Burpee - what kind of exercise is it in sports and how to do it correctly

Burpee technique

The exercise should be performed at a pace that is suitable for a particular person, depending on age, health and goals.

• For those who want to lose weight with the help of exercise, it is necessary to perform it as quickly as possible, for a time. Thus, a fast pace will help burn more calories from subcutaneous fat.
• For those who train coordination and strive to increase muscle tone , you can perform the exercise at a calm pace, not for quantity, but for quality.

The classic version of the burpee technique is performed as follows:

1. Place your feet parallel to each other, no wider than shoulder width.
2. Perform a squat while inhaling, keeping your abdominal muscles toned and not allowing your back to round or arch excessively.
3. Place your palms on the floor, parallel or with your fingers slightly turned inward, and inhale. Exhale as you jump into a plank position, keeping your spine straight.
4. Pressing your elbows to your body, inhale and lower yourself as far as possible to the floor.
5. As you exhale, push up from the floor.
6. As you inhale, jump up towards your palms.
7. As you exhale, jump from the floor to the starting position.

Technology in dynamics:

Burpee technique for beginners

The advantage of the exercise is that almost anyone can do it, regardless of physical fitness. For beginners, it is recommended to perform burpees as follows:

1. Squat down, and, as in the classic version, jump back while lying down;
2. Bend your elbows and lower your whole body to the floor;
3. Push off with your hands, jump up to your palms and jump up.

The burpee technique for beginners is simplified by eliminating push-ups . However, the technique must be accompanied by the force of strong and tense corset muscles, which, when lifted, stabilize the spine and keep the torso in a level position.

To rise from the floor, you can also push off with your knees; this technique of performing burpees is great for girls , as it significantly removes the load from the shoulder girdle. This option works like this:

1. after jumping into the plank, first lower your knees, then do push-ups from your knees.
2. And in the reverse order - go to the plank and jump to the palms.

Beneficial properties of the exercise

How many calories do burpees burn? How many muscles does it work? Does strength increase?

You burn a huge amount of calories

Burpees provide an intense full-body workout that will push you to the limit. This means that you will burn a decent amount of calories during this exercise.

It is impossible to say exactly how many calories one set of burpees burns, since it all depends on the intensity. The faster and more often you do the exercise, the more calories you burn.

Spartan trainer Jeff Godin says an 82-pound guy burns 1.43 calories per burpee. So if you can do at least seven in a minute, you'll burn at least 10 calories in that time. But according to a report at the annual meeting of the American College of Sports Medicine, it's better to do an average of at least 10 burpees per minute, burning 14.3 calories, because at this pace your metabolism is equivalent to a 30-second sprint on a bicycle at full tilt.

But that's not the main thing.

The main thing is that when you do burpees regularly, your metabolism accelerates. In addition, you will gain some muscle mass, which means that even at rest, your body will burn more calories than before.

You improve your endurance

Whether you're facing a challenging mountain climb, your first marathon, or just being on your feet all day, you need to train your endurance.

The higher the level of endurance, the better the body resists daily stress. The better your body resists stress, the happier you feel.

And burpees are an ideal option for this. This exercise is not only a challenge for the cardiovascular system, but also a way to increase strength which also helps increase endurance.

By adding burpees to your workout routine, you may notice an increase in performance in other areas, such as making long trail walks or long-distance running easier.

You simultaneously load a large number of muscle groups

There's nothing wrong with isolation exercises like dumbbell curls and crunches; they can be a valuable part of your workout. However, such exercises do not provide natural body movements. By working only on one muscle group, you do not reveal the full potential of the body.

Exercises like burpees work the entire body, just as it does in life. That is, you train your body to solve everyday problems easily and naturally.

Burpees increase strength

There aren't many exercises that work so many muscle groups in the body.

When you squat and place your palms on the floor, your quadriceps, hamstrings, and glutes work. The lower back also works to help maintain balance.

When you move your legs back, your glutes are still working, as well as your thigh muscles.

The hip flexors and quadriceps are tense throughout the exercise. The abdominal muscles of the shoulders, upper back, chest and arms also work actively.

By adding push-ups, you'll work your chest, shoulders, and triceps even more.

Since proper spinal alignment is critical in burpees, the core muscles are also actively engaged.

By jumping forward, you load not only the hip flexors, but also the abdominal muscles. Even the upper muscles work to maintain balance.

Jumping up with your arms raised above your head puts stress on your quads, glutes, and shoulders.

Now it’s clear why many athletes love burpees so much.

Let's count how many muscles work during just one exercise

• Upper and lower legs: quadriceps, hamstrings and calves
• Buttocks
• Back
• Upper part: chest and shoulders
• And don't forget about your arms, abs and core muscles.

It's easier to do one basic exercise

A multi-joint exercise like the burpee can make your workout much easier since you don't have to do a lot of isolation exercises.

Just doesn't mean bad.

Plus, by focusing on one exercise at a time, you can get a better workout in less time.

Sometimes even the thought of the next exercise scares you. And then excuses appear that you don’t have enough time for this or that exercise.

Even three sets of 10-15 repetitions of burpees can be enough to provide good energy and muscle function.

Anyone can learn to do burpees

There is no need for special equipment. You already have everything you need. Burpees are deceptively “easy”, although they provide incredible physical stress to the body.

You may have thought that only the military could do this exercise. In fact, it is suitable for everyone.

If you're looking for an exercise that targets all major muscle groups while improving cardiovascular function, this is it.

Benefits and contraindications for doing burpees

Pros of exercise

• When performing burpees, all major muscle groups work, both external and internal, performing the function of a corset for the spine;
• Exercise forms a beautiful body shape and tones the muscles;
• Strengthens the spine, prevents curvature of posture and back pain;
• Strengthens the heart muscle and improves respiratory function;
• Improves the overall endurance of the body;
• Helps burn subcutaneous fat;
• Improves coordination;
• Reduces training time by training all muscles at once.

Contraindications for use:

• Heart disease, high blood pressure;
• Spinal injuries, hernia, displacement, protrusion;
• Inflammation of the joints, injuries of the knee joints.

Top 9 exercises that can replace burpees

Despite all their complexity, burpees are still one of the most favorite exercises in the sports community. However, if you have problems performing them (due to an insufficient level of physical fitness or due to previous injuries), then try replacing them with other exercises that are similar in mechanics.

Developing strength for burpees

If you have difficulty performing burpees as a whole exercise, you may find it easier to master each component individually before linking them all together. Once you've mastered each element (plank, push-up, squat and jump), combine these movements to create a complete compound exercise.

Once your body builds a strong neuromuscular connection (the connection between your brain and muscles), your movements will become smoother and more coordinated.

Below you will learn how to learn how to perform each element of the burpee separately:

• Plank : If you can't do a horizontal plank for at least 30 seconds, then try doing a vertical plank with your hands on the wall at shoulder height. Once you have mastered this position, begin to gradually lower your angle, first leaning on the table, then on the bench, etc., until you can do a horizontal plank supported by your hands. Having perfected the correct position, practice moving from a lying position to a standing position. Then, from a standing position, place your palms on the floor and move your legs back to assume a plank position. After this, return your legs to their original position and stand straight again.
• Push-ups : As with the plank, if you can't do a push-up, start mastering this movement while standing with your hands on the wall at shoulder height, and then begin to gradually lower your angle. Once you have sufficiently strengthened your muscles, you can move on to push-ups on your knees with your hands on the floor. Practice holding a plank for 5-10 seconds and then do one push-up. By practicing these movements regularly, you will feel your core and upper body muscles become stronger and more resilient.
• Squat : This is quite a difficult movement for beginners as it requires flexibility and you also need to master the correct angle of your knees. First, squat as deep as your flexibility allows. Make a movement as if you want to sit on a chair. The weight is shifted to the heels, the back is straight, the knees do not protrude beyond the toes. Once you've mastered this movement, add a jump to your squat.

Once you've honed these basic elements, put them together. Ready! Now you can safely call yourself a professional!

Who is the exercise suitable for?

Burpees are truly a unique exercise for men and women of all fitness levels. Firstly, the technique (classical and lightweight) will help increase endurance, including the overall tone of the body to overcome all the difficulties of everyday life. Secondly, increasing endurance with burpees also means losing weight. Cycling the exercise in a continuous sequence over a long period of time (over 20 minutes) burns a large number of calories. As with cardio exercises, carbohydrates are burned first, and after glycogen reserves are depleted, subcutaneous fat is burned. And fats begin to burn after the first twenty minutes of training , so the exercise is not limited to a certain number of repetitions and approaches.

Burpee training is performed for a while at a certain pace, pauses and short breaks are possible. The complex can also be alternated with other exercises, for example, crunches, jumping rope, pull-ups and any others that do not include burpees.

Burpee modifications

There are many variations of the classic burpee, most of which are aimed at complicating this exercise by adding several additional movements to the existing ones. For example, you can add a high jump, a push-up, a side kick, or replace the high jump with a platform jump.

The problem lies in the fact that your weakest part of the body, due to fatigue, will not allow your strongest part of the body to work properly. For example, your legs may not be able to handle the extra jump, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't do the extra push-up either, especially since your arms can handle it.

In this case, the best strategy is to develop all parts of your body parallel to each other, using various burpee modifications that can be effectively combined with each other.

Burpee leg modifications

1. Replace the rise to the starting position with jumping out of a squat.
2. Replace squat jumps with jumping lunges - one on each leg.
3. In the plank position, replace the push-up with a rock climber exercise.
4. In the plank position, replace the push-up with the spider-man movement, that is, in turn, pull each knee towards the same elbow.
5. Replace jumping lunges with platform jumps.

Modifications of burpees with push-ups

1. Add a push-up after you get into plank position.
2. After each push-up, pause for half a second at the bottom
3. Increase the pause to a second
4. Increase the pause to two seconds
5. Replace regular push-ups with plyometric push-ups
6. During plyometric push-ups, clap your hands in front of you

Modifications of burpees with a horizontal bar

Unfortunately, the classic burpee does not allow you to properly work out your biceps, forearms, and upper and middle back muscles. However, if you have a handy pull-up bar, you can modify it to create the coolest, most complete full-body exercise you've ever seen.

1. After rising to the starting position/jumping to the starting position, hang from the bar
2. Perform a pull-up without raising your chin above the bar
3. Perform a full pull-up, lifting your chin above the bar
4. Perform a full pull-up with a slow descent - that is, lower your body into a hanging position on the bar for 2-3 seconds

Burpees are one of the best exercises you can use to build full-body strength and endurance—and with these modifications, they become even more effective.

Recommendations for beginners

• It is necessary to start doing burpees after general strengthening of all muscles. Strong abdominal, back and arm muscles will prevent injury.
• Perform the exercise at a calm pace, concentrating on the correct technique. Thus, the heart muscle will gradually strengthen, and a fast pace will not disrupt the heart rhythm and exceed the permissible heart rate limit.
• Start doing burpees in combination with other exercises for 10-15 repetitions of 2-3 circles. After adapting to the load, you can perform burpees in long cycles - from 10 to 30 minutes.
• When performing a workout, do not forget about warming up, warming up and stretching your muscles to minimize the possibility of injury. Also stretch your muscles after exercise to keep them flexible and speed up recovery.

Why is burpee such a popular exercise?

Initially, this exercise gained wide popularity in CrossFit.

This is due to the fact that during its execution, the body works on several levels. It may seem like you're doing a strength exercise, but it's also providing quality cardiovascular exercise while improving your balance and coordination.

In fact, the benefits of burpees are countless. It not only effectively burns calories, but also improves your well-being. Try to regularly perform this exercise for a month and you will feel incredible lightness in your body, of course, provided that you do not go beyond the established limit of the daily calorie content of your diet.

How many calories does burpee burn?

A little history

To understand what burpees are in sports, you need to remember a little about its history. It became popular with the advent and development of cross-fit, where it is used. However, the exercise was invented earlier - in the late 30s of the last century, and it was done by a physiologist named Royal H. Burpee. This American simply combined several simpler elements into one exercise, and burpee appeared, which initially had the goal of determining the level of training of the American military, because they should be versatile. Having reached the present day, the exercise has changed in some ways, but its name remains the same. It is also often called a burpee. Burpees and burpees are exactly the same thing.

So, burpees - we already know what it is, and now we’ll briefly look at the technique of doing it. One repetition includes the following sequence of actions that must be performed without pauses:

• Starting position – standing.
• Next you need to sit down on the crusts, rest your hands on the floor.
• Now you need to throw your legs back and take a lying position.
• Do push-ups from the floor.
• Return your legs to a sitting position.
• Now you need to jump up and clap overhead.

You can find a separate article about the burpee technique and its different variations. You can also watch a video about burpee, what it is and how to do it, which will explain a lot about this exercise.

Possible results from doing burpees

A huge advantage of performing this exercise is the long-term burning of calories after stopping the workout. Unlike cardio exercises, this technique trains the muscles, so the body will use its own fat reserves to repair them. Of course, the result will be different for everyone, it depends on many factors:

• age;
• gender;
• genetics;
• weight;
• physical training;
• frequency and duration of training.

For one athlete, in a month the result will be expressed in improved relief of the shoulder girdle and the presence of six-pack abs, while another (woman or man) will be able to lose 10 kg in the same period. Naturally, losing 5-10 kg in 1-2 months is quite possible, but the load should be combined with proper nutrition, and not just doing burpees for five minutes. For better results, it is necessary to develop an individual set of exercises for all muscle groups.

How to do burpees for different purposes

The exercise can be performed in different ways: with or without push-ups, with squats or practically straight legs. This does not mean that one option is correct and the others are not. It all depends on what goal you are pursuing.

To place more stress on the muscles of the arms and shoulders

Do burpees with push-ups until your chest touches the floor. The number and speed of movements will decrease, but you will get more stress on the muscles.

Alternatively, at the bottom of the exercise, lift your palms off the floor and only then perform a strict push-up, returning to the prone position. This way you will definitely work in the full range and pay enough attention to the shoulder girdle.

To take the strain off your back

Go into a squat until your thighs are parallel to the floor and from there take a lying position. Make sure your back remains straight.

The same is true when coming out of a prone position - first jump into a squat, and then straighten up. Don't lift your heels off the floor: do a full-foot squat.

If you don't have enough stretch to lower yourself into this squat, you can start by using an arm rest. This way you won't have to reach to the floor and bend your back.

When lowering to and rising from the floor, avoid bending the lumbar spine. To do this, tense your abs and buttocks.

To do as many timed burpees as possible.

This can be useful if you are participating in some kind of speed challenge, CrossFit competition, or functional all-around competition.

To prevent your arms from becoming overextended after the first dozen reps, do not push up, but fall to the floor. When you lower slowly, you waste muscle power in the eccentric phase. When you fall, gravity works for you.

The hands only lightly hold the body, preventing a strong impact of the chest on the floor.

As soon as the chest touches the floor, it immediately rises. You straighten your arms, straightening your back. At the same time, she does not relax in any way - all the muscles are tense, the torso is rigid.

From a low position with your back arched and chest lifted, in one powerful movement, bend at the pelvis and place your feet on the floor next to your hands.

Try placing your legs wider - this reduces the range of body extension, which means you spend less strength.

After straightening, do not jump high - it is enough to lift your feet off the floor for the repetition to count. So don't waste your time.

Basic recommendations

At first glance, burpees may seem like a difficult exercise. However, just a few regular workouts will prove that there is nothing difficult about it. The main thing is to master the technique to do burpees correctly.

Experts give beginners the following recommendations:

• you need to start the exercise slowly, because at the first stage it is very difficult to understand and master the coordination of legs and arms;
• if physical endurance is not enough, you can do push-ups from your knees, and skip jumping altogether;
• As you gain experience, the speed of the exercise must be increased;
• The overall effectiveness of burpee depends on proper breathing;
• It is preferable to train in the morning on an empty stomach, which will allow the body to recover faster and also enhance metabolic processes for the whole day.

Burpee: what is this exercise?

Essentially, a burpee, or burpee as it's also known, is a plyometric exercise that combines a push-up, a jump, and a plank. It was developed by Royal H. Burpee in 1939. It was named after the doctor of physiological sciences.

When performing burpees, the body takes on a vertical and horizontal position in a short period of time. Your heart rate increases, so calories are burned faster. Depending on the phase of the exercise, the triceps, quadriceps, muscles of the buttocks, thighs and other parts of the body are activated.

Burpee

05.06.2020 20:37

Author: Fitness trainer Sergey Konstantinov

To check the physical condition, the scientist developed a set of exercises, by performing which one can draw conclusions about the functioning of the body's systems. This man's last name is Burpee, and the exercises were named after him. Modern fitness trainers are happy to use this gymnastics to work various muscle groups.

Research results[edit | edit code]

In a 2014 study, researchers from the Department of Health and Exercise Science in New Jersey recruited 13 adult men and had them perform 13 different types of exercise on different days. The purpose of the study was to identify those that had the best simultaneous effects on the development of the athlete's strength and reduction in the level of his body fat. The research results were recorded in protocols.

According to the study protocols, energy expenditure and thus oxygen consumption in the subjects' mitochondria was much greater in the rope wave (24.6 ± 2.6 ml · kg -1 · min -1) and burpee (22.9 ± 2.1 ml · kg -1) exercises. min -1). Exercises with free weights showed rather mediocre results, in particular, squats - (19.6 ± 1.8 ml kg -1 min -1), deadlift (18.9 ± 3.0 ml kg -1 min -1), lunges (17.3 ± 2.6 ml kg -1 min -1). In other words, the energy expenditure of the strength exercises was quite mediocre (compared to burpees and ropes).

Bottom line: Strength training is good, but the most effective way to burn more calories is to combine it with CrossFit exercises like cable waves and burpees. In addition, when combined, these exercises give a good “drying” effect.

Burpees vs interval cycling. Which cardio is best? Research results.

The study, published in the journal Strength and Conditioning Research, sought to determine which of the two exercises was the best for burning fat. The results were similar in terms of parameters such as maximum oxygen consumption (VO2 max) and heart rate (HR). The main difference was only in control lactic acid values, which were significantly higher during cycling. This suggests that burpees can be used longer (for a longer period of time), despite having similar cardiovascular effects to cycling.

Conclusion: cycling and running are the least favorite types of aerobic activity for many, and if this is your case, then you can replace them with burpees.

How many burpees should you do?

The exact number of repetitions and approaches when performing burpees depends on the physical fitness of the athlete.

On a note! There was a belief in the US Army that a soldier who did 40 simple burpees in 1 minute was in good shape.

Of course, for the civilian population the time frame is somewhat compressed. They can be expanded to 90 seconds, leaving the same 40 simplified exercise cycles as a reference. The number of approaches should be selected for yourself.

The following examples will help answer the question of how many times you need to do burpees to achieve results:

• Tabata method – 20 seconds of continuous exercise with an interval of 10 seconds, 8 approaches;
• classic program - 10-20 times, up to 4 approaches;
• The standard for people involved in sports is 12-15 repetitions in half a minute.

On a note! The record for the most repetitions of burpees, listed in the Guinness Book of Records, was 47 times in a minute. It was directed by an Italian in 2021.