The ideal exercise for strength and condition
It is the nightmare of many athletes, but it still appears in many bootcamp and crossfit training: the burpee. And that is not without reason. The exercise takes some technique and motivation, but once you’re up and running, you’ll be training a lot of muscles as well as your stamina. And you burn a lot of calories along the way.
The burpee was developed in the 1930s by the American sports scientist Royal H. Burpee. He devised a test to determine the fitness of people in an easy and fast way. The burpee requires not only fitness, but also control and coordination. Performing a series of complex movements repeatedly measures agility, coordination and strength.
The test was used by the US military to determine the fitness of new soldiers and with it the burpee gained fame. When it turned out that the burpee was also a good workout, the exercise was adopted by athletes and the fitness world.
do the burpee
Since the burpee consists of a series of complex movements, a good execution is of great importance. In short, when you do a burpee, you let yourself fall out of a stance, via a squat to a push-up position, and after a push-up via the squat and a jump up, you land on both feet again. Step by step it looks like this:
- Stand with your legs slightly apart.
- Sink through your legs – a kind of squat movement but further – and bring your hands to the floor.
- Jump back so that you are in a plank position.
- Lower yourself controlled by your arms: the push-up. Make sure your chest touches the floor.
- Jump your legs back to your hands so that you return to a squat.
- Jump up with straight legs and arms in the air.
Try to perform the burpee in one smooth motion and keep the pace high. It is important that your technique is always good. Make sure you master this first and then adjust the tempo. Other points of attention are:
- Keep your feet hip-width apart during the plank.
- Make sure to keep your back straight when you jump into plank position and don’t sag.
- During the plank, place your shoulders directly over your hands.
Ideal exercise
For the burpee you need little in addition to your body (weight) and that makes it an ideal exercise for a circuit or outdoor training. At home in the living room is of course also possible.
It really is an all-in-one exercise. A good burpee requires dexterity, balance, coordination and full-body strength. If you do burpees regularly you will notice that your chest, shoulders, triceps, back, glutes, abs and hamstrings become stronger. And because you also have to keep your balance during the exercise, you use not only the large muscles, but also several small ones. So you train the whole body.
Top for your condition
In addition, the exercise – especially with fast repetitions – causes an increase in the heart rate. The whole body is put to work intensively and the muscles need more oxygen. Thanks to training, your body will be able to cope better with such an intensive stimulus: a better condition.
In addition to improving your muscle strength and condition, burpees often also have a positive effect on your flexibility and explosiveness. The speed at which your body can move will increase and movements will become smoother and more effective.
Finally, studies have shown that high-intensity training (HIT), such as burpees, burns more fat than standard strength exercises.
Variations on the burpee
If you would like to get started with the burpee, it is smart to start with the beginner variant. For example, do six, then take a half-minute rest and repeat two more sets. After building up, there are endless possibilities. Both in frequency – see for example how many you can do in a minute – and in form. There are so many variations.
- Beginner burpee: Instead of jumping in steps 3 and 5, step in and out of the plank position leg by leg. If you have a lot of trouble with your lower back, it is also better to walk than jump.
- Box-jump burpee: After step 5, don’t just jump up (step 6), but jump on a platform like a box. Make sure that the elevation is stable.
- Side Burpee: After step 5, don’t jump up (step 6) but to the side. For example, over a barbell or your training buddy.
- Star burpee: After step 5, don’t just jump up (step 6), but keep your arms and legs wide and straight. Like you’re a star.
- With one arm: During the burpee, use only one arm at the plank and push-up. You can use only one leg instead of one arm.
- Multiple push-ups: Instead of one push-up in step 4, you can do five or ten before finishing the move.
- With a squat: After step 5, do not jump straight up (step 6) but do a squat jump. Bring your knees to the chest.