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    How to finally master a burpee

    Rachel Fairbank

    THE WASHINGTON POST – There is perhaps no exercise as feared or recommended as a burpee. A full burpee combines a squat, jump-back, plank, push-up and a jump in the air into one continuous movement.

    “Burpees are a fully functional exercise,” said a personal trainer and owner of Anywhere Fitness Ben Walker. Different body parts have to work together, while also developing a fuller range of movement. “This promotes better movement and flexibility in our everyday life,” Walker said.

    The burpee was invented in the 1930s by a physiologist named Royal H Burpee Sr, as a way to test a person’s fitness. It was later adapted by the United States (US) Army to evaluate recruits’ fitness levels.

    Given how hard each of these separate exercises can be, combining them into a single exercise is a tough task, but one that develops and shows flexibility, and improves range of motion, strength and cardiovascular conditioning.

    “One of the biggest benefits is that burpees challenge the cardiovascular system as well as the muscular system in one catchall movement,” said a personal trainer and senior product manager with the American Council on Exercise Jacque Crockford. “When done appropriately, the burpee can be a high-reward exercise.”

    If you’d like to access some of the benefits of burpees, but don’t know where to start, these are some ways to safely and gradually work your way up to doing them.

    When it comes to learning to do a full burpee, think of it as an end-goal, rather than the beginning.

    “You’re much better off building up slowly and steadily, rather than overdoing it on day one and potentially hurting yourself,” said sports physician at Houston Methodist Hospital Vijay Jotwani.

    The risk of pushing yourself too hard, too fast is that burpees require a high degree of flexion in the wrists, elbows, shoulders, hips and knees, which can increase the risk of straining or injuring a muscle or ligament.

    To build up slowly, focus first on the individual components or modified burpees.

    “Just because someone does something one way doesn’t mean that it is incorrect to do it another way, especially if you have particular needs in your own body that you have to be managing,” Crockford said. “Giving yourself a little bit of grace is important.”

    A gradual approach can help avoid overtraining and injury. “As long as someone is listening to their body and slowly advancing the intensity of their exercise, the risk of injury is low,” Jotwani said.

    If you are recovering from an injury or have any concern, talk with your doctor and work with a certified fitness professional who can suggest additional modifications.

    One of the challenges of burpees is the quick transition from a prone to an upright position. If you are dehydrated, this can cause dizziness. Be sure to hydrate well, and if the dizziness persists, be sure to talk with your doctor.

    If you are struggling with one or several of the burpee’s components, work on them separately until you are comfortable doing each one.

    “The whole burpee can be broken down and workshopped,” said personal trainer and the founder of Studio SWEAT onDemand in San Diego Cat Kom.

    Starting with individual movements gives you the space to focus on developing the necessary strength. Combining them into a single continuous movement has the added benefit of getting your heart rate up.

    Thailand aims for 70pc population with booster soon

    BANGKOK (THE NATION THAILAND/ANN) – Thailand is aiming to administer COVID-19 booster shots to more than 70 per cent of the population before the virus can be declared endemic, government spokesman Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana has announced.

    Meanwhile, the Public Health Ministry is accelerating its vaccine rollout for the elderly across the country to protect them from the virus ahead of the Songkran festival in mid-April.

    Thanakorn said booster shots are necessary if people want to coexist safely with COVID-19.

    Not many people in Thailand have taken booster shots.

    He said Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha has expressed concern for the elderly, children and those with chronic conditions who can develop severe symptoms if infected.

    Prayut has suggested that village health volunteers across the country find a way of actively encouraging local residents, particularly those at high risk, to get booster shots so the 70-per-cent target can be met, Thanakorn said.

    More than 126.9 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been administered from February 2021 to March 17, and of those, 20.2 million were booster shots.

    Women’s Day event focusses on breaking the bias

    Women’s achievements in Brunei Darussalam were recognised during an event organised by the Embassy of Timor-Leste in Brunei Darussalam on Friday.

    The event, held in conjunction with International Women’s Day, was hosted by the spouse of the Ambassador of Timor-Leste to Brunei Darussalam Ana Guterres.

    Permanent Secretary (Community and Culture) at the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports Hajah Nor Ashikin binti Haji Johari was the guest of honour.

    More details on Monday’s Borneo Bulletin

    Nine deaths recorded in past 72 hours: Minister

    Nine COVID-19 cases have passed away in the past 72 hours, with two cases categorised as death due to the virus, said Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office and Minister of Finance and Economy II Dato Seri Setia Dr Awang Haji Mohd Amin Liew bin Abdullah at a press conference yesterday.

    The minister said the Ministry of Health (MoH) is currently investigating the causes of death, and once determined, an announcement will be made.

    Meanwhile, the two deaths were unvaccinated cases, the minister added.

    More details on Monday’s Borneo Bulletin

    Cambodia records less than 100 COVID cases

    PHNOM PENH (PHNOM PENH POST/ANN) – The Cambodian Ministry of Health has reported only 97 new COVID-19 cases, nine of which were imported and all were confirmed to be the Omicron variant.

    The ministry also reported 152 recoveries and one new death.

    As of March 20, Cambodia had recorded a total of 134,986 Covid-19 cases with 130,956 recoveries and 3,051 fatalities.

    Meanwhile, Chinese President Xi Jinping has committed another 20 million COVID-19 vaccine doses to Cambodia, five million of which are expected to arrive late this month.

    More details on Monday’s Borneo Bulletin

    Stern warning issued to TV stations over sensitive scenes

    KOTA BARU (THE STAR) – Malaysia’s Ministry of Communications and Multimedia (K-KOMM) has issued a stern warning to all operators of television stations not to display any scenes that touch on religious and other sensitivities in the country.

    Communications and Multimedia Minister Tan Sri Annuar Musa said the ministry would not hesitate to take action if there were television stations that violated the guidelines set.

    “Under the current regulation, the government gives the authority to censor drama content to the television station itself.

    “If we find that the television station does not follow certain guidelines, especially touching on issues related to religion, culture, customs and so on, then I will review the facility (censorship authority), and we may revoke it,” he told reporters after presenting donations to Form Six students in the Ketereh parliamentary constituency in conjunction with the “Back To School” programme yesterday.

    More details on Monday’s Borneo Bulletin

    HK to review COVID restrictions as cases decline

    TAIPEI (AP) – Hong Kong’s leader said yesterday that the government would consider lifting strict social distancing measures as new COVID-19 infections in the city continued trending downward.

    “I wouldn’t promise now that there’s room for adjustment,” Chief Executive Carrie Lam said. “But following a review, we have a duty to account for the findings in this review and the direction we will take.”

    More details on Monday’s Borneo Bulletin

    Car runs into carnival revellers in Belgium, killing six

    BRUSSELS (AP) – A car slammed at high speed into carnival revellers in a small town in southern Belgium early yesterday, killing six people and leaving 10 more with life-threatening injuries. Several dozen were more lightly injured.

     “What should have been a great party turned into a tragedy,” said Belgian Interior Minister Annelies Verlinden.

    The prosecutor’s office said that in the early stages of the investigation there were no elements to suspect a terror motive, and two locals in their thirties were arrested at the scene in Strépy-Bracquegnies, some 50 kilometres south of Brussels.

    More details on Monday’s Borneo Bulletin

    Russia bombs another shelter in besieged city

    LVIV, UKRAINE (AP) – Ukrainian authorities said yesterday that Russia’s military bombed an art school sheltering some 400 people in the embattled port city of Mariupol, where Ukraine’s president said an unrelenting Russian siege would be remembered for centuries to come.

    It was the second time in less than a week that city officials reported a public building where residents had taken shelter coming under attack. A bomb hit a Mariupol theatre with more than 1,300 believed to be inside on Wednesday, local officials said.

    There was no immediate word on casualties from the reported strike on the art school, which The Associated Press could not independently verify. Ukrainian officials have not given an update on the search of the theatre since Friday, when they said at least 130 had been rescued.

    More details on Monday’s Borneo Bulletin

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