Burpee Exercise Guide
Reviewed by
Valerie Zeller
Printable version
Burpees are the ultimate exercise, a dynamic movement combining both strength and cardio by engaging most major muscle groups of the body in rapid succession. They involve squats, push-ups and jumps, and you should expect your heart rate to elevate significantly while performing them.
How to do Burpee
Setup
Walk erect and arms on hands.
Exercise
Begin in a standing position with your feet at shoulder width, crouch down and put your hands on the floor underneath your shoulders. From there take your weight into your hands and shoulders and jump your feet out behind you to straighten your legs. At the same time, bend your elbows and lower your upper body to the floor like doing a push up – chest in between your hands. This is the bottom point of the movement and should be the same as the bottom point of your push up.
From the bottom press your upper body back up away from the floor, by pushing down with your hands. As this happens, jump your legs in underneath you, landing with your feet at shoulder width. Transfer your bodyweight back into your legs and stand up as if you are doing the upward part of a squat. As you stand up jump up and clap your hands above your head.
As you land back down, go straight into your next burpee by crouching down and putting your hands back to the floor.
The burpee is a complex movement when done dynamically with a flow to it, so it is important to keep your core muscles braced when jumping your legs out and in, as well as when lowering your chest to the floor.
Modifications
When you're new to strength training, bring one leg behind you at a time into plank from your squat, rather than running right out into plank.
Tips
Intensity can be increased by executing exercise faster. Phases include:
Exercise Benefits
Cardio
Arm Strength
Full-body Strength
Illustrated Guide
Learn how to do burpee from this step-by-step illustrations:
Muscles Worked
The muscles used for burpee may change slightly based on the your trained range of motion and technique, but in the most general case, the muscles used for burpee are:
Primary Muscles
- Abs
- Calves
- Triceps
- Quadriceps
- Hip Flexors
- Pecs
Synergyst Muscles
- Deltoids
- Rear Deltoids
- Wrist Flexors
- Upper Pecs
Frequently Asked Questions
Training, Progressions and Regressions
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Burpee Training and Progressions
Standards and Averages
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Alternatives
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Variations
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Discover more
Classification
| Type(s) | Bodyweight, Calisthenic, Strength, Aerobic, Cardio, Endurance |
| Muscles Worked | Abdominals, Gastrocnemius, Triceps Brachii, Deltoids, Quadriceps, Hip Flexors, Pectorals, Lateral Deltoids, Wrist Flexors, Pectoralis Major |
| Difficulty Level(s) | Challenging, Hard |
| Equipment | No Equipment |
| Location | At Gym, At Home, Outdoor |
Muscles Worked
| Target muscle(s) | Abs, Calves, Triceps, Quadriceps, Hip Flexors, Pecs |
| Synergyst muscle(s) | Deltoids, Rear Deltoids, Wrist Flexors, Upper Pecs |
