One thing I have known being a fitness enthusiast is that, there are almost equal amounts of people that hate burpees and that love burpees. In fact, most people tend to actually stay away from burpees. Reason being the toughness of the easy looking exercise. Burpees being a popular exercise that can be done anywhere, at any time, without any equipment, do have their advantages and disadvantages.
In this article, we’ll take a closer look at the benefits and drawbacks of burpees, and help you decide whether they’re the right exercise for you.
What are Burpees?
Burpees are a full-body exercise that involves jumping, squatting, and pushing up from the ground.
They’re often used in high-intensity interval training (HIIT) workouts because they’re a great way to get your heart rate up and burn calories quickly. Burpees are also a great way to improve your strength, endurance, and overall fitness level.
Advantages of Burpees
Well, in my opinion burpees have more advantages than disadvantages.
Being a full body exercise and cardio, burpees can help you from weight loss and building endurance to building confidence.
Post- workout feeling after doing a hard and intense burpees is out of the world and can really lighten your mood.
Let’s see other main benefits and advantages of burpees one by one-
1. Burns More Calories
Burpees are a great way to burn calories and lose weight. Because they’re a full-body exercise, they require a lot of energy and can burn up to 10 calories per minute.
This means that if you do a set of 10 burpees (equals to 100 burpees), you could burn around 100 calories.
If you are looking to lose some weight, give this a try and be consistent. It is considered an excellent cardiovascular exercise and an excellent weight loss exercise.
2. Builds Endurance
Burpees are a high-intensity exercise that can improve your endurance and cardiovascular fitness.
Doing burpees regularly can help you increase your lung capacity, improve your breathing, and make it easier to perform other exercises.
The benefits can only be seen overtime and when done on a consistent basis. Giving 10-15 minutes everyday for burpees can really help with this.
3. Strengthen Your Muscles
Burpees work all of the major muscle groups in your body, including your chest, shoulders, triceps, abs, glutes, quads, and hamstrings. This makes them a great exercise for building strength and muscle.
4. Improves Your Balance and Coordination
Burpees require you to jump, squat, and push up from the ground, which can improve your balance and coordination. This can be especially beneficial for older adults or people with balance issues.
5. Improves Your Skin Health
Daily burpees, with high intensity, can make you look more young and your skin more glowing and beautiful.
This is because when you do intense burpees, your body will sweat a lot and this sweating really helps in detoxifying skin, making it look more glowing and young.
6. Convenience
Burpees can be done anywhere, at any time, without any equipment.
This makes them a great exercise for people who don’t have access to a gym or who travel frequently.
Disadvantages of Burpees
Any exercise, with benefits also comes with its disadvantages.
So do burpees. There are some situations where burpees are not suitable for some individuals. Also, the high challenging requirements of burpees can come in the way of many people who are either old or are going through some injuries. In such cases, going slow or adopting other low impact variations of burpees is recommended.
Now that we have seen the advantages, here are some major disadvantages of burpees-
1. Burpees are High Impact Exercise
Burpees are a high-impact exercise that can be hard on your joints, especially your knees and wrists.
Being physically well is first important and then try doing burpees.
If you have a history of joint pain or injuries, you may want to avoid or modify burpees.
2. Can be Difficult for Beginners
Burpees can be challenging, especially for beginners. Beginners usually are starting out and they can start with a small number of burpees at first and then move their way up.
If you’re new to exercise or have a low fitness level, you may want to start with a modified version of the exercise or work with a personal trainer.
3. It comes with Risk of Injury
Because burpees are a complex exercise that involves jumping, squatting, and pushing up from the ground, there is a risk of injury if you don’t perform them correctly.
People with underlying physical health issues or old age people are recommended to do easy variations of burpees or take help of a fitness trainer.
It’s important to use proper form and start with a low number of repetitions to reduce your risk of injury.
4. Can put High Stress on Heart
Burpee is a cardio exercise. It can really increase your heart rate very quickly.
If you force yourself too much without giving some rest in between to your body, it can really increase your heart rate to a high extent.
Furthermore this can make you feel dizzy or even make you pass out, in the worst case it can lead to heart attack.
Although, it is very unlikely and almost rare, unless you force yourself too much than your body can take.
How to Do a Burpee Correctly
To do a burpee correctly, follow these steps:
- Start in a standing position with your feet shoulder-width apart.
- Squat down and place your hands on the ground in front of you.
- Jump your feet back into a plank position.
- Lower your body into a push-up, keeping your elbows close to your body.
- Push your body back up into a plank position.
- Jump your feet back towards your hands.
- Stand up and jump as high as you can, reaching your arms overhead.
Burpee Variations
There are many variations of the burpee that can make the exercise easier or more challenging, depending on your fitness level. Some common variations include:
- Modified burpees: Instead of jumping your feet back into a plank position, step one foot back at a time. You can also skip the push-up or the jump at the end.
- Burpee box jump: After you jump up at the end of the burpee, jump onto a box or bench.
- Burpee pull-up: After you jump up at the end of the burpee, grab onto a pull-up bar and perform a pull-up. This comes under advanced exercise.
The Best Time to Do Burpees
The best time to do burpees is during a high-intensity interval training (HIIT) workout.
HIIT workouts typically involve short bursts of intense exercise, followed by a brief period of rest or active recovery.
Burpees are a great exercise to include in a HIIT workout because they’re a full-body exercise that can get your heart rate up quickly.
How Many Burpees Should You Do?
The number of burpees you should do depends on your fitness level and goals.
If you’re new to exercise, start with a low number of repetitions, such as 5-10, and gradually increase the number as you get stronger.
If you’re more advanced, you can do as many as 50 burpees in a row or incorporate them into a circuit-style workout.
Common Mistakes When Doing Burpees
Some common mistakes when doing burpees include:
- Not using proper form: It’s important to use proper form when doing burpees to avoid injury and get the most out of the exercise.
- Going too fast: Burpees are a high-intensity exercise, but it’s important to maintain control and use proper form.
- Not modifying the exercise: If you’re new to exercise or have a low fitness level, it’s important to modify the exercise to make it easier or avoid injury.
- Skipping the push-up: The push-up is an important part of the burpee and should not be skipped.
How to Incorporate Burpees into Your Workout Routine
To incorporate burpees into your workout routine, try the following:
- Include them in a high-intensity interval training (HIIT) workout.
- Add them to a circuit-style workout.
- Do them as a warm-up before your workout (only a few).
- Do them as a finisher at the end of your workout.
- Do them during your cardio day.
- Definitely include them in your fat loss programme.
Alternatives to Burpees
If you don’t like burpees or want to try something different, here are some alternatives:
- Squat jumps
- Jumping jacks
- Mountain climbers
- Plank jacks
- Box jumps
Conclusion
Burpees are a popular exercise that can offer many benefits, including burning calories, building endurance and strength, and improving balance and coordination.
However, they also have some drawbacks, such as being high-impact and difficult for beginners. Whether you choose to include burpees in your workout routine or not, it’s important to use proper form and listen to your body to avoid injury.
FAQs
1) Are burpees good for weight loss?
Yes, burpees are a great exercise for burning calories and losing weight. It is also an excellent HIIT workout.
2) How long does it take to see results from doing burpees?
It can take several weeks or even months to see noticeable results from doing burpees, as it depends on factors such as your fitness level, diet, and consistency with exercise.
3) Are burpees bad for your knees?
Burpees can be hard on your knees, especially if you have a history of knee problems or injuries. It’s important to use proper form and modify the exercise as needed to avoid knee pain.
4) Can burpees help build muscle?
Yes, burpees can help build muscle in your arms, legs, core, and back, as it’s a full-body exercise that targets multiple muscle groups. But it won’t make you gain lots of muscles.
5) What is the difference between a burpee and a squat thrust?
A burpee includes a push-up and a jump at the end, while a squat thrust only includes the plank position and jump back to standing.
