MABA: You're going to LOVE these photos

Y'all have done burpees in some crazy places.

In this newsletter: MABA with waffles, a jet engine, high up on a rooftop and more, plus an update on Disco Ball and the whack-a-doodle final day planned by F3 The Capital.

Make America Burpee Again (MABA) is a nationwide CSAUP in which each of us is doing 3,100 burpees in 31 days. Fall down. Get back up. Together.

I am sitting at 4,712 burpees and every single one of them, and more besides, were worth it because they brought me this photo of Goose in New Orleans and his flock. If we had sponsored a MABA email competition, the missive Goose attached with this glorious photo—in burpee position, surrounded by 476 kids!—would have been in the running to win. It has so many awesome parts.

“Every Saturday I make waffles for my eight kids, and I wear my waffle-making shirt. This morning, I got sets of burpees in while each waffle cooked and kept the baby entertained at the same time. It was glorious!”

EIGHT KIDS! WAFFLE-MAKING SHIRT! BABY ENTERTAINED! And, of course SETS OF BURPEES WHILE EACH WAFFLE COOKED! Goose sent me a video, too, and let me just say the plaid pajama bottoms and the cape on the back of his Superman shirt were an elegant touch.

There is so much to love about this photo of Beaker in Wheaton. First, the location. That’s a curling … lane? Rink? What the hell do you call the place where you “play” curling? Second, the pants! I hope they came with a free toaster, Beaker. Third, Beaker got some air. Fourth, on the day before his 39th birthday, he completed 10 burpees for every year he has spent on the earth. That total of 390 put him to the goal of 3,100.

That’s Bartles and Jaymes of Naperville doing “swurpees”—burpees while pushing his daughter on the swings. I wish you could hear her giggles.

That’s Chilipepper of F3 Suncoast getting it done next to a JT9D TurboFan engine off a Boeing 747.

Roller Skates from St. Louis brings joy, enthusiasm and high spirits to every burpee, whether it’s in the Gloom or on a rooftop in downtown St. Louis. Give Escalator credit, too, for getting the Arch in the shot.

This is my man SAGA doing shirtless, shoeless, hatless, gloveless, pantsless burpees in the snow because F3! He’s another Wheaton PAX; he works at the university there. These burpees put him at 5,000, a startlingly high number he was predestined to meet. (That’s a Reformed joke for my Wheaton brothers.)

Preblast: 2 p.m. Central time, January 31 (today!)
A MABA convergence, live from STL

There will be burpees. Lots and lots of burpees. So many burpees. All of them broadcast live on our Facebook page. You’ll get to put faces to all our names. You’ll also get to meet Beans, as he’ll co-Q and encourage you to join us for GrowRuck. Bring a coupon because SlowPitch is psycho and wants to do Lion King burpees.

How to look good doing a burpee

MABA t-shirts are available. Order here.  They’re beautiful—easily the greatest design commemorating an attempt to do 3,100 burpees in 31 days I’ve ever seen. Many thanks to Short Circuit for the design.

Patch nerds of MABA nation, rejoice!

The patches are available here. It appears from this link that you have to buy them in groups of five. So get with your friends and buy them together. Iron it onto your jean jacket, you big dork. #teamidontunderstandwhyyoulovepatches

A non-MABA note: Come GrowRuck with us!

You should come to St. Louis and GrowRuck with us. July 16-18, sign up details coming soon. Come get your ass handed to you alongside MABA leaders CFIT, Red Turtle, SlowPitch, DD, Jalopy and Brick. I’ll be there with bells on. But hopefully not a blindfold.

Finish strong

To wrap up MABA on its final day today, the loony PAX in The Capital plan to do 100 burpees and run a mile … FIVE TIMES. That’s 500 burpees and five miles. Meanwhile, in Naperville, Disco Ball has eclipsed 10,000 burpees.

This is your last day to hit the goal of 3,100. Push yourself but don’t hurt yourself. Fall down. Get back up. Together.

Your totals are here. Through Saturday afternoon, 326 men had submitted 845,545 burpees. 122 men have hit the goal of 3,100 burpees already. Another 50 or so appear likely to make it. From the outset, MABA’s goal was 1 million burpees. We’re not going to make it. But MABA is not ultimately about numbers. It’s about community. It’s about resilience. Fall down. Get back up. Together.

In the next issue: A final look back at MABA.