The Ultimate Guide to Mastering the Burpee
What’s in a Name?
The burpee exercise isn’t named after a gaseous explosion, but rather after Royal H. Burpee. This full-body movement is as efficient as it is effective, but it does require proper form to avoid injury.
How to Do a Burpee Correctly
- Start Strong: Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, arms down by your sides. Brace your midline, then bump your butt back and bend your knees to lower into a squat.
- Get into Position: Plop palms onto the floor ahead of you, just outside your feet. Shift your weight into your hands as you jump your feet back into a high plank position, landing on the balls of your feet.
- Push-Up Time: Keeping your elbows locked into your rib cage, lower into a push-up. Press into your palms to push back up to a high plank position.
- Jump Up: Jump your feet up to either side of your hands. Explosively jump up, clapping your hands overhead.
Burpee Form Tips
- Brace Your Midline: Engage your core throughout the entire exercise to avoid compromising your spine.
- Let Your Body Dictate: Adjust your foot placement based on your body type and any preexisting injuries.
- Check Your Hand Placement: Place your hands directly under your shoulders during the push-up portion.
- Prepare Your Wrists: Warm up your wrists with exercises like wrist rolls and prayer stretches.
- Engage Your Muscles: Contract the muscles that control your joints, rather than just ramming them into position.
- Breathe: Inhale at the top and exhale when you shoot your legs back into a high plank. Inhale at the bottom of the push-up, and exhale as you explode your feet back up to your hands.
Benefits of Burpees
- Full-Body Workout: Burpees work your chest, triceps, core, shoulders, glutes, quads, calves, and hips.
- Cardiovascular Challenge: Burpees spike your heart rate and give your cardio a boost.
- Increased Explosiveness: Burpees can help you run faster, jump higher, and become more agile.
Making Burpees Harder
- Add a Second Push-Up: Increase the challenge by adding an extra push-up at the bottom of the burpee.
- Hand Release: Release your hands from the ground at the bottom of the push-up.
- Tuck Jump: Add a tuck jump after every burpee.
Can You Do Burpees When Pregnant?
Standard burpees are generally considered safe through the end of the first trimester. After that, it’s essential to consult with your doctor and modify the exercise as needed.
Alternative Exercises
If burpees aren’t your thing, try these alternative full-body exercises:
- Inchworms
- Jump squats
- Kettlebell farmers walks
- Mountain climbers
- Weighted squats
- Deadlifts
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