You hear people talk about them all the time. They are feared and hated, but admired from afar. They are the Justin Bieber of exercises.
They are burpees.
It is a tough exercise, but many think of it as the ultimate exercise. Personally, I really enjoy watching others do them instead of me.
For any exercise, there should be a way to make it harder (progression) and a way to make it easier (regression). The burpee is no different just because it sounds like two bodily functions in one.
There are basically 4 steps to completing a burpee.
1. Squat down
2. Jump your feet back into the pushup position
3. Jump your feet back towards your hands into the squatting position
4. Jump up
In the video, I included 2 ways to make it harder and one way to make it easier/lower impact.
Burpee with a pushup
I made it harder by adding a pushup after I jumped into the pushup position. Because, you know, I was in the pushup position any way. Might as well.
Floppy burpee
The hardest way, was the floppy burpee. Where you skip the squat and "flop" straight into the pushup position. Great exercise for building up the proper strength to do The Worm.
Low impact burpee Start off by placing your hands on a raised, stationary object such as a park bench or a chair. Then all you will do, is jump or step backwards into the pushup position, jump or step towards the stationary object, and then jump up or come up into a calf raise.
I am getting you prepped now for a huge event in August. In August I am helping organize an attempt (and it will be a successful one) to get into the Guinness Book of World Records for most people doing burpees at the same time. Start training now.
