. No burpees .

Do whatever you can manage. Could you walk out a burpee - bend your knees, hands to the floor, step one foot out and then the other to high plank position, then walk your feet in one at a time and stand up. No jumping, no impact. Any class instructor who doesn't give you adaptable options should be burnt in hell IMO!

@EmpressPenguin thanks, I am. I'm going through a terrible fibro flare-up, possibly because of the workout I did earlier in the week - I went for a walk playing Pokemon Go round my local park and I can barely stand. No exaggeration.

Burpees are both high impact aerobic & body weight exercises (my train makes me do "bunny hop burpees" but he's certifiable sometimes). So could you substitute other slower exercises to achieve the same goal?

What about push ups from the knees, taking care to keep very good form through your core (film yourself)? Or the Turkish get up without a weight? Or down-ups very very slowly?

I think half the problem with burpees (they are foul but boy they offer an all-over body workout and condition you quickly) is that they are fast & furious - you kind of have to throw yourself into them.

But if you break it down, they're a push-up & a jump with a forward fold in between.

Is a down up like a squat thrust? I went on Youtube to see people do them and both down ups and Turkish get ups involve putting weight on your hands, which can be quite painful for my wrists.

Will it make any difference to the effectiveness if I do burpees slowly/broken down?

Down ups are sort like a burpee without the jump. But it sounds as though the whole thing is not for you - putting weight though your wrists.

I guess what I'd be thinking about is - what do you want out of any exercise?

You could do planks on your elbows, for example, and make that active & dynamic by toe-tapping, or moving forwards & back. Personally, I don't like planks (except maybe just 60 secs in a full arm plank) - I think it's just too easy for people to do them badly & then they're not really much use.

Or breaking down the burpee:
forward fold (soft knees)
hands on ground/floor
walk your hands out to full length
back up to down dog,
upright

something like that?

Or just to low impact star jumps.

I do either squats or slow motion burpees (stepping each leg out individually then back in again, and I don't do the press up fully but on my knees if it's those ones in the exercise video)

@PhilSwagielka sorry you are suffering. I don't know much about fibromyalgia but if a workout leaves you struggling to walk, it sounds to me like it's best avoided or at least adapted to your needs. I guess we are all doing online workouts now but they can be a bit of a blunt instrument. Good luck, hope you feel better soon.

I tried breaking down burpees. It still hurts and I couldn't even manage 10.

I guess one of my main worries is that there's something wrong with me, or that I'll never be able to get fitter, purely because I can't do burpees.

I do Joe Wicks, but as someone recovering from ME and 3 stone overweight I struggle to do some of the more intense exercises. I either do as many as I can manage and then rest, or more often swap for star jumps. Star jumps feel much easier than burpees to me and don't kill my knees like a lot of the exercises do. If you can manage them you could hold a small bottle of water in each hand too, as that's kind of strength and cardio a the same time?

Nah, nothing wrong with you if you can't do burpees. There are loads of other ways to get strong.

Star jumps I CAN do.

I can do them but I hate them! If I’m doing hiit I will just do a plank instead or mountain climbers.

@PhilSwagielka hope you don’t mind me bumping the thread. How are you doing? I hope your flare up is going away now.

I can’t do burpees either - even slowed down it’s a no for me as I get mega dizzy (I have PoTS as well as fibro/ME).

I really empathise with the frustration over not being able to do something - in the end I got sick of having to adapt everything as I just felt like a failure. So I made my own routine instead - it’s really short and gentle but I’m going to increase it this week (and got slightly heavier dumbbells) - slowly but surely as I don’t want to risk too much.

Just wanted to say I hope you’re ok and that the exercise is going well!

Thanks! I've got some kind of chest infection so I'm not great, BUT my local gym is opening soon and I can't wait to go back, plus I've got a new crosstrainer-cum-bike. That at least is something I can do.

Aah well done phil that’s great about the new equipment! I’m collecting new slightly heavier weights soon and got a new boxing game on the switch to mix things up a bit :o

Sorry you’ve been ill though - chest infections are what I dread above all else, illness wise, as it was my initial trigger for the ME.

My gym opens tomorrow! I haven’t booked a slot yet, I’m hoping to soon but hopefully they’ll have ironed out any wrinkles by then in the hygiene/admin etc.