Burpees

Overview

Equal parts push-up, squat, and vertical jump, the burpee is a time-tested staple for developing strength endurance and max-effort work capacity. Whether completing a WOD, prepping for Hyrox, or squeezing in a hotel-room workout, you’ll struggle to find a movement that spikes heart rate faster while still reinforcing fundamental patterns like planking, squatting, and jumping.

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Movement Demo

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Step-by-Step Setup & Execution

1. Athletic Stance: Feet hip-width, arms relaxed.
2. Squat & Plant: Drop into a quick hinge/half-squat, palms flat just in front of feet.
3. Kick-Back: Jump both feet to a solid plank—shoulders stacked over wrists, core braced.
4. Push-Up: Lower chest to floor with elbows ~45°; press back to plank.
5. Snap-Up: Explosively tuck knees and land in a low squat, heels down.
6. Vertical Jump: Drive through the floor, extend hips/knees/ankles, and clap overhead.
7. Reset: Land softly, absorb into quarter-squat, and flow into the next rep.

Coaching Cues

• Keep hips and shoulders rising together in the push-up to avoid sagging.
• Exhale forcefully as you jump to reinforce core rigidity.
• Aim for quiet, soft landings—control beats height for conditioning sets.

Variations

• Strict Push-Up Burpee – Pause for a full chest-to-floor push-up before popping back up to lock in extra upper-body strength.
• Burpee Broad Jump – Swap the vertical jump for a forward bound to train horizontal power and explosive drive.
• Burpee Tuck Jump – Add a knee-to-chest tuck at take-off for a big heart-rate spike and hip-flexor demand.
• Half Burpee (No Push-Up / No Jump) – Skip the push-up and jump; perfect for warm-ups, beginners, or active recovery days.
• Dumbbell Devil’s Press – Hold a pair of light dumbbells; after the push-up, swing and snatch them overhead for loaded, full-body intensity.
• Burpee Box Jump – Finish each rep by jumping onto a plyo box, combining plyometric height with conditioning.
• Burpee Over Barbell – From the floor, hop laterally over a barbell before starting the next rep—common in CrossFit workouts.
• Burpee Over Rower -From the floor, hop laterally over a rower before starting the next rep—common in CrossFit workouts.‍
• Burpee Pull-Up – Replace the jump with a pull-up, melding conditioning with vertical pulling strength.
• Burpee Box Jump - jump onto a 20–24″ plyo box.

Tips for Efficiency

• Breathe: Inhale during kick-back, exhale on jump.
• Find your rhythm: A slight step-up instead of a full snap can save energy in long sets.
• Floor proximity: Wider stance hands = shorter distance to ground, faster cycle time.

Wrap-Up

Burpees deliver unmatched conditioning in minimal space—perfect for athletes, travelers, or anyone chasing a brutally effective calorie burn. Master your mechanics, choose the right scheme for your goals, and watch your engine—and mental toughness—take off.

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