Why Burpees?

 I’ve recently posted a Burpee workout routine and some variations to work on. The question I want to look at is why. Why Burpees?

Burpees are a High Intensity Functional Traing (HIFT) technique that is a nearly full body plyometric exercise. 

What this means, in short, is that it’s pushing your cardio to maximal or near maximal levels for the duration of the exercise. It is as effective as box jumps for lower body training as box jumps, but without the box. Less equipment is great. 

This exercise will torch body fat. You’re employing almost all of your muscles to complete this event. I add pull-ups and chin-ups to finish that card out. Think about it, Burpees are using at least two thirds of your major muscle groups in the squatting, planking, pushing movements. This movement, or series of movements, works the chest, shoulders, triceps, core, quads, hamstrings, glutes, and calves. Adding pulling movements is simple logic. In ten, fifteen, twenty minutes or so all major muscle groups have been stressed as well as the supporting muscles. 

It is plain to see how through consistent training in these will torch body fat over a few weeks. Pushing your cardio at near maximal levels will also increase your overall aerobic capacity. 

These are intense movements. If you do not have access to a running track you can substitute one minute of Burpees for a 400 meter run. I bring in running as an illustration and a comparison. Moderate intensity jogging can be performed for a far greater time interval than Burpees. Due to this time factor jogging can and will burn more fat during the event; however, due to post exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC) your body continues to burn fat at an accelerated rate as compared to jogging. 

30 minutes of Burpees will burn more fat and tighten your waist line faster than jogging. Time constraints are real for many people. At the beginning of a routine based on Burpees you cannot expect to get one every 10-15 seconds. Not could a beginner expect to go out and jog for 30-45 minutes and not gas out and walk from time to time. My point here is to start, stick with it, and your capacity will increase. In a few weeks of regular training you will find that you have gone from doing three or four Burpees at the start to 10 or 20 before having to pause to catch your breath. 

In conclusion, Burpees are hard training but with fast results. You will lose body fat and gain both physical and cardio capabilities. 

Before you start doing these cold talk to your physician first. Make sure that you are medically ready to begin a fitness plan. 

Train hard. Train happy.