Most people know how to do burpees and can execute the move to a tee - so why are they still the one exercise it seems everyone loves to hate? From the cardiovascular benefits to the full-body workout it provides, they're still the dark (hated) horse of most workouts.
Perhaps because burpees are the bodyweight exercise that will have you sweating from the get-go. Targeting your full body, including your shoulders, chest, abs, quads, adductors, glutes and triceps, you'll have your heart racing and muscles burning in no time.
So, to get the most out of every rep, we've rounded up everything you need to know about burpees and exactly how to perform the move.
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Burpee benefits
Encompassing the full body, you will be working most major muscle groups whilst also smashing your cardiovascular fitness, improving your balance and testing your coordination.
Our verdict? A quick and easy exercise that will keep you in the best shape possible. How? Well, this little number includes plenty of benefits you can see below:
- Strength: A full body exercise that targets all major muscle groups.
- Conditioning: An effective exercise for developing conditioning and endurance.
- Fat burning: Regarded as the best high intensity, fat burning exercise.
- Free: No equipment needed - just blood, sweat and tears.
- Done anywhere: You don't need a fancy gym pass to be able to get a sweat on.
Can you lose weight by doing burpees?
Yes! Burpees are hands down (sorry, couldn't help ourselves!) the best exercise for burning fat. Being a full body workout, including both strength and conditioning, this exercise will ramp up your intensity, giving you great results.
But, don't take our word for it. Studies have shown that high intensity exercises, like burpees, burn up to 50% more fat than conventional strength training exercises. And not only do they burn more in the moment, they are said to speed up your metabolism so you keep burning calories longer after you get your sweat on.
Exactly why burpees are so hard
Don't worry, we've all been there - heart pounding, lungs burning, sweat rolling, muscles aching. But why do burpees make us feel like we've never exercised a day in our life?
Well, during what feels like an endless barrage of burpees, your musculature goes into a high anaerobic state. Burpees trump pretty much all other exercises as there is almost no other move that will push you to such anaerobic extremes (not to put you off or anything).
But fear not, all the hard work is paying off as your respiratory and circulatory systems are grinding it out to compensate for the lack of oxygen in the muscles – in turn making them become stronger!
How to do a burpee:
(a) Crouch down, feet just further than shoulder-width apart and hands on the floor
(b) With your body weight in your hands, kick both feet out behind you, resting on the balls of your feet. Jump forward and propel your body up in one swift move,landing in a standing position. Do 15 Reps.
Burpee workouts to try
- Descending Burpee Ladder: Start with a set of 10 burpees. Rest one minutes. Then do a set of 9. Rest one minute. Then continue to lower your reps accordingly.
- 100 Burpee Challenge: Do one set of 100 burpees as fast as you can.
- 2 Minute Drill: Try smash out as many burpees as you can in two minutes.
- Burpee Ladder with Sprints: Perform the burpee ladder as described above, except instead of resting a minute between sets, perform a 50-metre sprint.
If you're ready for more, find the 10 best burpee variations here.
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