We are talking how to do a burpee…and not hate it. I’m breaking this exercise down move by move, and offering modifications for every fitness level.
How To Do A Burpee and Not Hate It
Hiiii!
Good Morning and Happy Monday!
We are chatting burpees today! I’ve been blogging under the Burpees for Breakfast name for a few years now and I have yet to share a post on how to do a burpee…and not hate it! A couple weeks ago, I included a burpee in one of my cardio intervals for my Sunday class. One of my participants asked how to work up to a burpee with her chest touching the ground. My initial answer was that her chest didn’t need to touch the ground. Then I broke it down and gave her a few options.
A burpee will look different for everyone based on their level of fitness.
[bctt tweet=”A burpee will look different for every level of fitness #burpee #sweatpink @fitapproach” username=”burpees4bfast”]
See that up there? If you are unable to do a burpee with your chest touching the ground and a huge jump at the end, not to worry! I’ll share a few variations of a burpee, based on your level of fitness.
A burpee can be broken down in to 4 basic exercises: a squat, a plank, a push-up and a jump. But first, let’s talk posture.
POSTURE
Having good posture is the foundation of all moves, especially for the burpee. Starting from the bottom up:
Stand with feet hip width apart, knees slightly bent, squeeze the glutes and quads, tuck pelvis slightly and engage core by exhaling and blowing all your air out. Chest should be lifted, shoulders rolled back and down, engaging the lats. Head should be up, gaze looking forward.
THE SQUAT
Next up, is the squat. Driving through the heels, sit butt back as if you were sitting in a chair. Lower down and reach arms to the ground.
THE PLANK
When lowered into the squat, place your hands on the ground and move back** into plank position. In plank, hand should be suction cupped to the ground, pressing through the palm and fingertips, not just the wrist. Think about that standing posture – pelvis should be tucked, core engaged, shoulders back and down. Squeeze the glutes and quads. Shoot the heels to the back of the room, while on the balls of your feet.
** FOR BEGINNERS: Step back into plank position, rather than jump.
THE PUSH-UP
Now that you are in plank position, it’s time to lower down to the ground into a push-up. Bend at the elbows (should be at about a 45 degree angle, if looking overhead) and lower your chest all the way to the ground**. Once your chest touches the ground, push through the palms and the balls of your feet to come back into plank position.
** FOR BEGINNERS: Skip the push-up. After plank position, move back up into the squat.
** FOR INTERMEDIATE: If you aren’t ready to have your chest touch the ground yet, just perform a push-up until those elbows are at about 90 degrees.
THE JUMP (x2)
After assuming plank position, ensure that core is engaged, press through palms and the balls of your feet to jump the legs up** towards the hands, back into squat position.
** FOR BEGINNERS: Step back up into squat position, just like you did with the step back into plank.
Once you land in squat position, drive through the heels and bend the knees as you jump up high** and land back on your feet**.
** FOR BEGINNERS: A couple options, completely cut out the jump at the top and just stand at the top. OR, drive through the heels and come up on your tip toes, squeezing those glutes and quads.
[bctt tweet=”How To Do a Burpee & Not Hate It #burpee #sweatpink @fitapproach” username=”burpees4bfast”]
There you have it! I encourage you to try out a burpee in a way that matches your level of fitness. Keep in mind, that if you have knee or back trouble, skipping in the jumps might be helpful. As you continue to build your fitness, slowly work on progressing your burpees!
Disclaimer: While I am a personal trainer and group fitness instructor, I am not YOUR personal trainer or group fitness instructor. I stand behind the workouts I share on the blog. Please be mindful of the exercises and workouts you perform. Work smart and safely, and when in doubt please consult your physician.
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How was your weekend?! DO anything exciting? Friday was a relaxing self-care night. The Hubs and I made homemade pizza, ate ice cream and watched almost the entire 3rd season of Rules of Engagement. We started watching it a few weeks ago and like it enough to watch an episode or two a night. Although, David Spade is not believable as the player of the show. Like not believable.
Saturday, I spent the morning at my favorite coffee shop, working on blog and business stuff. I made a quick stop home for lunch, an Oscar walk and to start laundry. Then I met up with Sarah of Creating A Better Tomorrow at Starbucks and we chatted business and blog stuff. It was so fun! Be on the lookout for a collaboration soon! I had about 1.5hr until my next coffee date, so I did a little work and made a run to Trader Joe’s. The traffic was INSANE and what should have been a 15 – 20 minute trip took 45!! I made it 10 minutes late to my next coffee date with friend and Beta tester, Abbie from Abbie G Meyer, which was great! I did some cleaning and more work when I got home and hung out with The Hubs.
Sunday I was up super early. I did a good amount of work before doing a little cleaning and teaching my Sunday class. I met up with another friend and Beta tester to chat nutrition. Came home to do food prep, take blog workout photos and relax for the night because it was a full and productive weekend!
SO, TELL ME:
Burpees, love ’em or hate ’em?
What did you do this weekend?!
XOXO,
JEN
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Great breakdown! I don’t hate em, but I hate classes where you’re pushed to do them too quickly to have good form!
Oh yes, I know that type of class all too well! It just leads to injury! I say go at your own pace and enjoy! 🙂
First off, your outfit is gorgeous. Totally need to get one for myself.
Secondly, I adore burpees and don’t understand how people could hate them. Kidding, I do understand why people hate them but still – they are sooooo effective!! I love that one move can leave me totally passed out on the floor. Super effective and there’s so many variations out there!
Thirdly, depeding on the time of workout I’m doing, somtimes my push-up becomes more of a “flop” when I just kind of drop to the ground real quick and pop back up. I do those kind of burpees when I want more cardio out of it because I can get up and down faster!!
Ah, thank you for the outfit compliments. I occasionally look cute for workouts. I usually have no one to impress and find that I don’t like getting cute clothes covered in sweat! Yes to the burpee flop! I do that variation most often – it’s my favorite!
Look at that height on that jump girl! You really know how to own a burpee! 🙂
Woo woo! Thanks lady! 🙂 Props to my hubby for snapping the shot at the right time!
This is awesome! Oh my goodness. I have actually always compared to cilantro – either you love them or hate them. And, sometimes people turn. But, a middle ground is hard to find. Love this topic and this post – great info and images as always! MISS YOU, GORGEOUS. Xx
Thanks friend! Miss you too! I love the comparison to cilantro! Hah. it’s so so true! My hubby is NOT a cilantro fan…and he is not the biggest burpee fan either 🙂
I love the step by step explanation and form cues. Burpees are a challenging exercise for a lot of people, and it’s easy to compromise on form when you’re tired.
So glad you enjoy it, girl! It’s definitely easy to compromise when you get tired!! Go at your own pace and enjoy the move!
I think the gals in the BGB Community have actually increased my love for burpees. I love doing them now, and I love how you broke them down into 4 actions. That really helps.
Great! I’m so glad it’s helpful, Emily! And I’m glad you are loving burpees now! 🙂
I don’t think my health is good enough for exercises like a burpee. But I think I should try little by little. Thank you so much for your tips.
Of course, Richard! Just make sure to be careful and be safe!