Hit the Floor
How Burpees Can Help Women Master Their Anger
Have you ever been so angry that you want to throw your phone against a wall? Not because you’re angry at the phone. No, you’re angry because there are a thousand tiny annoyances in life, and this last one is on your last nerve.
I’ve been there. I’m sure you have too.
And while leaving the room, taking a walk, counting to 10, and breathing deeply may calm you down and prevent you from doing something you’ll regret later (like throwing the phone across the room), the anger isn’t gone.
It’s just waiting.
Growing up, I learned to never show anger; that a woman acting angry wasn’t respected. I was never taught how to deal with anger constructively.
Burpees have been my saving grace. In those moments of anger, frustration, and stress, where all I can do is breathe, I can also bang out 10–20 burpees until the anger dissipates. Then, I’m left tired and elated that I did not allow a fleeting emotional state ruin my day.
Let me break down why:
Stress, anger, and frustration all stem from a form of fear, and fear is the gut sensation that something is not right within or around you. The typical responses to fear are fight, flight, or freeze.
Sometimes we can leave the room, take a walk, or go for a jog. This satisfies the flight response; the need to leave the area we find ourselves in for a safer space. This response is biologically attached to aerobic exercise; it’s why taking a walk, going for a run, or riding a bike generally calms those feelings down. Think horses getting spooked and immediately running away from the thing that frightened them.
Sometimes we can’t leave, and we freeze. We sit very still and very quiet. We focus on our heartbeat. We play with our biofeedback to calm ourselves down and think through the fear we are feeling. Anyone who has seen someone calmly leave a store or restaurant while their child throws a screaming fit in their arms has seen this in action. This response is biologically linked to meditation and clearing the mind to focus on the present moment. Think of the rabbit hidden in camouflage when a predator comes near. It freezes so it can gauge the best opportunity to get away with its life.
And finally, sometimes we think we are directly threatened, and the only option we have left is to fight. We envision grisly scenes of punching faces and pulling hair, knowing that this course of action will wind up with us being beaten up, locked up, or both. So, wisely, we do not act. Instead, the person that has threatened us walks away without realizing how close they came to having a bad day.
But the anger doesn’t leave; it’s still attached to that need to fight. This response is biologically linked to anaerobic exercise: lifting heavy weights, explosive movements to deal devastating blows, kickboxing, martial arts, and brawling. Every animal fight you see in the wild and every throw down in a bar is based on this unique series of stimuli and responses.
Burpees satisfy this response with zero risks to your life or livelihood. The burpee is an explosive and coordinated movement designed to have your entire body work congruently to deliver the ultimate performance.
You imagine punching someone who has recently pissed you off. You squat down, hit the floor, and kick your legs out into a devastating strike. Then, you do a push-up to punish the floor for making you mad. Finally, you jump back in and hop up defiantly, having defeated your enemy in combat! At least, according to your sensory neurons firing at your brain, telling it that the fight response has been satisfied, and we can all calm down now.
My burpee practice has 1) saved me from fighting with my spouse, 2) helped me deal with disappointment, and 3) has become my go-to method for getting back to a positive mindset.
So, if you find yourself angry and unable to let it go, I have three words for you: Hit the floor.
