A Burpee, also sometimes known as Up/Downs, is a full body functional exercise. It also has scalable difficulties ranging from beginner to insane! So there’s a version for every person of every ability level. What follows is how to do basic Burpee:
1. The basic Burpee starts from a standing position, with the feet shoulder or hip width apart, body fully aligned keeping the ear, shoulder, hip, knee, and ankle all in the same plane.
2. Initiate the first movement by lowering the body down into a squat, keeping the ear/shoulder/hip in alignment, and bending naturally at the hip/knee/ankle into a squat movement, as if sitting in a chair.
3. Then, place the hands on the floor in front of the feet approximately shoulder width apart.
4. From here either step or jump the feet back so the toes are in contact with the floor and the body is again aligned with the ear/shoulder/hip/knee/ankle in the same plane. This is called a high plank position, or push up position.
5. OPTIONAL – To increase the difficulty of the exercise, you drop into a push up, then squat back up to the high plank position.
6. In the basic variation you simply step or jump the feet back towards the hands and squat back up to the start position, the reverse of step 4. To add to the intensity you can explode out of the squat by jumping and continue straight back into the squat from step 2.
So now you know how to do a basic Burpee! Depending on your fitness level (beginner to insane), here are some details regarding how many of these to do:
Beginner – do 4-8 reps per set, for 3 sets, with approximately 1-2 minutes of rest between sets. Complete this workout 2-4 times per week.
Intermediate – do 6-10 reps per set, for 2-4 sets, with approximately 30-60 seconds of rest between sets. Complete this workout 2-4 times per week.
Advanced – do 8-12 reps per set, for 3-6 sets, with approximately 30-90 seconds of rest between sets. Complete this workout 2-4 times per week.
Insane – do a Tabata Protocol, where you get As Many Reps As Possible (AMRAP) in 20 seconds, for 8 sets, with exactly 10 seconds of rest between sets. This should only take 4 minutes but leave you wiped out! Complete this workout 2-4 times per week.
You can build your way up from beginner to insane. Remember to always prioritize the quality of your movements by using proper form and technique over quantity of reps.
Here’s the whole series of movements in a video:
About the Author
Peter Schierling has a Bachelors degree in Kinesiology with an emphasis in movement science from San Jose State University. He is also a certified ACE CPT. He specializes in sports training, functional movement, and injury prevention. Peter enjoys creating a positive impact on the lives of his clients and athletes by delivering results.
