What are burpees? The ultimate fat burning exercise

If you have ever stepped foot in a CrossFit box, a military boot camp, or a high-intensity interval training (HIIT) class, you have likely encountered the burpee. But what are burpees, and why have they become the universal gold standard for measuring physical grit and metabolic conditioning?

Named after psychologist Royal H. Burpee, who developed the move as a quick way to assess agility and coordination in the 1930s, the burpee has evolved into a powerhouse movement. It is a full-body, calisthenic exercise that combines a squat, a plank, a push-up, and a vertical jump into one seamless, exhausting rep. Essentially, the burpee is the ultimate expression of functional strength training, as it requires the body to move through multiple planes of motion and get off the floor with explosive power.

The mechanics: How to do a burpee

To reap the rewards without risking injury, form must come before speed. While burpees are one of the most effective bodyweight workout exercises you can perform, poor execution can lead to lower-back strain. A standard burpee follows a four-to-six-point movement pattern:

1. The squat: Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Lower your hips into a deep squat and place your hands on the floor in front of you.

2. The kick-back: Jump your feet back so you land in a high plank position. Your body should form a straight line from head to heels.

3. The push-up: Lower your chest to the floor. (Beginners can skip this and stay in a plank, often called a "half-burpee").

4. The snap-back: Push back up and jump your feet forward, landing outside your hands.

5. The explosion: From the squat position, jump explosively into the air, reaching your hands overhead.

What muscles are used during a burpee?

The burpee is often described as a full-body movement, but the level of muscular recruitment is staggering when you break down each phase of the exercise:

• The pushing chain (upper body): During the push-up and plank stabilisation phase, the pectoralis major (chest), anterior deltoids (shoulders), and triceps brachii are under intense tension. These muscles work to drive your body away from the floor and stabilise the shoulder girdle.

• The power centre (lower body): The squat and explosive jump phases rely heavily on the quadriceps, gluteus maximus, and hamstrings. Additionally, the gastrocnemius (calves) are engaged during the plyometric take-off and landing.

• The stabilisation hub (core): To prevent your hips from sagging during the plank or your spine from rounding during the snap-back, the rectus abdominis, obliques, and erector spinae (lower back) must fire constantly. This builds functional core strength that translates to better posture and injury prevention.

Full-body & cardio benefits

The reason burpees are so effective is that they require massive amounts of energy to perform. They are a high-MET (Metabolic Equivalent of Task) exercise, meaning they burn significantly more calories than steady-state cardio like walking.

• Cardiovascular ceiling: Burpees rapidly spike your heart rate, improving your anaerobic capacity and VO2 max more efficiently than almost any other bodyweight move.

• The after-burn (EPOC): Because of the intensity, your body continues to consume oxygen and burn fat at an elevated rate for hours after your workout has finished.

Mastering variation: Prison style to weighted burpees

Once you have mastered the standard movement, you can increase the "intensity tax" by trying specific high-volume or high-load variations.

Mexican burpees

A Mexican burpee is designed for those who find the standard version too easy. It typically involves a "double-count" system. Instead of one push-up and one jump, you perform two push-ups while in the plank position and two explosive tuck jumps at the top.

Prison burpees

Prison burpees (sometimes referred to as "Navy SEAL burpees") prioritising slow, controlled, and punishing repetitions. A classic prison burpee often incorporates a "3-pump" method: you perform three distinct push-ups before jumping back up, focusing on muscular endurance.

Weighted burpees: The strength evolution

For athletes looking to bridge the gap between conditioning and hypertrophy, weighted burpees are the ultimate progression. By wearing a weighted vest or holding a pair of dumbbells, you dramatically increase the mechanical tension on the muscles.

• Weighted vest: This is the preferred method for maintaining the fluidity of the movement, adding load while keeping your hands free.

• Dumbbell burpees: Often called "Devil Presses" in certain circles, you perform the burpee while holding the handles, then swing or press the weights overhead at the top.

Burpees: The ultimate finisher

There is a reason burpees are the most feared "finisher" in fitness. When used at the end of a session, they act as a potent metabolic stimulus that ensures you leave nothing in the tank. By performing burpees when your muscles are already fatigued, you trigger Excess Post-exercise Oxygen Consumption (EPOC) to its maximum potential.

This metabolic after-burn forces the body to work significantly harder to restore oxygen levels and balance hormones post-workout. Leading to increased body fat oxidation for up to 24 hours. As a finisher, burpees don't just test your physical anaerobic threshold; they forge mental resilience, teaching you to maintain form and power under extreme fatigue.

Summary: The fitness benchmark

Whether you are performing standard reps, Mexican burpees, or high-volume weighted burpees, you are engaging in one of the most effective human movements ever devised. By forcing your heart and muscles to work in total synchronisation, the burpee builds a level of functional conditioning that is hard to match with any other exercise.

What are burpees? FAQs

• Why are burpees so hard?

  Burpees are difficult because they require vertical displacement, you are moving your entire body weight from the floor to the air. This requires the heart to pump blood rapidly against gravity to every major muscle group simultaneously.

• Can I do burpees every day?

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• What are prison burpees?

  Prison burpees are a variation of the traditional burpee. Prison style burpees include more “counts” and are more taxing on the body. Prison burpees may include three push-ups or more to complete one rep or another variation may include touching your toes, a “rocking chair”, followed by the traditional burpee movement chain.

• Do burpees build muscle?

  Yes, absolutely. Like any exercise, burpees put load onto your musculature. Because the movement targets the chest, shoulders, triceps, quads, and glutes, it provides enough mechanical tension to stimulate hypertrophy in the early stages of training. For advanced athletes, muscle growth is better achieved through variations like weighted burpees or high-volume prison burpees, which increase time under tension. However, for maximal muscle size, burpees should supplement a dedicated resistance training programme.