“On second thought, I’m not feeling so well,” you say after noticing that the day’s WOD includes burpees. Not so fast! There’s a reason why you might want to give them a shot — several reasons, in fact. Let’s get into the many benefits of doing burpees and why they’re really not your enemy.
By the way, if you want to practice your burpee game, this WOD has 200 of them!
The Benefits of Doing Burpees: 5 Reasons We Love Them
“Nobody loves burpees,” you’re saying. And we get it! But hear us out. There are a few benefits of doing burpees that we specifically want to highlight.
1. They’re a Full-Body Workout
You can’t do burpees without using just about every part of your part. And even better, all you need is enough space to fall down and stand up again. Your upper body feels the burn as you lower yourself to the floor and push off again, essentially performing a push-up.
Your lower body is what gets you from the squat that you land in (as you stand) into the jump and back down again.
And the whole thing would fall about if you weren’t engaging your core the entire time.
If you’re ever stumped when it comes to programming, or you have a limited amount of time, burpees are always a safe bet. They’ll give you a real workout from head to toe, and the movement is functional fitness at its very best.
2. There are All Sorts of Variations
If you start to get bored with the standard burpee, then there’s always room to get creative. You’ll never run out of ways to fall down and stand up. Think of things like:
- Burpees over the bar.
- Box jump burpees.
- Star jump burpees.
- Push-up burpees.
- Devil press.
- Renegade row burpee.
Some of these are excellent ways to make burpees more of a strength-building exercise — like the devil press, push-up burpee, and renegade row burpee. But even without them, burpees are great for cardio.
And speaking of…
3. Burpees are Excellent for Metabolic Conditioning
There’s a reason so many people hate burpees so much: They leave your heart pumping and your lungs on fire. Challenging? Yes. Beneficial? Absolutely.
One simple way to gauge your improvement is to set a timer for a designated amount of time — say, one to three minutes — and see how many burpees you can perform. Retest this once a month, always selecting the same amount of time. You’re going to notice that you’re able to knock out more and more reps each time. And that’s because your threshold is improving and your body is learning how to handle more work.
Fitness doesn’t have to be complicated, folks.
4. Burpees Help You Torch Calories
We’re not big on calorie talk, just because there are so many variables when it comes to calories in and calories out. However, we’d be remiss if we didn’t point out that burpees are a good calorie-buster.
While it’s going to depend on who you ask, some sources say that a solid minute of burpees will burn about 10 calories. This, of course, will depend on a number of factors, including your body size. We also encourage you to take into consideration that burpees aren’t steady-state cardio, like running on a treadmill or pedaling on an elliptical for an hour. They’re a high-intensity exercise. We’re talking about a short burst of explosive movement that you do for a shorter period of time. This is important because a minute of burpees is not the same as a minute on the treadmill.
High-intensity, explosive exercise is top-notch if you want to burn calories, build strength, and lean out your physique. If you really want to kick things up a notch, then don’t do burpees for reps or time. Do them for height. Plan on maybe five sets of three burpees, with the goal of jumping as high as possible. You’re going to need to squat a little deeper and slower to really build up that tension and jump with all your might.
This triggers a very different sensation and will make your body burn in totally different ways.
5. The Benefits of Doing Burpees Translate to Other Things You’ll Do in the Gym
You’re not just doing burpees for the sake of doing burpees. Guess what else will benefit? Your…
- Box jumps.
- Squats.
- Olympic lifts.
- Sprints.
- Pull-ups.
- Literally just about everything.
“But how?!” you’re asking. And here’s the answer: Burpees are a full-body workout that challenges both your cardio and your strength! The benefits of doing burpees are outrageous considering it’s such a simple movement. Fall down, and stand back up again. But don’t be fooled by this simplicity — burpees are one of the best things you can do for your fitness.
Burpees are a low-impact, high-intensity way to kick your bum into shape. Best yet, you don’t need a single piece of equipment to do them. (Having extra weight/equipment will give you some more wiggle room for variations.) And the only gear you could ever need is wrist wraps if you feel you want the extra support and stability.
So, the next time you see burpees in a WOD, don’t run. Instead, roll up your sleeves, get to work, and enjoy the many benefits of doing burpees!
