How to do the Burpee
ConditioningBodyweightIntermediate
The burpee is one of the most demanding full-body conditioning tools ever devised, forcing your heart, lungs, and muscles to work as a single integrated unit. Master it with intent and it will build explosive power and unbreakable work capacity that transfers to everything you do.
Add this to my personalized plan →Muscles worked
Primary
Full body
Secondary
Heart & lungsCore
Step-by-step
- Stand tall, then hinge and place both hands on the floor just outside your feet.
- Jump or step your feet back simultaneously into a rigid plank position with hips level.
- Perform a controlled chest-to-floor push-up, then explosively drive your hips up and jump your feet toward your hands.
- Swing your arms overhead and jump vertically with full hip extension before landing softly and repeating.
Common mistakes
- Sagging hips in the plank which collapses the movement pattern and stresses the lower back — brace your core and squeeze your glutes the moment your feet hit the floor behind you.
- Rushing the push-up by only performing a partial rep — lower your chest all the way to the ground every single rep to maintain full range of motion and honest volume.
- Landing with stiff knees on the jump which creates excessive joint impact — absorb each landing by allowing your ankles, knees, and hips to bend simultaneously in a soft athletic position.
Pro tip — Time your inhale during the descent to the floor and your exhale forcefully during the jump so your breathing rhythm drives the pace rather than fights it, allowing you to sustain output across high-rep sets without redlining your respiratory system prematurely.
Sets & reps by goal
Build muscle3–4 sets × 10–15 reps
Get stronger3–4 sets × 6–8 reps
Lose fat / tone3 sets × 12–20 reps
Rest: 60–90 sec between sets.
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