Burpees can be challenging, especially if you’ve never done them before. But if you perform burpees every day, even if it’s just a few, you’ll be powering up like a pro in no time!
As with all other aspects of fitness, it’s about consistency. One way to motivate yourself to keep going is to remember the many health benefits burpees can provide.
Here, we’ll teach you how to do a burpee before running through seven reasons why you should incorporate the exercise into your daily workout routine.
6 STEPS TO DO A BURPEE
- Stand straight with your arms at your side.
- Squat until your hands reach the floor.
- Using your hands as anchors, jump and thrust your legs backward. When you land, you should be in plank position.
- Hold the plank for a moment and check that your form is correct.
- Jump your feet back to your hands. If you want to make the burpee more challenging, add in a pushup before you jump your feet back to your hands.
- Jump into the air and extend your arms over your head as you rise. Land in the standing position, and then repeat the exercise as many times as you can.
Now that you know how to do a burpee, let’s go over the seven main reasons why you should do this exercise on a consistent basis.
WHY SHOULD YOU DO BURPEES EVERY DAY?
1. YOU WILL WORK MULTIPLE MUSCLE GROUPS
The burpee is a simple yet effective tool for a total body workout. It’s a great way to work most of your body’s major muscle groups to efficiently strengthen your upper and lower body. Even extremities like your hands get a workout!
Every burpee helps to strengthen your:
- Shoulders
- Arms
- Core
- Glutes
- Quads
- Hamstrings
Practically a total body workout, burpees are an excellent exercise to help you get in shape fast.
2. YOU WILL GET YOUR HEART RATE UP
Burpees combine both cardio and strength training. When done properly and consistently, the exercise provides a high-intensity workout that is sure to not only condition your muscles, but also get your heart pumping, your lungs working, and the sweat flowing.
The exercise is also a clever way to gauge your fitness. If you start feeling sore after just a few burpees, your challenge will be strength-based; if you catch yourself running out of breath, your challenge will be cardiovascular and stamina-based. The nice thing about burpees is that the exercise helps you develop on both fronts.
Start by setting a timer for three minutes and see how many burpees you can complete in that amount of time. Even if you complete just a few burpees every day, you will start to notice improvement over time — you will be able to do more reps in that three-minute timeframe over the course of weeks or months.
3. BURPEES HELP YOU BURN CALORIES AND FAT
Because burpees double as cardio and strength training, the exercise is a go-to choice for folks who want to burn calories and fat.
In just one minute, you might be able to burn upwards of 15 calories. Over time, this will mean helping you lose fat.
Remember, the burpee provides practically a full body workout. All the muscles involved will need to work extra hard, and they’ll use up calories for the energy they need and ultimately help you to slim down.
4. YOU WILL WORK YOUR CORE
Your core muscles are important for providing stability and reducing the risk of injuries. Burpees are an effective workout for your core muscles, as you’ll need to keep your core engaged from start to finish.
Incorporating burpees into your workout routine is a great strategy if you’re looking to target your abs while strengthening other muscle groups at the same time.
5. YOU WILL IMPROVE YOUR MOBILITY, POSTURE, AND BALANCE
Because burpees target so many muscles and involve a wide range of motion, they can help improve your mobility, balance, and coordination. When you do burpees on a consistent basis, your body will become stronger, your health will improve, and you will move better and feel better.
6. YOU DON’T NEED ANY EQUIPMENT TO DO BURPEES
One of the biggest advantages that comes with doing burpees is that you can do them anywhere, anytime, without any equipment whatsoever! You don’t need to go to a gym or invest in fitness equipment like treadmills or ellipticals.
You can do burpees from the comfort of your own home. You don’t need a lot of space either; even if you are travelling, you can do some burpees in your hotel room so you don’t skip a beat in your workout routine — no excuses!
7. YOU CAN VARY THE EXERCISE TO SUIT YOUR NEEDS
When you have mastered the classic burpee and feel ready for a new challenge, there are many burpee variations you can choose from.
For instance, you can:
- Use a BOSU ball to improve your balance.
- Do a pull-up every time you jump at the end of a burpee.
- Add burpees to your HIIT (high-intensity interval training) routine.
- Hold a dumbbell in each hand and do overhead shoulder presses with each rep.
You can also vary the intensity of your burpees — take a short breather between each burpee, go for slow and controlled burpees, or try to crank out as many burpees as you can in three minutes!
