This article was co-authored by Pete Cerqua. Pete Cerqua is a Certified Personal Trainer and Nutritionist. Pete is also a five-time best-selling author of books including "The 90-Second Fitness Solution" and "High Intensity Fitness Revolution for Women/Men" published by Simon and Schuster and Skyhorse Publishing. Pete has over 20 years of personal training and nutrition coaching experience and operates the 90-Second Fitness flagship studio in New York City.
There are 7 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page.
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Burpees are one of the few equipment-free exercises that work your entire body and give you a great cardiovascular workout. However, they can be challenging if you've never done one before. Start by learning how to do a basic burpee, or try a modified burpee for a beginner's option. Once you master the basics, try a variation that will increase the intensity of your burpees. No matter what your fitness level or goals, incorporating burpees is a great way to amp up your results!
Steps
Doing a Basic Burpee
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Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Hold your arms at your sides and stand with your knees straight. Also, make sure to tighten your abs, keep your back flat, and squeeze your buttocks at the start of each burpee.[1]
- Check your position in a mirror or ask a personal trainer for feedback if you are doing burpees at the gym.
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Bend at your hips and knees to lower yourself into a squatting position. Hinge forward with your hips and bend your knees slightly to bring your body down lower to the floor. Keep your back straight and your arms in close to your body as you do this.[2] -
Place your hands on the floor in front of you. Keep your hands close together so they are directly under your shoulders when you place them on the ground. Hold your arms out straight, but don't lock out your elbows.[3]
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Kick your feet back so that you are in the plank position. Jump both feet back behind you at the same time and position them about shoulder-width apart. Keep your hands planted firmly on the ground to support your body as you do this.[4]
- Check your position in a mirror once you are down on the floor. Your body should be in a straight line from your head to your feet. If your hips and butt are elevated above the rest of your body, lower them slightly.
Variation: If you're new to burpees and you cannot get all the way down into a straight plank position, it's okay to keep your butt up in the air.[5]
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Drop all the way down to the floor. Once you are in the plank position, carefully lower your chest all the way down to the floor to do a pushup. Keep your hands flat on the floor with your elbows up in the air and your arms close to your body.[6]
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Press up with your arms and jump your feet forward. Keep your hands flat on the ground and push off from the ground with your hand as you hinge forward at the hips and jump your feet towards your chest. Do this in 1 smooth motion.[7]
- This part of the burpee is sometimes called a frog jump.
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Jump straight upwards to finish the move. Once your feet are back under your upper body, jump straight up with your hands and arms raised over your head and then land in the standing position. You can jump as high as you are able, or just do a little hop in the air to finish the burpee.[8]
- Make sure to keep your core engaged as you do this. Flex your abs and stand up tall when you jump.
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Do 15 repetitions to complete 1 set of burpees. If you are a beginner, you might want to start off with doing 5 burpees in a row. Or, you can do 15 burpees for a set, and then do 2 to 3 more sets during your workout.
- Another option is to time yourself doing burpees, such as for 30 seconds. As you get stronger, you can do burpees for longer stretches.
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Trying a Simplified Burpee for Beginners
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Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Look straight ahead and plant your feet firmly on the ground while holding your arms loosely at your sides. Keep your back straight, your buttocks tight, and your abs engaged.[9]
- Look in a mirror to check your position.
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Squat down and touch the floor with your hands. Hinge forward at your hips, stick out your buttocks, and bend your knees to lower yourself into a squat. Then, bend forward even more and place your hands on the floor in front of you. Keep your hands about shoulder-width apart.[10]
- If you don't want to get down on the floor to do a burpee, you can also place your hands on a sturdy chair or bench. Make sure that it will not slip when you push on it.[11]
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Walk your feet back so that you are in push-up position. Step backwards with 1 foot at a time until you are in a pushup position. Keep your hands firmly planted on the ground and your feet about shoulder-width apart.[12]
- Try to get your back straight so your body is in a straight line from head to feet.
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Stand up by walking your feet forward and pushing off the ground. Step your feet back in towards your chest until you are in a low squat position with your hands on the ground. Then, push off the ground with your hands and slowly rise up to standing again. You should finish the exercise in the same position that you started in.[13]
- Repeat this exercise 5-10 times or more if you like.
- You can also time yourself doing the exercise and do as many as possible in 30 seconds.
Variation: A beginner-friendly variation is to stay low to the floor after you bring your feet forward and repeat the burpee from this point. Instead of standing up, walk your feet back into a pushup position again and then walk your feet forward with your hands still on the ground.[14]
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Increasing the Intensity of Your Burpees
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Do a pushup when you drop down to the floor. To add more of an upper body component to your burpees, do a pushup after you lower yourself down to the ground. Keep your hands pressed against the floor under your shoulders and straighten out your arms to lift your upper body back up into the plank position.[15]
- Try doing 3-5 pushups in a row for an extra intense arm workout!
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Lift weights in the air as you jump or slowly rise to the standing position. Place 2 dumbbells in front of you before you begin doing burpees. Go through the burpee as usual placing your hands on the ground to support your weight. When you are ready to jump or rise to standing again, grasp 1 of the weights in each hand and lift them above your head as you jump or slowly rise up to a standing position again. Then, bend at your knees and hips to place the weights on the ground in front of you and repeat the exercise.[16]
- Start with light weights, such as 3 to 5 lb (1.4 to 2.3 kg), and move up to heavier weights as you build strength.
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Add a box jump or tuck jump to the end of your burpees. Burpees target your legs and glutes, but you can target them even more with a box or tuck jump after you jump or rise to standing. Place a sturdy box meant for doing box jumps in front of you before you begin your burpees, and jump up onto it after you rise up to standing. Or, simply jump straight up into the air and bring your knees up as high as they will go.[17]
- Don't jump onto a chair, stool, or table. Make sure to jump onto a box that is meant for box jumps.
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Try doing a 1-legged burpee with a skater hop. To target your inner thighs and make burpees even more challenging for your legs, try keeping 1 foot off the ground while you do your burpees. Then, hop to the opposite leg after you finish the burpee and repeat the exercise on the opposite leg.[18]
- For example, you could start by doing a burpee on your left leg with your right foot lifted off of the ground. Then, switch to your right leg by hopping over to that foot and keep your left foot off the ground during the next burpee.
Tip: Make sure to do an even number of 1-legged burpees to ensure that both legs get the same amount of exercise.
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Expert Q&A
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QuestionCan burpees help me lose belly fat?
Michele DolanMichele Dolan is a BCRPA certified Personal Trainer in British Columbia. She has been a personal trainer and fitness instructor since 2002.
Certified Fitness TrainerDoing burpees burns calories. Burning enough calories can result in fat loss, but not necessarily from the belly. We cannot target the areas where we burn fat. -
QuestionHow many burpees is a good workout?Michele DolanMichele Dolan is a BCRPA certified Personal Trainer in British Columbia. She has been a personal trainer and fitness instructor since 2002.
Certified Fitness TrainerPerform 2-5 sets of burpees for up to 1 or 2 minutes, in combination with at least 20 minutes of other cardio to get a good workout. -
QuestionWhat is a burpee?Michele DolanMichele Dolan is a BCRPA certified Personal Trainer in British Columbia. She has been a personal trainer and fitness instructor since 2002.
Certified Fitness TrainerA burpee is a plyometric move which combines a vertical jump with a quick transition into a push-up, before moving back into the vertical jump. This motion is performed for each rep.
Video
Tips
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Burpees can be done virtually anywhere, anytime. Try incorporating them into your daily routine.Thanks
References
- ↑ https://www.muscleandfitness.com/muscle-fitness-hers/hers-workouts/how-do-burpee
- ↑ Pete Cerqua. Certified Personal Trainer & Nutritionist. Expert Interview. 30 June 2020.
- ↑ https://www.shape.com/fitness/tips/how-do-burpee-exercise-benefits
- ↑ Pete Cerqua. Certified Personal Trainer & Nutritionist. Expert Interview. 30 June 2020.
- ↑ https://www.self.com/gallery/ways-to-do-a-burpee
- ↑ Pete Cerqua. Certified Personal Trainer & Nutritionist. Expert Interview. 30 June 2020.
- ↑ Pete Cerqua. Certified Personal Trainer & Nutritionist. Expert Interview. 30 June 2020.
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZQA08SlJnM&feature=youtu.be&t=30
- ↑ https://www.muscleandfitness.com/muscle-fitness-hers/hers-workouts/how-do-burpee
- ↑ https://www.muscleandfitness.com/muscle-fitness-hers/hers-workouts/how-do-burpee
- ↑ https://www.self.com/gallery/ways-to-do-a-burpee
- ↑ https://www.self.com/gallery/ways-to-do-a-burpee
- ↑ https://www.self.com/gallery/ways-to-do-a-burpee
- ↑ https://www.self.com/gallery/ways-to-do-a-burpee
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZQA08SlJnM&feature=youtu.be&t=27
- ↑ https://www.shape.com/fitness/workouts/three-ways-ramp-your-burpees
- ↑ https://www.self.com/gallery/ways-to-do-a-burpee
- ↑ https://www.self.com/gallery/ways-to-do-a-burpee
About this article
A burpee is an exercise that combines elements of aerobics and strength training to give you a great full-body workout. To do a basic burpee, start in a standing position with your feet shoulder-width apart. Bend at the knees and hips until you’re in a squatting position, then place your hands flat on the floor in front of you. Keep your feet shoulder-width apart and jump them back behind you so you’re in a plank position. From there, bend your elbows to lower your chest to the floor, like you’re doing a push-up. Push up with your arms and jump your feet back underneath you in one smooth motion. Finish the burpee by jumping straight up with your arms over your head. Read on for more tips from our Fitness co-author, including how to do high-intensity variations on the basic burpee!
Reader Success Stories
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"The explanations were very clear and thorough. The slowed-down video clips also made the correct way to perform the exercise very easy to understand. Both the text and the video clips have enabled me to perform this exercise without injury. Thanks!"..." more
