For many, the word Burpee is synonymous with fear.
And no wonder, it is a demanding exercise that will require a lot of effort if you want to get the most out of it.
Have you ever wondered why CrossFitters (CrossFit regulars) are so punctual to their workouts?
Guess.
In many pits, the punishment for being late is doing burpees . As if not to make an effort to be punctual...
(Now you know what punishment to give your children the next time they miss the arrival time at home).
In this article we are going to tell you everything about this type of exercise, so that you lose your fear of them and train with them safely.
The benefits are worth it.
Go for it.
What are the burpees and what is its origin
Although burpees They have become very fashionable in recent years, especially in CrossFit, they are not something new.
They owe their name to Royal H. Burpee, physiologist at Columbia University (USA) in the 1930s, who, during his thesis, developed this exercise.
I sought to be able to evaluate a person's physical conditions with a simple exercise without material, but one that was demanding and very intense.
Later, it was the North American army that began to use it to test the resistance of its Navy and Navy soldiers, in preparation for World War II.
Royal H. Burpee He only asked for 4 repetitions and measured the pulse before and after them. It is not known when changes were implemented in the exercise and repetitions were increased.
He Burpee It is an anaerobic exercise, which means that it is of high intensity, short duration, breathing is not involved and it is performed solely with muscular energy. Although the reality is that for most mortals not running out of air is impossible.
This exercise is aimed at toning, but its benefits are many more. In the Burpees Various movements are performed that activate different muscle groups, working the entire body: legs, arms, abdomen, back and chest.
Types of Burpees
We tell you the most common types of Burpees . You can choose depending on which muscles you decide to work and your physical condition.
Simple burpee.
The original, the one designed by Royal H. Burpee.
You start by doing a squat until you touch the ground with your hands, then you stretch your legs back until you are in a plank position and pick them up again until you return to the squat and stand up.
Easy? You'll see how things get complicated now...
Burpee without squat.
Well, this time the squat is eliminated, moving to the plank position with a jump and returning to the vertical position with another jump.
With this version you work your legs less, but you increase your resistance and push your cardiovascular system to the limit.
From here, we add movements.
Burpee with vertical jump.
From the squat you go to the plank position and once you return to the squat, you perform a vertical jump, as high as you can.
Burpee with lateral jump.
On this occasion you will perform the squat, you will go to a plank position, but you will quickly go to a side plank. You will have to change sides with each repetition.
Burpee Jack.
In this case, in the plank position you perform a jumping plank ( you open and close your legs with a jump).
Burpee with box jump.
In this case you will perform one of the previous versions, but the final jump is done on a box, step, bench...
The higher you have to jump, the more intense the exercise will be.
These are just a few types of burpee . You can combine them with other exercises such as pull-ups, Hindu push-ups, jumping with knees to the chest, etc.
You can also adjust it to your possibilities. For example, if at first you lack the strength to do the push-up, you can support your knees.
The most common mistakes when making burpees
We don't want you to get injured, so we are going to tell you the most common mistakes and how to avoid them.
Do not master the exercises separately.
You will have to do squats, planks, push-ups, jumps, etc., and you will want to do them quickly to get more repetitions (or so that the suffering ends quickly). If you do not master the exercises beforehand, you will end up neglecting the technique and will be at greater risk of injury.
If an exercise doesn't work out well for you (or you don't know if you're doing it correctly), it's better to practice it first with your coach.
Do not heat in conditions.
Many people use burpees as part of their warm-up.
Mistake!
This type of exercise is very demanding and requires prior preparation to be able to perform it without hurting yourself.
Not being focused.
We know that you want to finish as soon as possible and it is easy to let your mind wander, but it is important that you are focused on each movement so as not to neglect technique and minimize the risk of injury.
Bend your back.
You must make sure to keep your back straight when you are in the plank position.
Tighten the core (abdominals, lumbar...)
Do not cushion the fall.
Not performing jumps correctly will mean giving a big impact to your knees.
Remember to land on the balls of your feet, bending your knees slightly.
Poor positioning of the shoulders.
Planks and push-ups have their trick.
You should place your shoulders at the height of your wrists, neither in front nor behind. This saves your shoulders and wrists unnecessary strain, reduces the risk of injury and ensures you get the most out of your exercise.
Not listening to your body.
He also has a limit.
It's important that you listen to it and don't overdo it just to do a few more reps.
Benefits of practicing burpees
Surely some of the benefits of this exercise will surprise you and convince you to include them in your workouts:
- You don't need material: You can do it wherever you want.
- Accelerate your cardiovascular system and your metabolism: puts your heart and lungs at maximum performance.
- You work several muscle groups at the same time: Few exercises work the entire body.
- You lose fat without reducing muscle mass: with a good technique, applied intensely, you can burn up to 10 kcal. per minute while you work strength. Of course, this data is an average that will vary depending on your weight, speed, type of exercises ...
- You can measure your physical condition: You test yourself by controlling the number of repetitions and seeing how your resistance increases.
- You improve your coordination: a plus.
What Crossfit training sessions will we find ourselves in? burpees
You better get along with burpees because you're going to bump into them a lot.
They are widely used in AMRAP combined with other exercises or alone. You know, as many burpees as you can in X minutes.
You will also find them in the EMOM , where you must do a set number of repetitions in one minute, being able to rest only the remaining seconds (if any) before starting the next minute with another exercise.
Additionally, there is the Death by burpees version , where you will have to do as many burpees as you can in one minute, and in the following minutes, too!
Is it to die for or not?
And, for very advanced levels, there is a type of Endurance, called Pukie Brewster, in which you will have to perform 150 burpees in the shortest time possible.
Go adjusting your wristbands .
As you can see, the different types of burpees will be your demanding CrossFit companions .
Conclusions
It will take time to master burpees as you would like, but the effort is worth it.
This complete exercise brings out your maximum potential, improving your technique and working practically all muscle groups.
Whether you are looking to lose weight or increase your strength and endurance, in short, have better physical condition, you are already taking a while to start with the first burpee .
Will you make Royal H. Burpee proud?
PS Tell us how your love-hate relationship is going with this exercise. 👇
