Burpees are efficient, high-intensity exercises that work for just about any athlete. They improve your cardiovascular endurance, work different muscle groups and amp up your metabolism. Plus, let’s be honest, burpees are fun.

We all know how to do a basic burpee:

• From a standing position, squat down with your hands flat on the floor in front of you.
• Kick your legs backward in a push-up position and lower your chest.
• As quickly as possible, lift your chest off the floor and return your feet to squat position.
• Jump up high into the air as fast as you can.
• Clap over your head!

Burpees are about speed and explosiveness, but it’s always important to maintain proper form.

Every now and then, we need to add a little variety to our workouts to avoid reaching a plateau and getting bored. When things are becoming predictable for your body, it’s time to spice things up. Here are five burpee variations we love that you should try!

1. Box Jump Burpees

Jumping is already part of the basic burpee. The box jump amplifies the benefits of each movement — increasing your strength and muscle tone on both your upper and lower body. Plus, it adds a little more demand: instead of jumping straight up, you jump a little forward onto a higher surface.

To execute:

• Stand on one side of your box.
• From the standing position, perform a burpee.
• When you kick your legs forward and return to the squat position, jump onto the box instead of upward in the air.
• Jump down onto the other side of the box.
• Turn around to face the box to start your second burpee.

Each time you jump down to the other side, it’s considered one rep. If you find yourself unable to do a box jump, you can scale to step-ups. Repeat as many reps as needed.

2. Bar Touch Burpee

Another way to change up your burpees is to set a height target to touch at the end of each rep. Set it for seven to nine feet, depending on your height. If your gym has a rig, these bars are the perfect height to jump up and reach.

Simply execute the basic burpee under the bar and when you jump up, attempt to touch the bar above you.

3. Over-Bar Burpee

If you’re not looking to jump high but would like to work on your agility, the over-bar burpee is an interesting exercise you could try. Just be careful not to trip over the barbell!

To execute:

• Set a barbell in front of you.
• From the standing position, perform a burpee.
• As you stand, jump over the barbell. You don’t have to stand straight up.

Staying low saves energy and allows you to move faster. If you want to scale down, jump over an empty barbell that’s directly on the floor. For a bigger challenge, add plates so the bar is higher off the ground.

4. The Burpee Pull-Up

Burpees and pull-ups are two fundamental movements CrossFit athletes should know. They come up in every other WOD and are basic markers of both endurance and strength. It’s no wonder why: they work your lower and upper body well and can always be made more challenging.

To execute:

• From a standing position, perform a burpee.
• As you stand, immediately jump onto a pull-up bar and complete one strict pull-up.

If you can’t do pull-ups yet, feel free to scale to a jumping pull-up from the floor. (Side note: incorporate strict pull-up training into your programming! This movement is a must-have.)

5. Weighted Burpee

Burpees are tough as is; weighted burpees are no joke. Add a weighted vest, weighted wristbands or ankle weights to any of the burpees mentioned above (or a basic one). You’ll have to work a little bit harder to complete reps and maintain your speed and jumping height — a lung-burner indeed!