Get a Full-Body Workout With Burpees

If you’ve never heard of burpees (it’s really not the best name) but are looking for an excellent way to add “oomph” to your next workout, or break out of the doldrums of your current exercise regime then the burpee will soon be your new best friend.

Burpees?

What is a burpee, you ask? It’s a movement that is quick, easy, and requires absolutely no special equipment. It is one of few full-body exercises that don’t involve spending thousands of dollars on contraptions with weights and pulleys, and will push your strength and aerobic capacities to the absolute limit. Burpees work your arms, thighs, core, hamstrings, chest, and shoulders. Within a few sets you will start to “feel the burn” and will know why burpees are an exercise of choice for many athletes. Because of the intensity, burpees can burn 1.5 times more fat than other strength-training methods and speed up metabolism. They can be performed anywhere with just a few feet of room.

Effective, yet simple.

To perform a burpee, follow these steps: 1. Start in a squat position, with your hands touching the floor in front of you. 2. Kick your feet back so you are in a plank position, like you are ready for a push-up.* 3. Jump your feet back to position #1. 4. Leap up as high as you can with your hands reaching for the ceiling. 5. Repeat! * You can increase the intensity of your burpee and get even more physical benefits by kicking your feet back and bending your arms, so you are at the bottom of a push-up, then push-up to plank position and continue to step three.

Kick it up a notch.

Ideally you want to move as fast as possible, and jump as high as you can. Continue for 30 seconds, then either break for 30 seconds or alternate with another activity (shadow-boxing, jogging, etc.). Try seeing how many burpees you can do in 2 minutes, or see how long it takes you to complete 100 burpees. Once you have the hang of burpees you can make them more challenging by adding dumbbells or medicine balls. Another way to change up the burpee is by adding a 50-yard sprint between sets and doing chin-ups instead of the jump. It may not sound like a barrel of fun, but it sure will get you into shape, fast!

Challenge yourself to do 22 burpees every day.

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