The burpee is a dynamic, full-body exercise that combines a squat, a plank, a push-up, and a jump into one continuous, high-intensity movement sequence. It is often used as a foundational measure of fitness because it tests both strength and cardiovascular endurance without requiring any equipment. The movement is a staple in various training programs, from military fitness tests to modern high-intensity interval training (HIIT) workouts.
The exercise is named after American physiologist Royal Huddleston Burpee, who developed the movement in 1939 as part of his PhD thesis at Columbia University. He designed the original four-count movement as a quick way to assess an individual’s overall physical fitness, including agility and coordination. The burpee gained wider recognition when the United States Armed Services adopted it in 1942 as part of their physical fitness testing for recruits during World War II.
Step-by-Step Execution
A standard burpee begins with the person standing upright, feet approximately shoulder-width apart, which is the starting and finishing position of each repetition. The first action is to drop the hips and bend the knees into a squat position, keeping the back straight and the chest lifted. From this squat, the hands are quickly placed on the floor just in front of the feet.
The next step is to explosively kick both feet backward simultaneously, landing in a high plank position with the body forming a straight line from head to heels. Proper form requires the hands to be directly under the shoulders to support the body weight and maintain stability. Immediately following the plank, the chest is lowered all the way to the floor in a push-up motion, though some variations only require touching the chest to the ground.
The person then pushes back up to the high plank position or uses a swift hip drive to propel the body upward. The feet are then jumped forward, landing back into the initial squat position with the feet flat on the ground near the hands. The final, explosive phase of the movement involves pushing through the heels and jumping vertically into the air, reaching the arms overhead to achieve full hip and knee extension.
Muscle Engagement and Metabolic Impact
The burpee is highly effective because it is a compound exercise that demands activation from nearly every major muscle group in the body. The transition from standing to the squat and the final jump engages the powerful muscles of the lower body, including the quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, and calves. These muscles are responsible for the triple extension—the simultaneous extension of the ankles, knees, and hips—that provides the explosive power for the final jump.
The plank and push-up phases place a significant load on the upper body, activating the pectorals, triceps, and deltoids. Throughout the entire sequence, the rectus abdominis and obliques in the core work continuously to stabilize the spine, especially during the rapid kick-back and jump-in transitions. The combination of these movements classifies the burpee as a plyometric exercise.
The continuous, rapid shift between these resistance and explosive movements gives the burpee a high metabolic demand. Performing burpees rapidly elevates the heart rate, challenging both the aerobic and anaerobic energy systems. This high-intensity nature results in a phenomenon known as excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC), or the afterburn effect, where the body continues to burn calories at an elevated rate even after the exercise is complete.
Scaling and Modification
The burpee’s intensity and movement complexity mean it can be easily adjusted to suit different fitness levels and physical needs. For beginners or those with joint sensitivities, the impact can be reduced by performing a “walk-out” burpee, where the feet are stepped back into the plank position one at a time instead of being jumped. This low-impact modification also applies to the return to the standing position, where the feet are stepped forward before standing up without the final jump.
To further reduce the difficulty, the push-up portion can be removed entirely, creating a “no-push-up burpee” or “squat thrust,” which focuses more on the cardiovascular and lower-body demands. For advanced athletes seeking to increase the challenge, variations can add resistance or further plyometric elements. Examples include the weighted burpee, performed while holding dumbbells, or the tuck jump burpee, where the knees are pulled toward the chest at the peak of the jump.
Other advanced variations incorporate external equipment or movements, such as the burpee box jump, where the final jump is onto a raised platform. The burpee pull-up combines the standard movement with a pull-up performed at the end of the jump phase, targeting back muscles and increasing overall muscular endurance.