Despite the funny name and perhaps not as well-known as push-ups or squats, burpees are a complex exercise that works many of your body’s major muscle groups.
A burpee is a two-part exercise: a push-up and a jump into the air.
Doing a few burpees in a row can be tiring. Still, this versatile exercise can be worth it, especially if you want to build strength and stamina while burning calories and improving your cardio.
Here’s a look at how to do burpees correctly and safely, as well as variations you can try if you’re looking for an easier or more challenging burpee option.
What are the benefits of burpees?
Consider these benefits if you’re unsure whether you should join the burpee movement.
Burns calories
Most persons can do about 20 burpees in a minute. Founded on this, the table below shows how many calories you can burn by burping non-stop for one miniature.
| Weight | Calories burned |
| 125-pound person | 10 |
| 155-pound person | 12.5 |
| 185-pound person | 15 |
Founded on this chart, a 155-pound person can burn about 250 calories doing burpees for 20 records.
You’ll burn more calories if you do burpees at an advanced intensity.
Offers a full-body workout
Burpees are a calisthenics exercise, meaning they use your body weight for resistance. Burpees focus on full-body calisthenics to build muscle strength and stamina in the lower and upper body.
A standard burpee workout strengthens the muscles in your legs, hips, back, abs, arms, chest, and shoulders.
Improves your cardio and burns fat
Burpees can be done as part of a high-intensity interval training (HIIT) regimen. HIIT is a cardio exercise requiring you to perform short periods of intense exercise followed by a brief rest period.
Research has shown that HIIT can effectively burn fat, especially in the belly and stomach area. Additionally, according to a large 2015 study by Trusted Source, researchers found that more vigorous exercise appeared to be associated with a longer life.
In addition to burning fat, incorporating burpees into your workout routine can help you reap a host of other cardio benefits, such as:
- A stronger heart and lungs
- Improved blood flow
- A lower risk of heart illness and diabetes
- Lower blood pressureTrusted Source
- Better cholesterol levels
- Improved brain function
- Convenient and Versatile
You don’t need any gear to do burpees. You only need your body weight and enough space to perform the movement. So, even in a small apartment, hotel room, or office, you can still get your blood pumping with burpees.
If you’re looking for variety, it’s easy to modify the standard burpee by incorporating weights, extra push-ups, or jumping jacks.
Convenient and Versatile
You don’t need any equipment to perform a burpee. You only need your body weight and enough space to perform the movement. So, even if you’re in a small apartment, hotel room, or small office, you can get your blood pumping with a burpee.
If you’re looking for variety, it’s easy to change the standard burpee by adding weights, extra push-ups, or jumping jacks.
How to Do Burpees
The simplest way to describe a burpee is to think of it as a push-up followed by a squat jump.
How to Do Burpees with Proper Form
- Start squatting with your knees bent, back straight, and feet about shoulder-width apart.
- Bottom your hands on the floor before you so they are directly underneath your feet.
- With your weight on your hands, walk your legs back to be on your hands and toes and in a push-up position.
- Keeping your body straight from head to toe, perform a push-up. Remember not to sag your back or lift your back.
- Perform a frog kick by returning your legs to the starting position.
- Stand up and extend your arms over your head.
- Quickly jump into the air and land back where you started.
- Once you land with your knees bent, squat down and do another rep.
Try to do a few quick reps to get your heart and lungs working.
How to Make It Easier
If the standard burpee seems too challenging at first, you can make some adjustments to tone down the intensity. Try these differences if you’re new to burpees:
Skip the push-up and jump. Start with a squat. It starts the same way as a burpee, but instead of doing a push-up and jumping, you start in a squat, kick your legs back to get into a push-up position, and then return to the starting position.
Skip the jump. Please return to the squat position in its place of jumping into the air after the push-up.
Skip the push-up. If your chest or shoulders aren’t ready for push-ups, hold the plank position for a few seconds instead of doing push-ups. You can also do partial push-ups until you gain more strength.
How to Make It More Challenging
There are a few ways to increase the difficulty of the standard burpee. Here are three examples.
Box Jump Burpee
For this variation, you’ll need a poly box, bench, or other solid object to support your weight.
Stand in front of the box in a regular squat position, but instead of lowering yourself to the floor to do a push-up, home your hands on the box or bench and do an adapted push-up.
Then, instead of jumping into the air, jump onto the box.
Gently lower yourself to the floor with your knees bent and go conventional into the next rep.
Bosu Ball Burpee
You’ll use the Bosu ball with the flat side facing up in this variation.
Start in a squat location with your knees bent and your hands on the outside edges of the Bosu ball.
Bottom your hands on the ground, holding the Bosu ball in place.
Place the Bosu ball directly underneath you and place your hands on the flat surface as you do a push-up.
Then grab the opposite ends of the Bosu ball and lift it over your head, standing up straight.
Lower it to the ground and repeat.
Dumbbell Burpees
Start in a squat place, holding a 5-pound dumbbell in each hand.
Lower yourself to the ground, placing the dumbbells under your shoulders. Keep a firm grip on the dumbbells as you push up.
Instead of jumping up, stand up and lift both dumbbells overhead.
Lower the weights to your sides and return to the starting position.
You can jump while holding the dumbbells for an even more significant challenge, but only if you can easily control the weight.
Safety Tips
Like any bodybuilding, burpees are only effective if you perform them safely and avoid injury.
Start slowly and do a few reps at first. Try adding more reps once you get used to the movement; you can easily do it without pain.
Aim to do 8 or 10 reps in a row before stopping, then do another set.
Because you have to lower yourself to do a push-up, burpees can stress your wrists and shoulders extra. Be careful not to move so fast that you twist your wrist when you land.
Ensure the workout’s essential components are covered before adding weights, extra push-ups, or jumps.
The Bottom Line
Burpees can be tiring. What makes them tiring and challenging also makes them a highly effective workout that helps build strength, endurance, and cardio.
If you’re unsure how to do burpees, ask a certified personal trainer to help you. Also, if you’re new to high-intensity exercise or interval training or have a health condition, talk to your doctor first to ensure burpees are safe.