Description
The burpee exercise aims to condition and to strengthen your whole body so that you would be able to lose tremendous amount of body fat, to increase your endurance and to boost your stamina. All you need is your own bodyweight to provide you with copious amount of resistance. Your lungs are exercised for better breathing rhythm and your heart would have increased heart rate for better blood circulation.
To do the burpee, firstly, you need to stand straight with your feet apart at hip width and your arms rested on both sides. Then lower yourself into a squat position with your hands flat in front of you and on the ground, and kick your legs backwards at full blast into a press up position with your whole body straightened. Thrust both of your feet forward and rise slowly back into the squat position and jump upwards with your hands raised over your head. The burpee is a fast-paced exercise, which means all steps must be done quickly. The whole steps lead to one full repetition.
As you execute these procedures, every muscle in your whole body is participating, which leads to healthier muscles. There is no equipment necessary to do the burpee, as long as you have ample space for you to do it.
Results
Every muscle is participating and affected with the burpee, most especially your biceps, triceps, obliques, core abdominal muscles, deltoids, quadriceps, pectoralis major, glutes and hamstrings.
These muscles tend to be more flexible and more toned, not to mention being active and stretched for increased mobility. Your hips are going to be strengthened because you bend your body in a squat position switching to a press up position. Your leg, arm and back muscles are also going to be more stretched, reducing the chance of muscle strains. Healthy muscles lead to an improved performance and better mobility so you can do more than the usual.
Sets and Repetitions
There are some variations of the burpee exercise—the box-jump burpee and the pushup burpee—that you can explore if you prefer some challenge. The box-jump burpee utilizes a box that you can use to jump on and to come down from it, instead of going into a squat and press up position. On the other hand, the pushup burpee has the same procedures with the traditional burpee with an added twist of pushup as you come into a press up position. The number of pushups depend on you but it is advised to start with 1 or 2 to check if your body can withstand it.
For non-advanced, start off around 10 to 12 repetitions without a timer so that you wouldn’t get pressured upon the execution. As you get used with the procedures, you can set off the time with 1 minute. Avoid stressing yourself with a limited time because burpee can strain your whole body if not done with precaution. For advanced, especially the athletes, the burpee is done 12 to 15 repetitions per 30-second time. The rapid performance means that your body is able to withstand the demands of the burpee.
Top Performance Metrics
Physical fitness enthusiasts have pushed themselves with the motivation to top the world records for their chosen movement, most especially Josh Zitomer. Zitomer has succeeded in reaching 10,000 continuous burpees in two days.
Related Movements
Here are some movements that can co-relate with the burpee:
Mountain climber
Lunge
Pull-up
Jump squat
Push-up
Jogging
Related Foods
Since burpee is a full body movement with a jump, avoid eating too much before executing this movement. However, your body requires food that can supply the right amount of energy to pull through with the exercise such as boiled yams, fresh bananas, oatmeal with berries or nuts and whole wheat toast. These foods should be consumed thirty minutes to one hour before your workout. Moreover, after performing the burpee, your body also needs to replenish itself from the demands of the workout. Foods such as protein bar, wheat toast with egg whites, yoghurt with almonds and brown rice with chicken possess the nutrients that repair your muscles. Always remember to drink plenty of water before and after your workout.
Celebrity Use
A well-known TV personality and an actor, Terrence Jenkins, utters about being excited to have a fitted body after engaging himself with a serious workout that includes burpee. He also shares that exercising is not always enough if you don’t eat healthy.
Functional Use
Improvements can be manifested through weight loss, fat reduction, core strength buildup and increased endurance. Your abdominal muscles are going to be more toned and to be in shape, giving you six-packed abs eventually. You would also notice your arms and legs getting trimmed down with increased power. The burpee exercise makes you stronger that you can do more with your daily activities, and burns your calories that leaves you satisfied with your body.