Burpee Modification & Growth

Photo by Ayo Ogunseinde on Unsplash

Burpees have always been a challenge for me and I’ve had to build my body up to the point where I can do a basic, slow burpee where you step one foot back at a time. I thought I would share how I got to the point of being able to actually do a basic burpee from ground zero!

Where To Start

I started by improving my form for three other moves before I tried to start doing burpees again. Whenever a class would call for a burpee, I would instead do one of these three exercises:

1. Squats — This is the first stage of the burpee, getting low to the ground. Do as many deep squats as possible.
2. Planks — Planks are the middle part of the burpee. I practiced holding planks for as long as possible while keeping a good, flat back. Make sure your hips don’t dip or dome!
3. Push-ups — The final part of the burpee! Being able to round off a burpee with a push-up is the final part. Again, form is key! Don’t dip or dome your hips!

How to Improve

Squats

Improving your squats is all about increasing your hip and knee mobility and driving back up with more power. When you drive back up, work on getting a little air time at the top. Start with just coming up to your toes, but eventually see if you can do a little hop at…