Burpee Exercise: Health Benefits, Muscle work, How to do it?

What is the burpee exercise?

Burpee workouts offer a physical challenge. You will concentrate on a full-body cardio workout with this activity, which seeks to develop the strength and endurance of your upper and lower limb muscles.

Regular burpee exercises can strengthen the muscles in your arms, chest, shoulders, buttocks, belly, legs, and hips. You may include this workout into your high-intensity interval training regimen.

Shorter rest intervals are paired with short periods of strong effort in high-intensity interval training, a form of cardiovascular exercise. This is a great workout that increases your metabolism throughout the day, strengthens your muscles, and burns fat. You will lose fat around your abdomen and calories by doing this.

To complete this exercise, all you need is enough space and your weight; no other equipment is needed. Therefore, you can do this exercise to raise your heart rate even in tiny spaces like offices.

Which muscles are worked when performing burpee exercises?

• Glutes
• Quadriceps
• Core muscle
• Calves
• Shoulder muscles
• Chest muscles
• Triceps

The advantages:

• You’re going to work many muscle groups

A straightforward yet powerful exercise for the entire body is the burpee. It’s a great way to work out most of the major muscle groups in your body and strengthen both your upper and lower body. Your limbs, including your hands, are in good shape.

With each burpee, you strengthen your;

Shoulders
Arms
Core
Glutes
Quads
Hamstrings

• Burpees help burn fat and calories.

Burpees are a well-liked workout for anyone trying to lose weight because they are effective for improving both cardiovascular and strength training.

Note that a burpee offers an almost complete body workout. You will eventually lose weight because all the muscles involved will have to work extra hard and burn calories to get the energy they require.

• You’re going to work on your core

Your ability to maintain stability and reduce your risk of injury depends on your core muscles. Burpees are an excellent method to build your core muscles because you have to use your core the entire time you perform the exercise. Burpees are an excellent method to improve your other muscle groups in addition to your abs.

• You’ll gain improved posture, mobility, and balance.

Burpees are a great way to improve your mobility, balance, and coordination because they engage a wide range of muscles and movements. Regular burpee practice will help you feel and move better, gain muscle, and improve your general health.

• You can perform burpees without any equipment.

The ability to perform burpees anywhere, at any time, and without any equipment is one of their greatest benefits. You don’t have to purchase exercise equipment like ellipticals or treadmills or join a gym. Burpees are a comfortable exercise that you may perform at home. You also don’t require a lot of area; you can perform burpees in your hotel room when traveling without missing a beat in your fitness plan.

What is the proper form for performing burpee exercises?

• Start with a relaxing standing position on the ground surface.
• Next, drop your knees to the floor in a full squat.
• Make sure your back is straight.
• Next, progressively lower your hands to the position directly in front of your feet.
• Then, as your foot is kicked backward by your hands, your entire body weight is supported by your hands and toes, just like in a plank position.
• Once your body looks straight from head to heels, perform one push-up.
• Refrain from excessively lifting your buttocks and arching your spine.
• To do a frog kick, jump to your foot and then back to your starting position.
• Lift your arms above your head and take an upright posture.
• Jump fast enough in the air so you return to the starting position as soon as you land, bending your knees, and then squat down to complete the remaining repetitions.
• Many people can do 20 to 25 burpees in a minute, but each person has a different maximum; therefore, you must first perform 10 burpees before progressively increasing the number of repetitions.
• Then relax.

Burpee Exercises variations:

Among the hardest bodyweight workouts available, the difficulty increases with each variant. Burpees are adjustable and may be customized into any form to meet your fitness requirements. Even though the majority of its variations just include basic movements, some degree of muscle strength and balance are still needed.

Burpee box jump

You can use any strong item that can support your weight, such as a bench or plyo box, for this variant.

• Set up a platform or box at an arm’s length away.
• With your legs shoulder-width apart, take a stance facing the box.
• This is where you will begin.
• Keeping your hands on the ground, quickly kick your legs back until your elbows, stomach, and thighs are bent.
• As though you were doing a push-up from here, raise your hips and press up.
• As you get ready to jump up, place your feet beneath your hips and start to stand.
• As you jump, make sure you land on the box in front of you by jumping forward.
• It has only ever happened once.
• Carefully and rapidly exit the box, then do so as many times as necessary.
• Then relax.

Burpee with a Bosu ball

A Bosu ball must be used for this variation.

• You need to hold a Bosu ball in your hand and place it face up on a flat surface.
• After that, squat down, put a Bosu ball in your hands, place it immediately below you, and then place your hands on its flat surface to complete push-ups.
• Then, as you stand up, take hold of the other edge of the Bosu ball with your hands and raise it above your head.
• Change the action by lowering it to the ground.
• Then relax.

Burpee with dumbbells

• Select the correct weight for the dumbbells.
• Maintain a straight back while separating your feet shoulder-width apart.
• Dumbbells should be placed on the floor in front of your feet when you squat down, somewhat wider than shoulder-width apart.
• Put your weight on your hands and jump with your legs extended straight back behind you.
• Using your hands and toes to support yourself is the greatest option.
• Place your hands below your shoulders.
• After bending your arms until your chest touches the floor, stretch them fully once more (one push-up).
• Pull the dumbbell up to the side of your chest while exhaling and contracting your shoulder blades.
• Make sure you only move your arm during the workout and not any other portion of your body.
• Breathe in and out while slowly bringing the opposite arm back to the beginning position.
• Move your feet in a jump position between your hands.
• To push through your feet and go back to the starting position, move quickly.
• Then relax.

Burpee Knee Tucks

• Start with your feet hip-width apart and your core tight.
• With your hands on the ground, leap backward with your feet and land in a high plank position.
• After that, hop your legs back towards your hands to come to a squat.
• Take a big stride forward after that and bring your legs up to your chest.
• Take great care to keep your knees soft when landing.
• Then relax.

Pull-Up Burpee

• Legs should be shoulder-width apart.
• To complete the pull-up part, move so that you are standing exactly under a bar.
• You now start the exercise in the starting position.
• To get into a squat, take a breath, bend at the knees, and push your hips back.
• Once your hip crease touches your knee, keep lowering your body.
• With your hands flat on the ground, push your knees backward to take on the top push-up posture, which involves completely extending your arms.
• Finish this section as soon as possible.
• Bend at the elbows to lower your body and complete a push-up.
• Now press up and raise your hips.
• Put your feet in front of your hips and jump.
• Prepare to jump by standing up now.
• Now give yourself a powerful upward thrust.
• Hold the pull-up bar with your hands in an overhand grip.
• Lift your body upward and begin immediately lifting your chin above the bar.
• Stretching your arms, lower yourself, and then let go of the bar to land back on the ground.
• You have just completed your first round.
• Then relax.

Safety measures and advice for burpees exercise:

• Like any exercise, burpees are very beneficial as long as you perform them properly and avoid injury.
• Just perform a few repetitions at first, going gently. Increase the repetitions gradually after you are comfortable and can easily perform this exercise.
• Before pausing and moving on to the next set, try to do 5 or 10 repetitions in one effort.
• An additional strain on your shoulders and wrists can result from the pushups required for the burpee workout.
• When doing push-ups, be careful not to twist your wrist when landing.
• Before you add weights, more pushups, or leaps, make sure you’ve finished the exercise’s fundamental elements.
• Burpees may be an extremely tough workout.
• If you are not familiar with this exercise, look for help from a physiotherapist.

To ensure safe exercise, consider the following recommendations:

• Before working out, make sure your body has had enough time to warm up.
• To avoid overtraining and tired muscles, gradually increase the duration and amount of repetitions in your workouts.
• Always exercise with the correct form to maintain your health and achieve the desired results.
• When you’re working out, try not to wear anything that will limit your range of motion. Instead, wear loose, comfortable clothing.
• Before working out, it’s recommended that you take a deep breath and release it slowly through your lips.

When have you not performed a burpee exercise?

• If your physician suggests you relax.
• Whether any bones are broken.
• If you’ve had surgery recently.
• Stop practicing this exercise right away if you experience any pain or discomfort.

Summary:

Burpees are a quick, full-body exercise that tones muscles and burns fat. It’s an amazing bodyweight exercise that targets every muscle in your body, from your shoulders to your ankles.
Burpees are an excellent way to improve overall body strength and conditioning since they combine cardio and strength training into one exercise. They are simple to modify to meet the requirements of any degree of fitness.

Ask a physiotherapist for help if you’re having trouble performing a burpee. Additionally, check with a doctor to see if burpees are safe for you if you’re new to exercise or high-intensity interval training, or if you have a medical condition.

FAQ:

References:

• P. Tirgar (2023b), 5 December. Burpee workout: health benefits, strengthening of muscles, how-to? – Mobile Clinic for Physiotherapy. Mobile Clinic for Physiotherapy. www.mobilephysiotherapyclinic.in/burpee
• Seven Justifications for Daily Burpee Practice. (No date). G&G Exercise Supplies. Here are seven reasons to burpee every day: The live fit blog at https://livefit.com
• Image 1, January 16, 2020 Cross-Fit. Watch the video of the Burpee Box Jump Over. You can watch GLktGkmcvWE on YouTube.
• Image 2, On March 14, 2016, Julie. Peanut Butter Fingers: Bosu-burpees.jpg. Fingers covered in peanut butter. 20-minute total body workout at https://www.pbfingers.com/bodu-burpees-jpg
• Image 3, Rearick, K. (February 18, 2014). PopCulture.com: Healthful Living. Look through Pinterest. Pin: 379780181053995282 #in.pinterest.com
• Image 4, 2017 April 19; Botond, B. The pull-up Burpee. Build Up Your Strength. Exercises & Burpee Pull-Up at https://get-strong.fit