The burpee is one of the most dreaded exercises in the fitness world. It’s also one of the most effective, and when done correctly, it can be a challenging and rewarding exercise for your body.
This intense workout will have you huffing and puffing in no time while burning tons of calories. As well as being an excellent cardio exercise, burpees are a great way to strengthen your core, arms, chest, and back.
Explore this article to learn more about the best burpee workouts, different variations you can try to keep things interesting, and tips on performing them correctly to avoid straining your muscles or hurting yourself.
What Are Burpees?
The burpee is a full-body exercise [¹] that uses strength, agility, and aerobic capacity. It’s a combination of two exercises: push-ups and squats. Burpees are most commonly done as part of a circuit training workout or as a warm-up exercise before your main workout.
The burpee is a compound exercise that works your core, arms, chest, back, and legs. It’s a static movement—meaning it’s done in one position without any movement or traveling.
Burpees are a high-intensity exercise that can be challenging and even frustrating for beginners. But, if done right and with proper form, they can be a great addition to your workout routine [²].
We have Shawna K today for a 5×5 Challenge Burpee workout.
You will do five reps each of the five exercises and then repeat the circuit three to five times.
If you do this after your workout, you can repeat the circuit 2 to 3 times. If you’re using the workout alone, you can use the circuit 5 times. This one will feel your hamstring.
Burpee Workout
1. One Leg Burpee.
You’re going to start on your left leg.
For all Burpees, you can add a push-up or not; that’s totally up to you. One Leg Burpee looks like five reps on one side and five reps on the other.
2. Hip Hinge Forearm Push-Up
Again, you will feel those hamstrings, lock the hands out, and hinge at the hip when you stand up.
If you want, it intensifies that one, again, makes that one-legged hinge at the hip, and you do five reps per side.
So, you double the reps, so it’s going to be a bit tougher.
3. Double Jump Burpee
Hands down, add the push-up and a double jump on that one if you’d like.
4. Prisoner Reverse Lunge
Hands down, add the push-up and a double jump on that one if you’d like.
After that, you’re going to go into a Prisoner Reverse Lunge.
You got some help here. Prisoner Reverse Lunge, five per side. The greatness of the prisoner position is that it works the upper back.
5. Plank Recovery
Get into that Plank Position.
Do an Alternate Leg Lift, don’t let those hips drop. You’re going to be working your glutes and hamstrings as well.
Those are the five exercises that are going to hit your entire body. A fun way to exercise in a small amount of space. When you don’t have much time, have fun with that.
Benefits Of Doing Burpees
Burpees are a great way to get in a good cardio workout and strengthen your core, arms, chest, and back. They are great for fat loss and can help you build lean muscle.
They can also help improve your overall fitness level and reduce the risk of certain diseases such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and certain cancers. One study found that burpees are more effective than other types of exercise at burning fat and calories.
Another study found that they cause your body to produce more growth hormones, which can help you build lean muscle. There is also evidence that they can improve mental health.
Conclusion
Burpees are a highly effective exercise, and they can be done anywhere, so they are great for people who travel or don’t have access to a gym. While they can be challenging, they also come with many benefits, such as increasing your heart rate, burning calories, building muscle, and improving your overall fitness level.
Whether a beginner or an experienced exerciser, burpees can be modified in various ways to make them easier or more challenging to suit your fitness level.
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References
1. FULL-BODY EXERCISE TRAINING IMPROVES FITNESS AND QUALITY OF . . . : The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research. (n.d.-c). LWW. https://journals.lww.com/nsca-jscr/abstract/2006/02000/Full_Body_Exercise_Training_Improves_Fitness_and.3.aspx
2. Maynez, V. S. (n.d.-b). Workout Routine. Digital Commons @ CSUMB. https://digitalcommons.csumb.edu/caps_thes_all/910/