How to master burpees

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Updated Jan 29, 2025 | 05:00 PM IST

Master Burpees With These 6 Easy-To-Follow Steps

SummaryThe focus here is to do it efficiently and not quickly. If you focus on the quickness, then chances are, you will tire yourself and not even get the most of it. You would also not get up as quickly as you want to. So, it is best to take your time, than to start doing everything quicker and then tire yourself.

Everyone likes the idea of staying fit, and since summers are approaching too, who does not want a perfect summer's body. One of the exercises, best suited for the most high intensity workout. In fact, this workout is one of the High-intensity interval training or HIIT workout. It is burpees. But, not everyone enjoys doing it.

HIIT are workouts which involves short bursts of exercise at more than 70% of your aerobic capacity. The key here is to focus on high-intensity workouts that increase your heart rate.

Burpee is also a full-body workout, which is why, for some it is something they swear by, while for others, they dread doing even one. Before we delve into why one must do it and how can one do it efficiently, let's know how to master burpees.

Step-by-step method of doing a burpee

  • Start by standing on your feet, shoulder-width apart.
  • Now, squat, place your hands flat on the floor, inside your feet.
  • Now, go into a pushup position, squeeze your shoulder blades, abs, glutes. You can also wider the feet than shoulder-width apart.
  • Bend your elbows, lower your chest, down to the floor. Stay here a while and then press back up into the pushup position.
  • Leap your feet forward back to initial squatting position.
  • Now, jump straight up into the air, powerfully. Then come back on the floor.

How To Do It Efficiently?

The focus here is to do it efficiently and not quickly. If you focus on the quickness, then chances are, you will tire yourself and not even get the most of it. You would also not get up as quickly as you want to. So, it is best to take your time, than to start doing everything quicker and then tire yourself.

When you are on the ground after the pushup position, ensure that your body is straight. You are not lying down. If your core in strong, it will be much easier for you to get up and complete your rep.

Keep your feet shoulder-width-apart, always. This will help you maintain your posture throughout, even when you are on the ground, holding a plank, keep your feet wide enough.

When it is the time to jump, don't just bunny hop, do it well. Make sure you end your burpee with the power move, and that power move is your jump.

ALSO READ: What Are Burpees And How Can They Help?

Who Made Burpees?

The exercise was named after its creator, physiologist Royal H Burpee, who used it as a protocol to test fitness and physical capacity in 1939. He created this exercise as part of his PhD thesis at Columbia University. Later, burpees were used by the US military as a benchmark test for incoming recruits.

However, back then, what he created was a simple burpee, it had four easy steps:

  • Squat down and put both hands on the floor in front of you
  • Pop your feet backward into a plank position
  • Bring your feet back forward
  • Stand back up

There was no pushup in the middle and no jump at the end. This was used to measure an athlete's standing heart rate, and then made to do four burpees and then test to see how long it took them to get their heart rate back to normal. When it was used in the military, it was settled on ten exercises to test which recruits would fit. The test was simple, how many burpees a soldier could do in 20 seconds.

What Are The Benefits?

Burpees are a major calorie burner as it is a full-body workout. It is also a multi-joint, multi-step exercise and enhances body control, coordination, explosiveness, and power, making them an all-around effective workout move.

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