If there’s one exercise that sparks equal parts dread and respect in the fitness world, it’s the burpee. Simple in design but brutal in execution, burpees have become a staple in workouts ranging from military boot camps to high-intensity interval training (HIIT) classes. But what makes this no-equipment move so powerful? Whether you’re looking to burn calories, build strength, or test your endurance, the burpee delivers. This guide dives into what muscles burpees work, the benefits of burpees, the most common mistakes associated with burpees, full body exercises to complement your workout, and provides a video tutorial on how to perform them properly, no matter where you’re starting from.
What Muscles Do Burpees Work?
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Pectorals: The pectorals, chest muscles, play a crucial role in upper body movement and are involved in actions like pushing, lifting, and bringing the arms across the chest. During burpees, they are especially engaged during the plank/push-up phase.
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Deltoids: The deltoids (shoulder muscles) play a crucial role in shoulder movement and stability, allowing lifting, rotating, and extending the arm. They stabilize you during the push-up and help with the jump.
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Triceps: The triceps, the muscles in the back of the arm, play a crucial role in extending the elbow joint, allowing for movements such as pushing, straightening the arm, and supporting upper body strength in exercises like push-ups and bench presses. The triceps assist in the plank position during burpees.
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Trapezius and Rhomboids (Upper Back): The upper back plays a crucial role in supporting posture, stabilizing the shoulders, and enabling movements such as pulling, lifting, and rotating the torso. They help maintain posture during the jump and plank positions.
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Rectus Abdominis (Abdominals): The rectus abdominis plays a key role in flexing the spine, helping to bend the torso forward, and supporting posture and core stability. They help keep your body stable in the plank and during the jump.
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Obliques: The obliques play a crucial role in stabilizing the torso, enabling rotational movements, and supporting lateral flexion, which helps improve posture and overall core strength. During this exercise, they help with rotational control and stability.
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Erector Spinae (Lower Back): The lower back plays a crucial role in providing support and stability to the spine, enabling movement and posture while protecting vital structures such as nerves and muscles. It supports the spine and posture throughout the movement.
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Quads: The quadriceps, the muscles on the front of the thighs, play a crucial role in extending the knee, stabilizing the leg during movement, and supporting activities such as walking, running, and squatting. The quads fire up during the squat and jump phases.
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Hamstrings: The hamstrings, muscles on the back of the thighs, play a crucial role in bending the knee and extending the hip, helping with movements like walking, running, and jumping. The hams assist with the explosive movement upward and help control the squat.
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Glutes: The glutes play a crucial role in hip extension, stabilization, and overall lower body strength, supporting movements like walking, running, and lifting. They power the jump and extend the hips during burpees.
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Calves: The calves play a crucial role in helping with the propulsion and stabilization of the lower leg during activities like walking, running, and jumping, while also supporting balance and movement control. The calves activate during the jump for push-off and landing.
Benefits of Burpees
- Burn More Calories: Due to their high intensity, they burn a lot of calories during and after your workout, thanks to the afterburn effect (EPOC) – even up to 50% more fat than moderate exercises.
- Accelerate your Metabolism: Due to the number of muscles involved in the exercise, burpees speed up your metabolism throughout the day.
- Increase your Stamina: They accelerate your heart rate, making them incredibly efficient for building overall strength and endurance.
- Highly Functional: Burpees mimic real-life movements like squatting, jumping, and pushing, improving balance, coordination, and overall athletic performance, and making them a highly functional exercise.
- Versatile: They require no equipment. So they can be performed at any time, anywhere. They’re ideal for travel, home workouts, or outdoor training—no gym required.
- Full-Body Workout: The burpee engages multiple muscles, from your arms to your shoulders, chest, abs, lower back, legs, and glutes, making it a full-body workout.
- Cardiovascular Conditioning: Burpees quickly elevate your heart rate, which boosts cardiovascular fitness, stamina, and VO₂ max – a cardio burst move.
- Builds Strength and Power: The explosive nature of burpees helps develop power, muscular strength, and functional movement patterns.
- Efficient and Time-Saving: Because they integrate strength, cardio, and agility, you get a lot of benefit in a short amount of time. Perfect for high-intensity interval training (HIIT) or quick home workouts.
- Improves Mental Toughness: Burpees are tough, but pushing through them builds mental grit, discipline, and resilience.
How to Perform Burpees
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, arms at your sides.
- Engage your core and keep your chest lifted.
- Jump or step your feet back to land in a high plank position, keeping your body in a straight line from head to heels without sagging your hips.
- Jump or step your feet forward to return to the squat position.
- Jump straight up into the air, reaching your arms overhead.
- Land softly with knees slightly bent, ready to go into your next rep.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions
Optional: Do a push-up when you lower your chest to the ground.
Burpees Mistakes
- Letting the Hips Sag in the Plank: Dropping your hips too low when you jump back into the plank strains your lower back and reduces core activation. Keep your core tight and form a straight line from shoulders to heels.
- Skipping the Full Range of Motion: If you are doing half-hearted squats, push-ups, or jumps, you’re cheating yourself out of strength and cardio gains. Focus on quality: go low in the squat, do a full push-up (or modified), and jump explosively.
- Poor Landing Mechanics: Landing flat-footed or with stiff knees after the jump can lead to knee, ankle, or hip injuries over time. Land softly with a slight bend in your knees to absorb impact.
- Rushing Through Reps: Going too fast and letting form fall apart reduces the effectiveness of the exercise and increases your risk of injury. Prioritize control, and form—speed will come with practice.
- Not Breathing Properly: Holding your breath or breathing erratically fatigues you faster and messes with your rhythm. Try to inhale during the easier phase (like squatting), and exhale during the effort (push-up or jump).
- Skipping Modifications When Needed: Forcing through the full version when it’s too advanced can cause burnout, injury, or discourage consistency. Use modifications—step instead of jump, eliminate push-up, or do it at a slower pace—until you’re stronger.
Burpees Video Tutorial
Full Body Workout
If you’re looking to add more full-body exercises to your routine, consider including the following:
Burpees may be one of the most challenging bodyweight exercises out there, but their benefits are undeniable. They work your entire body, boost cardiovascular endurance, build strength, and require no equipment, making them a powerful addition to any workout routine. Whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned athlete, burpees can be modified to meet you where you are and push you further. Mastering this movement with proper form and consistency improves your fitness and also builds mental toughness and resilience. Love them or hate them, burpees get the job done.
👉🏻 If you struggle to see results, stay consistent, or create effective routines, don’t go it alone. A coach can offer the guidance, support, and accountability you need to reach your goals faster and with greater confidence. Reach out today—you’re closer than you think!
To a Fitter Healthier You,
The Fitness Wellness Mentor
