Many health experts are now seeing the benefits of doing burpees, as they are a simple movement that can be easily added to anyone's strength and conditioning program. Let's take a closer look at what a burpee is.
Are you ever going to fail a burpee?
The answer is no.
Kneeling down and standing up again may not always be pretty or graceful, but it doesn't take much talent. This is a great metaphor for life in general- sometimes you get knocked down by a setback, but you find a way to get back up and keep going. For this reason, doing burpees is a great way to build character.
What is a Burpee?
To complete a burpee, jump your feet back, bringing your chest to the floor. Push back up off the ground, snapping your feet forward towards your hands. Finally, jump and clap.
So why do people hate burpees?
They are hard and can quickly fatigue your muscles and lungs. They are also often used as punishment, which might stir up negative memories for some people.
But if you follow the tips below, you can make your workout much more manageable and even something you look forward to, rather than dreading it or avoiding the gym altogether.
No matter what your goals are, doing burpees can have a positive effect on your fitness not just physically but mentally.
constant repeating and becoming annoyed with the movements helps develop admirable qualities such as determination and perseverance. This lesson can be applied to real life when things become difficult; you are reminded to never give up.
Burpees are very effective in improving your gymnastics strength and overall conditioning because they make your muscles and lungs work harder than any other movement.
You can perform burpees anywhere, without equipment or much space. You don't need a gym to do them, and you can do them outdoors if you want.
Squats are an easy movement to perform that requires nothing more than your body. You have no excuse not to workout.
Additionally, anyone can do some variation of a burpee – from beginner athletes to those carrying excess weight to kids (who love them)!
What Muscles do Burpees Work?
Burpees are a full body workout that strengthens the entire body. Each repetition works the arms, chest, quadriceps, glutes, hamstrings, and core.
Burpees are much better than isolation exercises like bicep curls and tricep extensions because they train your whole body at once. You'll burn more calories in less time if you do them with high intensity.
Burpees can help improve your training by making it more dynamic and faster paced. The movement of your hips during a burpee can help you learn how to generate force from your core to your extremities.
Burpees for Weight Loss
Burpees are great for weight loss because they are a full-body movement that requires little skill. Anyone can do them, even when they are tired. They may not look pretty, but you can just keep going.
Burpees are versatile and can be done as part of a long or short workout. However, since burpees are already intense, the best way to use them for weight loss is to do them as part of a high-intensity interval (HIIT) workout.
You will get the best results if you make the work and rest intervals vary in length and if you push yourself as hard as possible during the work intervals.
This means that for every 3 minutes of work, there should be 1 minute of rest.
An example would be this workout that uses a 2:1 rest to work ratio:
Five Sets for Max Reps:
- 30 seconds of Burpees.
- 60 seconds of rest.
How many calories do Burpees Burn?
How many calories you burn from doing burpees varies depending on how many you do and how long you do them for. In general, the higher the power output, the more calories you burn. So, if someone does 20 burpees in a minute, they are probably burning more calories than someone who does 10 burpees in a minute.
In addition to body weight and metabolism, power output is a significant factor in the number of calories burned.
How to do a Burpee
There are many ways to do a burpee, some of which allow you to move quickly without worrying about too many standards, and some of which require equipment or meeting certain standards for purposes of competition.
Some people have tried to make the burpee even more difficult by adding other exercises, like pull-ups or box jumps, to them.
The burpee is a simple exercise that involves falling down then standing up.
How to Perform a Proper Burpee
We'll start with the basics of this movement and perfect them before moving on to more difficult variations. The key to doing strict burpees is maintaining a 6-count cadence and good form through each position. This movement is done to improve strength and perfecting each rep is crucial. Every position must be hit for the rep to count.
How to execute 6-count burpees:
- Squat & place hands on the ground.
- Jump legs back so you are in the top of the push-up position.
- Perform a Push-Up Negative (lower yourself with control and perfect position i.e. straight line from your head to your toes).
- Press yourself back up to the top of the push-up position.
- Jump your feet back in and so that you are in position 1.
- Jump and clap hands behind head.
Rev Up the Speed by Removing 3 Counts
When you are comfortable with the 6-count burpee, you can start picking up the pace by eliminating some steps. The first step to eliminate is step 1, or at least merge it with steps 2 and 3.
Here’s what that looks like:
Burpee Crash Drill
How to Execute a Burpee Crash Drill:
In order to do the push-up correctly, place your hands on the ground and kick back at the same time. You don't have to worry about doing strict reps; just try to eliminate as much of the pushing as possible. This will help you move faster and won't fatigue your muscles as much. You can also save your quads by not doing a squat. In the beginning, you might only be comfortable landing at the top of the push-up, but with more practice, you will become more comfortable catching yourself near the bottom.
This drill is designed to help you fall to the ground as quickly as possible. You should land in a comfortable position. Do ten reps of this drill to see how quickly you can hit the ground.
This was the fourth and fifth steps in the six-count burpee. You are pressing yourself off the floor in what is normally considered an “ugly” push-up, with your chest rising first (like in a “Cobra” position), and at the same time, rapidly closing your hips to snap your legs forward. Try to keep your legs as straight as possible to avoid extra squatting. If you're struggling with this, it's likely because your hamstrings are not very flexible. Stretch them often and keep doing burpees often.
Burpee Cobra to Hip Snap Drill
Try doing this burpee drill: start in the “cobra” position, then quickly snap your feet towards your hands and reset. Keep your feet in the same position (shoulder-width apart or in a squat stance) for each repetition, so that you don't have to waste time readjusting them. Repeat this ten times, as quickly as possible. This can also be used as part of your pre-burpee warm-up routine.
Jump and clap your hands behind your head, just as you would in a 6-count burpee. Although your feet do need to leave the floor for the rep to count, they only need to come up a tiny bit, unless there are other standards specified (like touching a target). Taking less time in the air means more control of your body and faster burpees. Do not stop in the standing position. This is a rebound, not a rest, and you should be moving as quickly as possible into your next rep. Essentially, as soon as your feet hit the floor after the jump, you should start descending into the next burpee. Think fast arms, fast feet. Swing your arms down and quickly close your hips. This looks similar to what you do with your arms in a GHD sit-up.
4 Burpee Pro Tips
1. Clap behind your head
only more explosive Use your behind the head clap as an opportunity to rebound or another chance to catch the bounce. Instead of floating down, punch and go. You should be throwing yourself back down to the ground, more explosively than barbell cycling.
2. Try to find a rhythm
Stick to a consistent pace and don't stop until the work is done. Be like a machine that just keeps going at the same speed until it's turned off.
3. Standing Rests
You should take a break by standing up, rather than sitting or lying on the floor. “Catching the bounce” off the floor makes these movements faster. Additionally, resting on the floor gives the appearance of defeat, which is something we want to avoid. Stand tall and confidently to show that you are not defeated.
4. Remember: Burpees only suck if you let them!
keeping a positive mindset is important to being successful at doing burpees. You should breathe calmly and count up then down to help stay focused and not give up.
Reasons for why everyone should be able to get themselves up and down off the floor: -For quality of life reasons -For athletes who need to get back on their feet quickly (volleyball, football, wrestling, etc.)
Do you have any experience with surfing? How do you move from lying on your board to standing up? It's great to do burpees!
How the 30-Day Burpee Challenge Works
The LIVESTRONG challenge is a thirty-day long challenge where participants attempt to do as many Burpees as possible. The challenge is hosted in a Facebook group, but anyone can start it on their own.
The challenge calendar below consists of the designated number of reps you have to do each day, with the first day being a warm-up consisting of only one burpee. Every day after that, you must do two more burpees than the previous day. Every six days, you are entitled to a rest day.
On the last day of the challenge you will do 50 burpees. This may seem like a lot but you will work up to it throughout the month. There are suggestions below to help you scale the exercise to your ability. You can also break up your burpees into sets or try different variations.
The Challenge Calendar
The burpee challenge calendar can be found below to help you stay on track with how many burpees to do each day.
How to Join the Burpee Challenge
1. Print and/or Save Your Challenge Calendar
It is beneficial to keep your calendar in a visible location so that you can ensure you never forget what day it is. As you complete each day, mark it off on the calendar so that you will always be aware of how many days remain.
2. Join Our Challenge Facebook Group
Our community of over 53,000 people is here to support and motivate you as you take on this challenge. Let the group know how you did that day, post pictures or videos of your burpees, or share your favorite burpee meme or motivational quote.
3. Focus on Proper Burpee Form
Before you start an exercise, be sure you are doing it correctly. Poor form can reduce how effective the exercise is and can also lead to injury.
Burpees require a good sense of coordination, but if you focus carefully, you will be able to perfect your form. Let's spend a minute going through proper burpee form, step by step.
How to Do a Burpee
4. Know How and When to Modify Burpees
There are several ways to make burpees a little easier. Try these suggestions to reduce the impact of the exercise:
- ?If the push-up is too hard:?
- Lower to your knees for modified push-ups.
- Place your arms on a step, bench or chair to elevate your upper body.
- Skip it entirely.
- ?If you have wrist pain:? Do the plank and/or push-up on closed fists.
- ?If you have back pain or prefer lower-impact exercises:? Step one foot at a time back and forth from the plank position instead of jumping.
- ?If you have knee pain or prefer lower-impact exercises:? Instead of jumping up from the squat, reach your arms overhead and lift onto your tiptoes.
Tip
Over the next 30 days, you will do 675 burpees. This is an impressive accomplishment! Each day, the number of burpees you do will increase. To make it easier on yourself, try doing them in smaller sets throughout the day instead of all at once.
5. Try Variations for Every Fitness Level
This challenge can be modified to fit everyone's needs. Beginners can follow the tips above, while more advanced exercisers can try doubling the push-up or the jump, switching to single-arm push-ups or adding a box jump.
Try new things with your burpees to keep yourself challenged.
Tip
If you're not yet at an advanced level, you can still try doing a few reps each day of a more difficult variation.
6. Enjoy Your Rest Days
Having days off from work gives your muscles and mind a chance to rest and recover, which will make you stronger in the long run.
If you're feeling sore, it might be a good idea to take a rest day and do some stretching or foam rolling. Focus on the areas of your body that are tight or painful. The burpee is a full-body exercise, so there are many muscles that could benefit from stretching.
7. Celebrate Your Success
Finishing the 30-Day Burpee Challenge is a great achievement! Then, consider trying a new challenge next month, like:
