Burpees

Burpees are a full-body exercise that combines a squat and explosive jump. This high-intensity movement improves cardiovascular endurance, strength, and coordination.

Burpees enhance exercise performance by increasing stamina and agility while building functional strength for activities of daily living, or ADLs. Additionally, burpees improve balance and mobility. Their versatility allows them to fit into various workout routines, from high-intensity interval training (HIIT) to strength training.

How To Do

  1. Start in a standing position.
  2. Begin by hinging at the hips to squat, while reaching down with your hands towards the ground.
  3. Place your hands on the floor. Your hands should be in line with your shoulders.
  4. Jump with both legs backward into a plank position.
  5. Jump your feet forward so you are in a crouching position and your hands are still on the ground.
  6. Lift your hands off of the ground, straighten your legs, and push your body upward in an explosive jump. Swing your arms upward at the same time.
  7. Return to standing.

Tips From Expert

  • When you drop into the squat position, your feet should be shoulder-width apart. 
  • As you kick both feet back into the plank, your feet should land on the same line.
  • Maintain a neutral back position with your chest out and head forward as you perform the squat portion, This should be similar to a normal squat.
  • Before kicking back, ensure your hands are directly under your shoulders.
  • Inhale and engage your core before lowering into the squat. This is to maintain a stable body position.
  • Exhale as you come out of the plank to return to the starting position.

Optimal Sets and Reps

The table below summarizes the appropriate exercise programming for burpees. We have split these guidelines based on your personal goals.

Training Type Sets Reps
Strength Training 2–6 2–6
Hypertrophy 3–6 6–12
Endurance Training 2–3 12+
Power Training 3–5 1–5 (Explosive)
Optimal Sets & Reps of Burpees

How to Put in Your Workout Split

Burpees are a versatile exercise that can be integrated into various workout splits to enhance strength, endurance, and cardiovascular fitness.

On full-body training days, burpees provide a high-intensity component that activates multiple muscle groups. For cardio-focused days, they can be used as a primary exercise or included in circuit training for an effective calorie burn. They can be utilized during full-body bodyweight workout days as well. Strength athletes can utilize burpees as a conditioning tool, performing them after weightlifting to build stamina.

To target endurance, perform burpees in high repetitions or timed intervals, such as 30–60 seconds, with minimal rest. For power training, use explosive variations like tuck-jump burpees in shorter sets (5–8 reps).

Beginners should start with modifications, such as stepping back instead of jumping, and progress as strength and stamina improve. Pair burpees with complementary movements like squats or push-ups in supersets or HIIT circuits. This helps to achieve a comprehensive workout. Adapt rep schemes to your fitness level and goals.

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Primary Muscle Groups

Quadriceps

Muscles located at the front portion of your upper legs, below your pelvis and above your knees. Consists of four parts.

Upper Rectus Abdominis

Muscles located just below the lower chest and above the lower abdominals. Between your ribs and pubic bone.

Lower Rectus Abdominis

Muscles located below your upper abs and above your public bone between your ribs.

Quadriceps

The quadriceps are at the front of the thigh, including the rectus femoris, vastus intermedius, medialis, and lateralis. This group of muscles is responsible for extending the leg at the knee joint and moving the leg forward.

During burpees, the rectus femoris flexes the hip in the lowering phase of the squat. The quadriceps straightens the knees in the upward phase and contributes to the explosive jump movement.

The rectus femoris has a muscle activation rate of approximately 20% during a plank and 50% during a squat. These indicate an estimation of the magnitude of activation of the quadriceps work throughout burpees.

Secondary Muscle Groups

Gluteus

Large, superficial muscles located at your buttocks just below your lower back area.

Sternal Head of Pectoralis Major

Large muscles located underneath your clavicle head. Makes up most of your chest area

Hamstrings

Muscles located at the back of your upper leg, below your glutes and above your calves. Consists of three muscles.

Gastrocnemius

Muscles located at the back of your lower leg and consists of your calf. Starts just behind your knee and extends to your ankle.

Soleus

Muscles located behind your gastrocnemius sitting slightly deeper. Runs down your leg and connects with the gastrocnemius to make your Achilles tendon.

Erector Spinae

Muscles that span the entire length of your spine on either side.

Latissimus Dorsi

Large, triangular shaped muscles located just below your shoulder blades. They extend along your spine down to your pelvis.

Triceps Lateral Heads

Muscles located on the back of your arm between your shoulder and elbow.

Triceps Medial Heads

Small muscles located at the back of your arms. Deep to the triceps long heads between the shoulder and elbow.

Triceps Long Heads

Large muscles located at the back of your arms between your shoulder and elbow. Most outside portion of the tricep.

Anterior Deltoid

Muscles located at the front of your shoulder region

Upper Rectus Abdominis And Lower Rectus Abdominis

The upper and lower rectus abdominis muscles are part of a thin muscle located below the lower chest between your ribs.

The rectus abdominis muscle helps maintain posture and create better core stability. The rectus abdominis also specifically helps to primarily flex your trunk.

The muscle activation rate for the rectus abdominis is approximately 33% during the standard plank. This is the closest movement to burpees, as you perform this standard plank motion during this exercise.

Equipment

Bodyweight

Bodyweight

Requires bodyweight resistance and additional equipment for proper execution.

Variations

Exercises that target the same primary muscle groups and require the same equipment.

Sit-Up

Dead Bug

Plank

Mountain Climber

Hanging Leg Raise

V-Up

Flutter Kick

Scissor Kick

Bodyweight Squat

Bodyweight Bulgarian Split Squat

Alternatives

Exercises that target the same primary muscle groups and require the different equipment.

Hack Squat

Squat To Overhead Press

Barbell Squat

Dumbbell Lunge

Front Squat

Dumbbell Split Squat

Kneeling Cable Crunch

Dumbbell Walking Lunge

Leg Extension Machine

Dumbbell Bulgarian Split Squat

Who Should Do?

Advanced Athletes

Burpees require more strength and coordination than average because it isolates small specific muscle groups, while still working full body. An individual needs to be able to lift his/her body off of the ground in an explosive movement. This typically requires advanced strength and experience. 

Additionally, burpee ability directly relates to the strength and endurance of an individual. Therefore, more experienced athletes likely are stronger with better endurance. This leads to better and more effective performance.

Beginner athletes can work their way to full burpees after building strength and endurance in their bodies. They can do this by doing burpees with a stepping-back motion, rather than jumping. It can then build gradual strength and endurance to do a full burpee.

People Working On Cardiovascular Fitness

Burpees work various major muscle groups. This can help in increasing heart rate and makes burpees a great exercise for high-intensity interval training, or HIIT.

HIIT involves alternating periods of intense effort and rest with a work-to-rest ratio of 1:1 or greater. It has been proven to enhance cardiorespiratory capacity and improve VO2 max, which is the maximum amount of oxygen your body can use during intense exercise. 

Their high calorie-burning potential makes them excellent bodyweight exercises for weight loss. Additionally, burpees are known to boost overall conditioning and can be included in your bodyweight HIIT workout or bodyweight circuit workout for maximum benefit.

Who Should Not Do?

People With Chronic Shoulder Pain

Shoulder pain is one of the most common complaints due to shoulder impingement syndrome. Individuals with this condition are encouraged to make life modifications, such as avoiding overhead activities. 

Due to the placement of the arms during burpees, this can irritate the anterior (front) portion of the shoulder. Therefore, people with chronic shoulder pain should avoid this exercise until their pain subsides. 

Beginners To Exercise

Burpees require strength and neuromuscular skills that many individuals who are new to exercise do not have yet. Burpees also lead to quicker neuromuscular fatigue, which is an exercise-induced reduction of muscle performance and capacity. 

Therefore, more support is needed to complete this exercise. This is due to the full range of motion and cardiovascular effort required for this exercise. This deep movement also requires greater strength of the triceps, chest, and shoulders to support it.  

Some of these individuals may also have decreased general shoulder mobility, making it even more difficult to perform this exercise. A weaker state and lack of mobility may make this exercise difficult or unsafe to perform.

Benefits Of Burpees

Full-Body Strength And Conditioning

Burpees primarily strengthen the legs, core, and chest, while also being a highly conditioning-based exercise. This exercise is a plyometric exercise, meaning it involves rapid stretching and contracting of muscles to enhance power. Therefore, it also aids in strengthening muscles and increasing bone density.

Burpees have been shown to increase full-body strength and lower-body power with loading, depending on which variation of burpees is done. HIIT exercises, such as burpees, can improve peak power and physical health. 

Peak power is the maximum ability of the heart to pump blood during peak exertion, relating to cardiovascular performance. This makes burpees an excellent exercise to improve strength and conditioning. 

Better Coordination And Agility

Burpees may enhance the explosive strength and agility that benefit many sports due to the improvement of lower-body muscle volume and force production. Burpees also help to improve vertical jump, which positively impacts overall performance.

They also impact the neuromuscular system, which impacts coordination. This is highly beneficial for athletes working to better their athletic performance. Additionally, burpees have been shown to strongly correlate to an individual’s strength and endurance capabilities. 

Therefore, incorporating burpees into an athletic training routine will likely highly benefit this coordination and agility. 

Enhanced Mobility And Flexibility

The ability of muscles to move a joint through its full range of motion is mobility. Flexibility is the ability of a muscle to stretch passively to its maximum length. Both mobility and flexibility require a full range of motion movement. Research shows that strength training can enhance this range of motion.

Burpees contribute to improved strength and mobility by incorporating movements like squatting and explosive jumping. This full-body exercise promotes joint mobility through dynamic and functional motion patterns.

Enhancing mobility and flexibility offers significant benefits for athletic performance, helping to optimize movement efficiency. Additionally, mobility is crucial for daily tasks such as walking, sitting, and standing. Performing burpees or modified variations can support better mobility and flexibility, making them valuable for both fitness and everyday activities.

Frequently Asked Questions

What do burpees do?

Burpees improve cardiovascular fitness, strength, endurance, mobility, and coordination. It does so by engaging multiple large muscle groups.

Is 10 minutes of burpees enough?

Yes, 10 minutes of burpees can be effective for improving cardiovascular fitness, expending calories, and building endurance. It’s a high-intensity workout that engages multiple muscle groups, making it suitable for quick, full-body conditioning.

Why are burpees so tiring?

Burpees are tiring because they engage multiple muscle groups, including the chest, core, legs, and shoulders. It does so as a high-intensity, full-body movement. The combination of strength, cardio, and explosive actions elevates heart rate and demands significant energy.

Should I do burpees fast or slow?

It depends on your goal. Fast burpees boost cardiovascular fitness and caloric expenditure. Slow burpees focus on form, muscle engagement, and strength. Beginners should start slow to perfect technique before increasing speed for high-intensity training

Resources

Endomondo.com refrains from utilizing tertiary references. We uphold stringent sourcing criteria and depend on peer-reviewed studies and academic research conducted by medical associations and institutions. For more detailed insights, you can explore further by reading our editorial process.

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