If you’ve been searching high and low for the silver bullet of workout moves, look no further: The burpee is the ‘El Capitan’ of keeping fit. Cardio? Rock hard abs? Guns of steel? Check, check, and check. The burpee has you covered — so get your blood pumping by doing this full-body, single sequence workout.

For Beginners: 


It might look easy, but don’t be deceived. Despite the goofy name, burpees have a reputation for being especially unforgiving, but don’t be scared off either. You can start out with a modified burpee before ramping up to the full-blown jump-and-dives (you’ll thank us later).

  1. Stand upright with arms at your side. Bend over and squat down.
  2. Place your hands on the floor, slightly wider than shoulder width and pop back into a push-up position.
  3. Hold in a planking position, then pull your legs forward back into a squatting position.
  4. Rise up to original standing posture.

Check out this graphic for easy reference: 

Blog 2015 10 29 burpee diagram

For a greater challenge:

Think you’re a tough guy? Then level up the burpee with some extra effort. Just don’t underestimate the energy needed for added jumping.

Repeat 1-3 of the beginner’s routine, but when you pop back up from a squat, jump before returning to your original standing posture. Sounds easy enough – but it’s going to burn baby burn! 

Hint:

If you don’t want to spew all over your gym mate, give yourself a break after chugging water or wait at least an hour after eating a meal before trying this – it’s called a burpee for a reason.