Ever wondered what the most badass exercise on the market is? It’s a full-body move that targets every muscle and boosts both your strength and aerobic capacities quickly. The name of the move? The burpee.

Warning: this move is advanced and not for beginners. If you’re just starting out or it’s been a long while, try one of the following exercises for a good workout: swimming, jumping jacks, jumping rope, walking, and push/pull-ups.

Full-Body Exercise: The Burpee

The burpee is the ultimate strength-boosting full-body exercise. Burpees help you scorch fat, rev up your metabolism and get you conditioned like no other exercise.

The easy 3-step burpee technique:

inset-burpee
  1. Put your hands on the floor slightly wider than shoulder-width and pop your legs back into the starting point for a push-up.
  2. Hold this plank position for a few seconds—add a push-up here if you want to kick things up a notch—then pull your legs forward between your hands. Slowly rise back into a squat with your arms in front of you at shoulder height.
  3. Straighten up into a standing position, and repeat. To boost the cardio benefits of this routine, you can jump into the air as you stand up.

Get Started

Week (1)
2 sets – 5 burpees
Week (2)
3 sets – 5 burpees
Week (3)
3 sets – 7 burpees
Week (4)
3 sets – 10 burpees
Week (5)
3 sets – 12 burpees

Try this routine twice a week, a few days apart, and you’ll see your strength increase in all the muscles being activated through these two powerful exercises.

Exercise and stress less

Did you know that even 20 minutes of exercise a day can reduce stress? The recommended amount of weekly exercise for adults is 150 minutes a week.

This can be as simple as taking a 20-minute walk for your lunch break (even when you’re working from home, you should still take a lunch break). Simply getting outside and getting some fresh air while moving your body is enough to reduce stress levels. You don’t need to be training for a marathon (or even doing burpees) to see the positive benefits of exercise.

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What is your all-time favourite exercise to do? Or, what is your least favourite? Share in the comments below!

This article was originally published on February 10, 2017.