- Ryan Peck, 38, had multiple blood clots in his lungs that could have been fatal.
- After a long recovery, he wanted to regain his fitness, so he started doing 150 burpees a day.
- Now he completes burpees in about eight minutes in the morning.
This essay from told is based on a conversation with Ryan Peck. It has been edited for length and clarity.
About eight years ago, I woke up one night and couldn’t breathe. I was a fit, healthy 30 year old so this was unexpected. In the emergency room, the doctors told me that I had multiple blood clots in my lungs. About a third of people with this type of pulmonary embolism die within a month, and I’ve had a lot of them.
I was bedridden for about three months. I couldn’t even take my six-month-old son. That was hard, but the harder part was the emotional toll. I was a self-proclaimed health freak. Facing a debilitating health crisis turned my world upside down.
I slowly started to regain my fitness. I was walking more than going to the gym or playing soccer, but it was better than when I was in bed. Then, almost exactly a year after the first hospitalization, I had another blood clot. Doctors still don’t know why. I had to start the rehabilitation process all over again.
I recovered but never got back to the same level of fitness
Fortunately, I recovered from the pulmonary embolism. And yet, I never fully returned to the level of fitness I was at before my near-death experience. I had put on some weight while bedridden and had given up the intense workout routines that fueled my youth.
My doctor cleared me to exercise about six months after the clots. But even with that permission, I was still sore and tired. I just couldn’t do the types of exercise I used to do, which included CrossFit, running, and soccer league. Looking back, I think I needed to heal physically and emotionally.
About three years ago I was talking to someone at the gym who knew me before I got sick. He said I was a natural athlete. If I could just go back to my old ways, he told me. I knew he was right. I decided to take 90 days to restore my physical and mental health.
Ryan Peck was determined to regain his physical and mental health once he recovered.
Courtesy of Ryan Peck
I settled on burpees because they are very hard
I hate burpees (doesn’t everyone?) but they are such a good fitness marker. Even a friend of mine who can run a six minute mile has a hard time doing 25 burpees in a row. They are the ultimate fitness test. There’s form, then there’s burpee-fit.
I wanted to push myself to my limit and then beyond, so I decided to try to do 100 burpees a day. It was so much for me. At first I did 10 at a time, then I rested. It took me about 35 minutes to complete 100 burpees.
Doing burpees wasn’t fun—honestly, it still isn’t. But I felt amazing after completing them. Now I like to say that a burpee is better than a cup of coffee. By the end of the 90 days, my body and mind were transformed. I didn’t want to stop something that was working so well.
I have done more than 200,000 burpees
Today I do 150 burpees a day. It takes me about eight and a half minutes and I can do them all in a row without a break. I wake up, put on a podcast and knock them out. Sometimes I do them in my bathroom, sometimes on the deck; sometimes with my kids jumping under me and sometimes by myself.
Something so simple changed my life. I learned that I can be consistent. I’m not pushing myself to get the fastest time, I just want to get it done. This stubbornness has crept into other areas of my life.
At the same time, I learned that I can push myself. At first it seemed like stringing together longer and longer sets. When I started, doing 10 burpees in a row was really challenging. I recently did 225 continuously. I’ve learned not to limit what I’m capable of by telling myself it’s impossible.
After more than 200,000 burpees, I still don’t enjoy the movement. But I love the physical strength and mental strength it gave me. My medical history taught me that we only have one life and one body. My dedication to burpees helped me get the most out of both.
