If you don’t have any equipment, this full-body activity gives you a lot of bang for your buck. Consider this: you’re mixing a squat, a plank, another squat and an explosive jump into one exercise. When you drop to the floor for a set, your upper and lower body are both working hard.
Burpees help strengthen your quads, glutes, core, chest, back and shoulders. They’re also wonderful for cardio. As your strength limits are pushed to the brink, your heart rate will soar.
Burpees can be difficult for most people, as they’re a full-body workout that requires both endurance and cardio while on your feet and on the floor.
How to add fun and intensity to burpees?
Fun and intensity are beneficial, as they aid mobility, which is an important aspect of the burpee. These routines are still wonderful for increasing strength in your arms, core, buttocks and legs without much explosiveness.
Do you know how to do a standard burpee?
Here are some suggestions on how you can push yourself even further.
1) Squat thrust
Squat thrusts, a type of burpees, are an activity many of us can recall clearly from gym classes in high school. That’s because it engages the entire body and helps raise the heart rate in a short amount of time.
Here’s how to do it:
Squat to the ground, with your feet approximately hip-width apart and your hands on the ground in front of you. Jump your feet out next to you in an explosive action so that you’re in a pushup position on your palms and toes, with your torso in a straight line. Return to the starting position by jumping feet backwards. Complete 1–3 sets of 30–60 seconds of hopping the feet out and in as quickly as possible. To make the motion more intense, stand up and add a leap each time you jump your feet in, turning it into a burpee.
2) Mountain climbers
Squat thrusts are excellent for increasing power, stamina and perseverance, but there are other ways to increase the movement’s intensity. Mountain climbers are included in this version to help you focus on agility and stamina while increasing your heart rate.
Here’s how to do it:
Drop down swiftly from a standing posture, placing your hands on the ground and leaping your feet back behind you to form a plank position. Mountain climbers are performed by swiftly alternating between pulling one knee up under your chest and extending the opposite leg. Change legs four times, keeping your hips down and back straight. The centre of your body should be active. Squat down in a low squat by jumping your feet forward. Leap straight up into a tuck jump by pushing through your heels. Your legs should be as close as possible to your chest. Repeat with as little force as possible.
3) Box burpee
It’s a great variation of your normal burpees. It combines the effects of plyometric exercise with the advantages offered by burpees.
Here’s how to do it:
With your arms at your sides, stand with your feet hip-width apart. Perform a standard burpee till you’ve leapt out of plank and into a low squat position. Execute a box leap at this point. Get on a plyo box or a stable, elevated platform, with your knees slightly bent. Return to the start by hopping or stepping down.
4) Medicine ball burpees
When you toss a medicine ball overhead at the end of a burpee, you add an element of turbulence and complexity to the exercise. If you feel too shaky during this exercise, step your feet back rather than jumping.
Here’s how to do it:
Hold a medicine ball in your hands, and squat to bring it to the floor while keeping your abs engaged. As you bounce your feet back into a pushup posture, make sure your arms are directly under your shoulders to improve your stability. To rehearse the motion before jumping, step your feet back one at a time, as a variant. To begin with, jump backwards with your feet; then stand up, and hurl the ball overhead or to a partner.
5) Kettlebell burpees
Using a kettlebell to increase the difficulty of burpees is another option. The idea is to perform the manoeuvre while grasping the kettlebell’s bottom (bell) portion rather than the handle.
Here’s how to do it:
Place a heavy kettlebell on the floor in front of you. Squat, and place your hands under the bell’s grip on both sides. To prevent it from tipping over, make sure you’re positioned over the weight, and your wrists are straight and firm. Step your legs back one at a time into a plank position, or bounce your feet back into a plank position if you’re more accomplished. To begin with, step or hop your feet back, and stand erect.
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