Burpee (burpee) - a legendary CrossFit exercise

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Burpee (aka burpee) is a legendary CrossFit exercise that leaves no one indifferent. He is either adored or hated with all his heart. What kind of exercise is this and what it is eaten with - we will tell you further.

Today we will take it apart - we will tell you about:

• The correct technique for doing burpees, which will be useful for both beginners and those who have done it before;
• The benefits of burpees for weight loss and cutting;
• Reviews from athletes about this exercise and much more.

Definition and translation

First of all, let's start with the definition and translation of the word. Burpees (from English) – literally “squatting position” or “push-ups”. Dictionaries give an explanation - this is a physical exercise consisting of a squat and deadlift and ending in a standing position.

Somehow it turns out uninteresting. In general, this is an international word, understandable in all languages ​​of the world. By the way, between burpees and burpees, it is correct to use the variant burpee , maintaining the natural pronunciation of this word from English.

Burpee is a CrossFit exercise that combines several consecutive movements, such as squatting, benching and jumping. Its peculiarity lies in the fact that in one cycle of its implementation the athlete works out the maximum number of muscle groups in the body, using almost all the main ones. But the main load undoubtedly goes to the leg muscles. Burpees are a multi-joint exercise that works the knees, shoulders, elbows, wrists and feet. And everything is quite active.

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Advantages

Burpee has many advantages, namely:

• The exercise does not require equipment or large areas, so it can be performed anywhere.
• Strengthening muscle groups throughout the body.
• Acceleration of metabolism.
• Expending a lot of energy (burning calories).
• Development of strength of 29 paired muscles located in the abdomen, pelvis, and lower back.
• Development of flexibility, speed and strength qualities.
• Improving coordination of movements, functioning of the heart, lungs and blood vessels.

The benefits and harms of burpees

Like any exercise, burpees have their own objective advantages and disadvantages. Let's take a closer look at them.

Benefit

The benefits of the burpee exercise are difficult to overestimate, because along with basic strength exercises, it has long become the main one in almost any CrossFit program. So, in order - what are the benefits of burpees?

• During the burpee exercise, almost all the muscles of your body work. Namely, hamstrings, glutes, calves, pectorals, shoulders, triceps. It is difficult to imagine another exercise that could boast such a result.
• Burpees are great for strengthening your core muscles.
• Great for burning calories. We'll talk about this in a little more detail later.
• The body's metabolic processes are accelerated for a long time to come.
• Develops speed, coordination and flexibility.
• The cardiovascular and respiratory systems of the body are excellently trained.
• Does not require sports equipment or control of technique from a coach. The exercise is as simple as possible and absolutely everyone can do it.
• Simplicity and functionality make burpees an ideal exercise for beginner athletes.

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Harm

Of course, burpee also has negative sides - they are few, but they still exist. So, the harm from burpees:

• Serious stress on almost all joints of the body. Mainly knees. But also, if you unconsciously “plop” on your hands in a prone position, then there is a possibility of injuring your wrists. Ideally, the exercise is best performed on a rubberized surface.
• Many people are in a bad mood when they learn that burpee is included in the WOD.

Well, that's all, I guess. As you can see, there is no more harm from burpee than from fast carbohydrates at night.

What results can you achieve in a month if you do 50 burpees a day?

As has already been indirectly said, it will not be possible to achieve special visible results. A person doing 50 burpees will not develop muscles, burn fat to the extent that it will be visible in the mirror, and will not make the muscles prominent. It should be understood that fats begin to burn after the first twenty minutes of training. Also, 50 burpees a day will not make a person much stronger or more resilient. The maximum you can count on is effects similar to daily health exercises. But unlike burpees, such exercises are useful for most, but some have contraindications for burpees.

How to do burpees correctly?

Well, here we come to the most important thing. How to do the burpee exercise correctly? Let's understand the technique of performing it step by step, after studying which even a beginner can cope with the exercise.

It is worth saying that there are many varieties of burpee. In this section we will analyze the classic version. Once you learn how to do it, you probably won't have any problems with the rest.

Let's go through the burpee technique step by step.

Step 1

Starting position – standing. Then we sit down on the cards, rest our hands in front of us on the floor - hands shoulder-width apart (strictly!).

Step 2

Next, we throw our legs back and take a position lying on our hands.

Step 3

We do push-ups so that our chest and thighs touch the floor.

Step 4

We quickly move back to the position of standing on our hands.

Step 5

And we also quickly move to position number 5. With one small jump of the legs, we return to the starting position. In fact, 4-5 steps are one movement.

Step 6

And the finishing touch is a vertical jump and an overhead clap. ( Attention: be sure to take a completely vertical position and clap exactly above your head. ) In no case should you slouch - your back should be straight.

That's all. The burpee exercise technique is quite simple, wouldn’t you agree? However, without a coach you can’t always see and predict all the mistakes on your own. Therefore, we have prepared for you a good overview of the burpee technique on video:

Contraindications for implementation

Burpees are a very effective exercise that many try to include in their training regimen. But it is important not to forget about the contraindications to its implementation. Doing burpees is not recommended if:

• you have problems with joints;
• chronic pathologies of the heart and blood vessels;
• excess body weight exceeding the norm by more than 30%;
• predisposition to varicose veins;
• pregnancy or the period including the first 2-3 months after birth.

If there are contraindications to high-intensity training, pay attention to low-impact variations of the exercise. After all, you can get rid of extra pounds and get your body in shape without intense exercise. Don't strive for beauty at the expense of your own health.

How many calories does burpee burn?

Many people looking for all kinds and the most effective ways to lose weight are interested in the question, how many calories does burpee (burpee) burn? After all, the fame of this universal exercise runs ahead of it, attributing to it a lot of miraculous properties. Let's analyze the calorie consumption when doing burpees in comparison with other types of activities based on different weight categories.

The calculation was taken from the following calorie consumption per 1 burpee = 2.8 at a pace of 7 exercises per minute. That is, if you follow this pace, then the average calorie burn during burpees will be 1200 kcal/hour (with a weight of 90 kg).

Video on how to effectively burn fat with burpees - 5 ways on video:

Training program

The most common variation of the circuit for improving strength and endurance, as well as fully mastering burpees, is to gradually increase the number of repetitions. You should start with a small amount of exercise per day. Over time, bring their number to the required number, which you set for yourself as a goal. For example, perform 50 repetitions without rest. Below we present a short table with the scheme for performing burpees for a month:

To perform, select the optimal variation of burpees that matches your physical fitness. As you go, try to increase not only the number of repetitions, but also the level of difficulty. But do not forget that training should not harm your health.

Breathing during exercise

For many athletes, the main difficulty is breathing during burpees. It’s no secret that the hardest thing to do this exercise at first is precisely because your breathing becomes difficult. What to do in this situation? How to breathe correctly during burpees in order to perform it as efficiently as possible for the body?

Experienced athletes recommend following the following breathing regimen:

1. Fell (lying on hands mode) – inhale/exhale -> do push-ups
2. We bring our legs to our hands -> inhale/exhale -> make a jump
3. We land, get to our feet -> inhale/exhale

And so on. The cycle continues. That is, for one burpee there are 3 breathing phases.

Story

The exercise originated in America in the late 30s. The burpee was invented by physiologist Royal H. Burpee as a test for men being recruited for military service. A recruit was considered to be in excellent physical shape if he could do 40 burpees in one minute without jumping. And now this exercise is part of the training of military personnel around the world. It is included in the training programs of professional athletes, as well as people who, due to their profession, are required to have good physical fitness (firefighters, special forces, etc.).

How many burpees should you do?

How many times you need to do burpees depends on the task you set for yourself. If it is part of a complex, then one quantity; if you decide to devote training only to this exercise, then another. On average, in 1 approach it would be good for a beginner to do 40-50 times, for an already experienced athlete 90-100 times.

A normal burpee pace for a workout would be at least 7 times per minute.

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Common Mistakes

When performing this set of exercises, beginners often make the following mistakes:

• Start training without warming up;
• Not eating properly or exercising after meals;
• They work until they are completely exhausted;
• They do not recover completely.

I do not recommend torturing yourself twice daily: in the morning and in the evening. So your body simply will not have time to recover from the received load. For beginners, it is better to start with training 3 times a week. Then gradually increase the load.

I recommend doing it every other day.

Options with additional load

If the body is accustomed to the load, the exercise needs to be modified and complicated. Burpees can be performed in the following variations:

• With jumping onto the box.
• With classic push-ups and wave push-ups.
• With pull-ups.
• Running in place.
• With ring exit.
• With toes raised to the bar.

Different levels of training require different loads.

Beginners should do two-minute sessions in four trips. Rest between sets should not exceed one minute.

At an average level of training, do two-minute sessions in six approaches. Rest one minute between sets.

Trained athletes should do three-minute sessions of six sets and rest one minute between sets.

The most experienced should do three-minute sessions of six sets, resting 30 seconds between sets.

Peculiarities

For burpees to be effective, you need to know some nuances, namely:

• The movements should be performed one after another without rest in the form of a superset.
• Try to jump as high as possible.
• Do short (one and a half minute) sessions and try to fit the maximum number of repetitions into them during this time.
• To better speed up your metabolism, you need to do burpees in the morning.
• Proper breathing is important. When going down, inhale, when pushing up, exhale, when going up, inhale, when jumping, exhale.
• Strength training should be combined with exercises for the cardiovascular system (cardio).
• If you are insufficiently prepared, you should not do a full cycle, but a shortened one - without a jump.

Zumba

Perhaps the most enjoyable way to lose weight is the fiery Latin American Zumba. In 30 minutes of rotating your stomach and hips to rhythmic music, about 200 kcal will disappear. However, it all depends on body weight. The higher it is, the more calories you can burn.

Interval training is another of the attractive features of Zumba. High and moderate loads alternate with each other. This burns more calories than moderate-intensity physical activity.

Is it possible to do it every day

How often you should train depends on the individual characteristics and employment of the person. For comparison: according to scientists from Canada's Quicks University, a 4-minute burpee burns the same number of calories as a half-hour treadmill run.

If you wish, you can do the exercise at least every day. But the results will be achieved much faster, especially since it is less tiring than running for an hour. At first you will feel a lot of discomfort, as it is important to concentrate and practice the technique. During exercise, your heart rate increases and your breathing quickens. All these are consequences of a sedentary lifestyle. But after a couple of weeks, all this will pass, and the first results will be observed.

Burpees are a high-intensity exercise that burns a lot of calories. Therefore, if you do it every day, your performance will increase by more than 40%.