How to do Burpee
- Stand with feet shoulder-width apart.
- Squat down and place your hands on the floor in front of your feet.
- Jump or step your feet back into a high plank with a straight body line.
- Optional: lower your chest for a push-up.
- Jump or step your feet back toward your hands.
- Stand up and jump with your arms overhead, landing softly with bent knees.
Benefits
- Works the whole body
- Builds cardiovascular fitness
- Needs no equipment
Common mistakes and how to fix them
Hips sagging in the plank
Fix: Brace your core and squeeze your glutes before landing in the plank.
Landing with straight knees
Fix: Land softly on the balls of your feet with knees bent.
Rounding the back when squatting down
Fix: Hinge at the hips and keep your chest up as you reach to the floor.
Going too fast and losing form
Fix: Slow down. Five good burpees beat fifteen sloppy ones.
Easier and harder variations
- Step-back burpee: no jumping, easier on joints.
- No push-up burpee.
- Incline burpee: hands on a bench.
Safety
Burpees are high intensity. Check with a doctor if you have heart, joint or blood pressure problems. Use the step-back version if jumping hurts. This guide is general information, not medical advice.