How to Do Burpees
Overview
This is an exercise that works almost every muscle in your body, including your core, quadriceps, deltoids, triceps, chest, and calves.
Quadriceps are the extensor muscles for your knees and cover the top part of your thigh. They extend from your hip to your knee. Your deltoid muscle starts at the front in the crook of your armpit, wrapping over your shoulder to the back of your armpit, and down your arm to just above your bicep, forming a triangle, or delta, shape.
The scientific name for your calves is “triceps surae,” but people often confuse that with your arm triceps, so we’ll just call them calf muscles. They extend from just behind your knee to your Achilles tendon. Triceps are the muscle on the back of your upper arm, extending from your armpit to your elbow. It’s the muscle that allows you to straighten your arm. Your pecs are your chest muscles, extending from your sternum across to your shoulder, from your collarbone down to the bottom of your rib cage.
Instructions
To begin, stand with your feet at shoulder-width.
Crouch down, putting your hands flat on the floor.
Kick your feet out behind you so you’re in a plank position.
Lower your body down, then push up.
Jump back to your squat, and finally jump up from your squat position.
That is just one burpee. You have to do all of these steps as fast as possible to really get the effect.
Tips
Remember to breathe out as you’re exerting, and inhale on the return. It can be hard to do during burpees, so focus on your breathing to make sure you’re getting enough air.
Ten burpees are a challenge for most people, but I think you can do it.
Burpees are an intense, full-body workout. You’ll feel the burn after just one or two. But keep going, and you’ll really reap the rewards. Thanks for watching!
