Burpee
A full-body conditioning move: you drop into a squat, jump your feet back to a plank, return to the squat and jump up with your arms overhead, all in one flowing rep.
- Primary muscles
- Front delts, Upper chest, Middle chest, Lower chest, Abs, Quads, Glutes
- Secondary
- Lower back, Triceps
- Logged as
- Reps
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Why do it
Burpees need no equipment and get your heart rate up very quickly, so they're a staple of circuits, home workouts and conditioning tests. They're more about conditioning than building muscle: your chest, shoulders and legs all work, but none of them heavily. Add the push-up once the basic version feels easy, or step your feet back instead of jumping to make them gentler while you build up.
How to do it
Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart.
Squat down and place your hands on the floor, then jump your feet back into a plank.
Add a push-up here if you want the harder version, then jump your feet back toward your hands.
Jump straight up from the squat with your arms overhead, land softly and go again.
Common mistakes
Hips sagging in the plank
Landing in the plank with your hips dropped arches your lower back. Brace your core so you land in a straight line from head to heels.
Landing stiff after the jump
Thudding down on straight legs makes the next rep slower and harder. Land softly on bent knees, as the steps say, and flow into the squat.
Flopping through the push-up
Dropping your chest to the floor and worming back up isn't a push-up. Do a real one, or leave it out until you can.
Cutting the jump to a hop
A tiny hop at the end cuts out the leg work. Jump up fully with your arms overhead, or stand up without jumping if you need to slow down.
Sets, reps and progression
How many sets you do and how close to failure you take them depend on your goal and your week, not on the exercise. These guides cover it:
Alternatives that train the same thing
Same movement, a different angle or piece of equipment.
