Burpees are challenging exercises, which is why they’re so popular among fitness enthusiasts. To improve your overall fitness and health, you must include tips on avoiding pain when performing burpees. This is the best way to familiarize yourself with exercise to avoid pain.
I hope you enjoyed yesterday’s article.
Today has been a day of learning. I have been hanging out on YouTube, learning about hot tubs. In our new house, we have a hot tub, so I am trying to figure out all I can think about our hot tub how to clean it, how to do the chemicals, how it works, etc. It is amazing what you can learn from YouTube. You can also learn a lot about overcoming injury and avoiding pain here (Ha Ha, that is the EFI YouTube channel).
Today I have an article and video on avoiding pain when doing burpees, and they are from Shawna Kaminski.
Enjoy!
Rick Kaselj, MS
P.S. – If you are looking for various workout options that involve burpees, check out Shawna’s Challenge Burpee (Plus, she gave me a 33% off coupon that you can use. When you check out, enter: YayForBurpees .)
The Importance Of Stretching Before Burpees In Avoiding Pain
Stretching before an exercise is important for many reasons. For starters, it helps warm up your joints and muscles, making you more flexible and ready for the exercise.
- Stretching also increases blood flow to your muscles and joints, which helps prevent injuries and improves your overall performance.
- Stretching before burpees also helps you improve your posture and form. This means your movements are more efficient, which means more work is done in less time.
- If you’re new to exercising, you should stretch before a workout routine. If you’re an experienced athlete, you should still stretch before a challenging exercise like burpees.
5 Tips On Avoiding Pain When Performing Burpees
Hey, this is Rick Kaselj.
I am doing another video in Las Vegas at a Fitness Mastermind meeting. This time, I am down here and have Shawna Kaminski, another Canadian. We will talk about a mistake that people make when doing burpees and a few tweaks that you can do if burpee exercises [¹] bother your wrists.
Shawna, would you introduce yourself and talk about the burpee mistakes people make and how it relates to back pain?
Shawna Kaminski: Yes, it does. You are the back pain expert. First of all, I am Shawna Kaminski. I am from ChallengeWorkouts.com, and I do lots of challenging workouts.
The burpee is just an old-school exercise that I want to revive. First, many people think that the burpee is way too hard and many are intimidated and say, “I can’t do a burpee.”
Everyone can do a burpee. You can start with a Full Body Extension. Can you show us a full-body extension, Rick?
1. Do The Full Body Extension
You are doing a quarter squat, shoulder and hands up, and hopping onto your toes. That’s a full-body extension, and this is a great alternative.
2. Try The Burpee Walk Out
Next is the Burpee Walk Out. You will do a full-body extension, hands up, hands down, walk onto the ground in a high plank position, walk the feet out and in, and then stand up in a full-body extension. This is a great lead-in for the burpee.
You start with a burpee walk out, and then you can move to a hop out.
You don’t have to do the full-arm jump.
You don’t have to add a push-up.
But you can slowly increase the intensity by increasing how fast you do each repetition.
The number one thing people say about the burpee is, “I can’t do burpees.” Everyone can do burpees.
3. What To Do If You Have Knee Pain When Doing Burpees?
Rick Kaselj: And those two examples are good for the back. They are also low impact, so it’s good for anyone with lower body issues, especially knee pain.
Shawna Kaminski: Yes, even with the knees, instead of walking the knees in straight, have a wider walk-in so there’s not as much compression on the knee, or else you can stand up early and don’t let your knees fully bent.
Shawna Kaminski: With the hop out, you can hop the feet a little bit wider or step in a little bit wider. Some people have deep compression, and that’s what bothers their knees. You don’t have to go through that full knee compression (knees to chest).
Rick Kaselj highlights the point that there are ways of tweaking exercises around what’s sore and achy instead of doing what you typically see in magazines. You can tweak it and work around your injury and still get the benefit.
Shawna Kaminski: If you have a stiff knee, as I dislike it when a doctor says, “just go sit down,” well, that’s not helping. Certainly, you can work around it and always do something. I am always getting my clients to do something.
4. What To Do If You Have Wrist Issues When Doing Burpees
Many people have wrist issues, so the extension on their wrists bothers them.
Rick Kaselj: For example, getting down into a push-up position or doing the push-up.
Shawna Kaminski: Exactly. Neutralizing your wrist by getting hexagonal dumbbells and just setting the dumbbells there, so instead of going down with your wrists extended, just put the hands on the dumbbells, which neutralizes the wrists, and you don’t have to add the push up bothers them. They can be on a high plank and jump to their feet.
5. Make Sure NOT To Make This Burpee Mistake
The worrisome thing that I worry about is an injury when people get sloppy and tired. They get into that high plank but let their hips drop.
Shawna Kaminski: I encourage people; it doesn’t have to be a full plank, but at least just put the hips a little bit higher, and you will benefit without risking your lower back [²].
You don’t have to go crazy and go a hundred miles an hour. Quality over quantity is always good. Suppose you can do them quickly and maintain good form; great. But if not, slow it down and ensure you are getting your form correct; you will still get the benefits from it. Everyone can get benefit from it.
Rick Kaselj: Awesome!
Rick Kaselj: Everyone can do a burpee. Shawna, where can people get more information about you?
Shawna Kaminski: ChallengeBurpee.com. My blog is ChallengeWorkouts.com, and it has something for everyone. I got lots of fun burpee programs.
If you would like more details on Challenge Burpee, go here:
Rick Kaselj, MS
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References
1.Polevoy, G. G., & Sablin, A. B. (2022). Development of Coordination Abilities with the Help of the Burpee Exercise. International Journal of Pharmaceutical Research and Allied Sciences, 11(1), 108–112. https://doi.org/10.51847/eyljcmbn9g
2. Koes, B. W., Van Tulder, M. W., & Thomas, S. (2006). Diagnosis and treatment of low back pain. BMJ, 332(7555), 1430–1434. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.332.7555.1430