The Burpee Really Makes Sense When You Break Down the Movements Step-by-Step—Here’s How to Do It

Burpees were invented by an American biologist named Royal Huddleston Burpee in the 1930s. Since then, they've been used for military training, sports training, and everything in between.

We spoke with fitness experts to find out how to do a burpee the right way, all its benefits, and some tips and tricks to make them more accessible.

First things first: What is a burpee?

A burpee is an exercise that consists of four moves done in succession:

• Squat
• High plank
• Push-up
• Jump-up

The move can be modified for beginners: You can leave out the push-up or jump-up until your strength and endurance improves.

“The burpee exercise is a compound, full-body exercise that requires you to use your lower-body, core, and upper-body muscles throughout the movement,” says physical therapist Grayson Wickham, DPT, CSCS, founder of Movement Vault.

How to do a burpee the right way every time

“The burpee is a great exercise to improve overall conditioning,” says certified personal trainer and Tonal coach Ackeem Emmons, CPT. “It requires minimal equipment, space, or experience.”

Follow these steps to correctly do the burpee exercise:

1. Start in a standing position with your feet shoulder-width apart and your arms at your side.
2. Bending your knees, shift your hips back as you drop into a squat position.
3. Squat all the way down to the floor and place your hands on the floor in front of your feet.
4. Jump both of your legs back into a high plank position. (You can step your feet back one at a time if that's more accessible to you.)
5. Your body should be in a high plank position, forming a straight line with your hands under your shoulders. Keep your head in line with your body, looking at the floor.
6. Keeping your body straight, bend your elbows and do a push-up, then push back up into plank position.
7. Jump (or step) your legs forward back into a squat position.
8. Push off both legs as you do an explosive jump, reaching your arms to the ceiling.
9. Return to the starting position and repeat.

The benefits of a burpee that'll convince you to add it to your workouts

The burpee exercise improves your strength, flexibility, mental acuity, and more. Here are the top five burpee benefits.

1. It strengthens major muscle groups

The burpee is a great way to strengthen and tone several muscle groups with one move, according to 2023 research published in Cureus. “The key physical components are shoulder stabilizers, our core for balance, and lower-body strength,” Emmons says.

Burpees strengthen the following muscles:

• Quadriceps (front of thighs)
• Hamstrings (back of thighs)
• Glutes (butt)
• Calves (back of lower legs)
• Abdominals (midsection)
• Pectoralis major (chest)
• Deltoids (shoulder)

2. It improves your flexibility

You may only think of this exercise as a strengthening move, but it improves flexibility and mobility, too. “Burpees require good shoulder, hip, and ankle mobility,” Wickham says.

Squatting to the floor can improve the range of motion in your hips, knees, and ankles. The plank requires wrist flexibility, and reaching your arms overhead while jumping improves the range of motion of your shoulders.

3. It boosts your heart health

Burpees can be used as a high-intensity interval training (HIIT) or plyometric exercise, both of which help improve your cardiovascular health.

“You can turn burpees into a plyometric exercise if you maintain a high degree of intensity. You can achieve this by moving as fast as you can and jumping as high as you can,” Wickham says.

This increases your heart rate, which helps strengthen your heart and lungs.

4. It strengthens your bones

Burpees are both a resistance exercise and a weight-bearing exercise, which help to strengthen your bones, according to the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases.

You strengthen the bones in your legs when you jump up during a burpee, and you strengthen your arms and core during the plank and push-up portions of the burpee.

5. It promotes mental toughness

“Some benefits of burpees are obviously physical, but mental as well,” Emmons says. “When training clients, the mental correlation is that we all fall down at some point, and it’s important that we learn not to give up, and get back up!”

Common burpee mistakes to avoid

To prevent injuries and reap the maximum benefits from the burpee, avoid these common mistakes.

1. Your plank isn't solid

Emmons says the most common mistake he sees is “allowing the hips to collapse when in the high plank position.”

“Every part of the exercise should be done with intention. Therefore, after hopping or walking your legs back, there should be a moment where the back is flat, the pelvis is slightly tucked, and feet are hip-width apart,” he says.

2. Your hands are in the wrong position

During the plank, ensure your hands are in the correct position. “Your shoulders should be stacked above your wrists when coming down to the ground,” Emmons says. “Lack of body awareness can lead to injury.”

3. Your elbows flare out during the push-up

“Another common mistake is having your hands too wide and allowing your elbows to flare out to the side during the push-up portion,” Wickham says. “Your hands should be relatively close to your torso and your elbows, relatively straight back, and/or slightly angled out to the side. Your elbows should not be at a 90-degree angle to your torso, which is how a lot of people perform the push-up portion.”

4. You ‘plop’ down to the ground

“Plopping down to the ground may be the perception, but it isn’t the reality,” Emmons explains. “ In the eccentric [lowering] phase of the burpee, there should be control as you descend down to the ground. It may not be perfect depending on your [fitness or experience] level, but progression and effort are always the expectation.”

“The burpee is a great exercise to improve overall conditioning. It requires minimal equipment, space, or experience.” —Ackeem Emmons, CPT

Burpee form and technique tips

Maintaining proper form is very important during the burpee. Follow these form and technique tips to ensure your form is spot on.

1. Watch yourself in the mirror

Perform the burpee exercise in front of a mirror to ensure good form. You can also work with a trainer to avoid mistakes that could lead to injuries.

2. Work on mobility

Burpees require you to have good range of motion in your hips, ankles, wrists, and shoulders. If you don’t, you may need to modify.

“If you have tight shoulders, hips, or ankles—or have poor stability in these joints—you need to respect your current mobility limitations and reduce the range of motion that you perform a burpee. You may need to skip this exercise altogether and work on improving your joint mobility first,” Wickham says.

3. Work on arm strength

“You should be able to perform at least five push-ups before moving on to an explosive movement like burpees that incorporate a push-up movement pattern,” Wickham says.

You can work on improving arm strength with exercises like biceps curls, triceps kickbacks, and bent-over rows, according to the American Council on Exercise. Additionally, you can limit how many push-ups you do during a burpee set and forgo the push-up when your form starts to falter.

4. Modify as needed

If you have strength or mobility issues, you may need to modify the burpee.

“If you have tight shoulders, you shouldn't allow your chest to descend all the way to the ground, as this can cause compensation in your shoulders and cause joint wear and tear,” Wickham says. “Similarly, if you have tight hips and ankles, you may need to adjust the push-up to squat position transition by performing this transition with your feet spread wide,” he says.

Emmons shares even more ways to modify the burpee.

“Burpees can be easily modified by stepping in and out of the high plank, instead of jumping,” he says. “Another modification is to not drop your chest to the floor when doing the push-up portion. Lastly, instead of jumping when you come up, you can simply tip-toe.”

Burpee sets, reps, and frequency

“For beginners, working for time is highly recommended,” Emmons says. “Aim for 20 to 30 seconds of burpees, and be mindful of how your body feels during the recovery.”

For more intermediate or advanced athletes, adding burpees to your current lifting session is a great compliment to your routine, according to Emmons.

“If you were trying to create a quick at-home workout with just burpees, I’d recommend 40 seconds on and 20 seconds rest for eight to 10 sets.”

How to add burpees to your routine

There are several ways to add burpees to your exercise routine, which is why they're so versatile.

• Solo exercise: “You can perform burpees as an individual exercise and take rest breaks in between rounds,” Wickham says. You can make them more challenging by holding dumbbells during the move.
• HIIT circuit: “They can serve as HIIT cardio before or after your normal lifting sessions,” Emmons says.
• Superset: “They can also be used as a superset/compliment for various exercises,” Emmons says. (FYI: A superset is two strength exercises performed back to back with no rest in between.) For example, you can do squat thrusters followed by 30 seconds of as many burpees as you can do.
• Dynamic stretch: Because they're a full-body move, burpees can also be a great way to warm up your body in preparation for other exercises. Do 10 to 12 burpees to warm up your muscles before your workout.

FAQ

Why do I find burpees so hard?

Burpees are a challenging exercise because they combine four powerful exercises (squat, plank, push-up, and jump-up) done in succession. They work many of your major muscle groups, and they also get your heart rate up, which challenges your cardiovascular system. They are a full-body exercise.

What happens if you do burpees every day?

“Doing anything every day can be a bit excessive, but a few days a week, with a day or two off in between, is strongly advised,” Emmons says.

How do you modify a burpee for beginners?

“The best way for beginners to modify the burpee is to take out the push-up portion and hold the plank position,” he says. “You can also remove the jump portion of the burpee.”

Beginners can also step back instead of jumping back into the plank. Lastly, instead of jumping up, you can either take that out or just do a heel raise instead of a jump.

Are burpees good for older adults?

“This depends on their current mobility level and fitness level,” Wickham says. “If an older adult has good shoulder, hip, and ankle mobility, then burpees can be a good addition to a workout.”

He says older adults—or anyone else for that matter—shouldn't do this exercise if they have joint pain during or after performing this move. Always check with your doctor before starting a new exercise program.