Table of Contents
A lot of people who exercise have a love-hate relationship with burpees. If you’re someone new to exercising, you may ask, “What’s a burpee?” Also known as a squat thrust, a burpee (or burpees) is a full-body exercise that consists of a plank followed by a jump squat. This exercise is used in the Army and Navy as a way to test agility and strength.
Because of how challenging burpees are, many individuals dislike it, but it’s undeniable that it brings numerous benefits and therefore has become a staple in many exercise programs. If you want to transform your body from head to toe in a fast and efficient manner, burpees are for you. Read on to find more of this exercise’s benefits and how you can do a burpee workout!
Benefits of Burpees
Love it or hate it, a burpee is one of the most effective ways to achieve your fitness goals. A burpee’s most obvious benefit is that it’s a bodyweight exercise and a cardio exercise in one. This perfect combination makes it the ideal workout for losing fat and building muscle at the same time. Just one simple movement can test and increase your strength and aerobic capacities.
A burpee can also increase your functional fitness, helping you perform better in your everyday life. Burpees fortify your chest, arms, front deltoids, thighs, hamstrings, and abs. When your muscles are strong, activities such as walking, lifting things, going up the stairs, and the like become a lot easier for you.
Best of all, burpees are free and portable. You don’t need to hit up the gym or use special exercise equipment to tone your entire body with a burpee. All you need is yourself, a floor, and a whole lot of guts. Do them in the office, at home, at the park, anywhere you’d like.
How to Do a Burpee
The steps involved in a burpee are ridiculously simple but it’s very important to get the technique and form right. Otherwise, you’ll risk injuring yourself. Make sure that you do a burpee correctly by starting slow and doing only 1 to 3 reps. Once you’re used to it and have the proper form down, you can increase your pace and reps. That said, here’s how you can perform a basic burpee:
- Begin by standing tall with your feet hip-width apart.
- Squat down to plant your palms on the floor or an exercise mat and jump your feet back into a plank position.
- Immediately hop your feet forward, returning to a squat position.
- From the squat position, jump as high as you can.
If you want a burpee to be even more challenging than it already is, you can add a push-up before hopping your feet forward to a squat position. Remember, ease into a burpee and only increase the pace and reps once you’re fully accustomed to it.
Burpee Workouts To Try
A burpee alone is already a complete and intense workout that you don’t even need to add any other exercises to it. However, if you find yourself getting bored with a classic burpee or if you feel like you can take your workouts a level further, here are some burpee variations to try!
Burpee + Plank Jack
This burpee variation will raise your heart rate and metabolism. Additionally, it can tone your core further. Begin with your feet hip-width apart, standing straight. Jump into the air, and then lower your hands to the ground. Hop your legs back into a plank position.
While in the plank position, jump both legs out to the side, and then immediately jump them back together. Hop your legs forward into a squat position, and then jump straight into the air. Repeat as many times as you can in 30 to 60 seconds.
Descending Burpee Ladder
Start by doing a set of 10 burpees. Rest for a minute, and then do a set of burpees. Rest for one minute after. Continue lowering your burpee by one on each set until you reach just one rep. Don’t forget to rest for a minute between each set.
Burpee Shoulder Press
This workout adds extra toning to your shoulders and therefore requires the use of dumbbells. If you don’t have any dumbbells on hand, you can also make use of water bottles. Start by standing and holding the dumbbells on your sides. Immediately lower down to the ground and hop your feet back into a plank.
Hop your feet forward and return to standing. Instead of jumping, do a shoulder press by raising the dumbbells to a 90-degree angle and then extend your arms straight above your head. Lower your arms back down and repeat the burpee. Do as many as you can in 30 to 60 seconds.
100 Burpee Challenge
This one is pretty straightforward. Just do one set of 100 burpees as fast as you can. To make it easier, get the first 20 burpees out of the way quickly. Rest for a minute, and then do 10 burpees. Rest again, and do another 10 burpees. Continue alternating between resting and doing 10 burpees until you hit the 100 burpee mark.
Burpee HIIT Workout
Burpees are an intense form of exercise, making them an ideal addition to a HIIT routine. For this one, go all out and do as many burpees as you can for 30 seconds. Rest for 30 seconds after, making that one set. Repeat and strive to do a total of five sets.
Final Note
Burpees can be very demanding, especially if you’re a workout beginner. But the intensity of this workout is what makes it an incredible full-body exercise that trumps others. If you haven’t considered burpees as a part of your routine, you should try incorporating them now! And if you’re someone who’s very used to doing burpees, spice up your regimen by doing burpee variations!
Remember to make sure that you have the proper form when doing burpees. If you feel any discomfort, it’s best to stop and if needed, seek professional medical advice.
