Burpee (exercise)
The burpee, a squat thrust with an additional stand between reps, is a full body exercise used in strength training and as an aerobic exercise. The classic basic movement is performed in four steps and known as a "four-count burpee":[1]
- Begin in a standing position.
- Move into a squat position with your hands on the ground. (count 1)
- Kick your feet back into an extended plank position, while keeping your arms extended. (count 2)
- Immediately return your feet into squat position. (count 3)
- Stand up from the squat position (count 4)
![](../I/Airborne_Burpee.jpg.webp)
Moves 2 through 4 constitute a squat thrust.
Origin
The exercise was named in the 1930s for US physiologist Royal H. Burpee, who developed the burpee test; he earned a PhD in applied physiology from Teachers College, Columbia University in 1940 and created the "burpee" exercise as part of his PhD thesis as a quick and simple way to assess fitness.[2] The exercise was popularized when the United States Armed Services adopted it as a way to assess the fitness level of recruits when the US entered World War II. Consisting of a series of the exercises performed in rapid succession, the test was meant to be a quick measure of agility, coordination, and strength.[3]
Variants
- Box-jump burpee
- The athlete jumps onto a box, rather than straight up and down.[4]
- Burpee broad jump
- A burpee followed by a stationary two footed distance jump.[5]
- Burpee push-up
- The athlete performs one push-up after assuming the extended plank position.[6]
- Dumbbell burpee
- The athlete holds a pair of dumbbells while performing the exercise.[7]
- Devil-Press burpee
- The athlete performs a non-jumping burpee with dumbbells and then overhead presses the dumbbells.
- Eight-count push-up[8] or Double burpee
- The athlete performs two push-ups after assuming the plank position. This cancels the drive from landing after the jump and makes the next jump harder. Each part of the burpee might be repeated to make it even harder.
- Hindu push-up burpee
- Instead of a regular push-up, do a Hindu push-up.
- Jump-over burpee
- The athlete jumps over an obstacle between burpees.
- Knee push-up burpee
- The athlete bends their knees and rests them on the ground before performing the push-up.
- Long-jump burpee
- The athlete jumps forward, not upward.
- Muscle-up burpee
- Combine a muscle-up (a variation of a pull-up) with the jump or do a muscle-up instead of the jump.
- One-armed burpee
- The athlete uses only one arm for the whole exercise including the push-up.
- One-leg burpee
- The athlete stands on one leg, bends at the waist and puts hands on ground so they are aligned with shoulders. Next jump back with the standing leg to plank position. Jump forward with the one leg that was extended, and do a one-leg jump. Repeat on opposite side.[9]
- Pull-up burpee
- Combine a pull-up with the jump or do a pull-up instead of the jump.
- Side burpee
- The athlete bends at waist and places hand shoulder-width apart to the side of right or left foot. Jump both legs out to side and land on the outer and inner sides of your feet. Jump back in, jump up, and repeat on opposite side.
- Burpee Mountain Climber
- The athlete does a full regular Burpee, when the chest and thigh are on the ground, the athlete completes a Full mountain climber (Split-squat thrust).
- Tuck-jump burpee
- The athlete pulls their knees to their chest (tucks) at the peak of the jump.
World records
Ordinary Burpees
At 4 pm on May 17, 2014, in Greenwood, South Carolina, Cameron Dorn broke two burpee world records: the most burpees performed in 12 hours with 5,657 and the most burpees completed in 24 hours with 10,105.[10]
Chest-to-ground Burpees
1 hour
On July 23, 2018, in Hobart, Tasmania, Charlie Gard achieved a record 851 chest-to-ground burpees in one hour.[11]
12 hours
On July 7, 2019, in Milford, Michigan, Army ROTC Cadet Bryan Abell set the Guinness World Record for most chest-to-ground burpees performed in 12 hours by completing 4,689 burpees.[12] On December 1, 2019, this record was broken and the new record was set as 5,234 by Samuel Finn from Canada.
72 hours
At 6 am on October 21, 2013, in Portland, Oregon, Lloyd Weema broke the burpee world record: the most chest-to-ground burpees performed in 72 hours with 9,480.[13]
See also
- Sūrya Namaskār (Salute to the Sun), a sequence of yoga postures that has some similarities.
References
- Sheryl Dluginski (January 4, 2013). "The Real Story Behind the Exercise You Love to Hate: The Burpee". DNA Info. Archived from the original on August 18, 2017.
- "Reference extract from Teachers College, Columbia University archive". Teachers College, Columbia University. Retrieved 8 November 2011.
- "Definition of burpee". Oxford Dictionaries Online. Oxford University Press. Retrieved 24 May 2010.
- "Demonstrations: Box-Jump Burpee". Crossfit Endurance. Retrieved 9 July 2014.
- "Movement of the Week: the burpee broad jump".
- "Burpees - with Push-Up". darebee.com. Retrieved February 10, 2018.
- "Reebok CrossFit ONE Movement Demo "Dumbbell Burpee"". Reebok Crossfit One. Feb 22, 2013. Retrieved 9 July 2014.
- Can we make our soldiers tough enough? from Popular Science, 1944. February 1944. Retrieved 12 October 2012.
- http://strength.stack52.com/periodic-table-of-bodyweight-exercises/
- "The Making of Cameron Dorn's Burpee World Record". Greenwood Calendar. Retrieved 10 July 2014.
- "Tasmania's burpee man Charlie Gard smashes Guinness World Record". Retrieved 23 July 2018.
- "Burpee beast: ROTC cadet sets world record during fundraiser". www.army.mil. Retrieved 2020-02-28.
- "Lloyd Weema's 72 Hour Burpee World Record". Unique World Records. Archived from the original on 11 July 2015. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
External links
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