Exercise
BURPEE
Form cues
About
The burpee is a full-body conditioning exercise that combines a squat, plank, push-up, and jump into one fluid movement, delivering both strength and cardiovascular training in a single exercise.
Instructions
Step-by-step technique
Stand with feet hip-width apart. Brace your core and take a breath. This is your starting position.
Bend at the knees and hips and place your palms flat on the floor in front of your feet. Jump or step both feet backward simultaneously so you arrive in a high-plank position. Your body should form a straight line — do not let your hips sag or pike.
Optionally perform one push-up (chest to floor and back up). Then jump or step both feet back toward your hands, landing with soft knees. Stand up by driving through your heels.
As you reach full standing, jump upward and extend your arms overhead. Land with soft, bent knees and immediately flow into the next repetition. The whole movement should be one fluid sequence: squat, plank, push-up (optional), stand, jump.
Common mistakes
What goes wrong — and why
Hips sagging in the plank phase
Allowing the hips to drop during the plank portion compresses the lumbar spine and reduces core engagement.
Squeeze the glutes and brace the core the moment your feet land in the plank. A rigid plank position must be achieved before transitioning to the next phase.
Hard landings
Slamming the feet down on the jump-back or the final jump landing creates unnecessary joint impact, especially problematic over high repetition volumes.
Aim for quiet, controlled landings with soft, bent knees. Think of landing like a cat — almost silently.
No full extension at the top of the jump
Short-changing the jump by not fully extending the hips and knees reduces the power output and cardio benefit of the exercise.
Drive fully through the hips and knees on each jump, reaching your arms overhead at the peak. Every rep should be a maximum-effort jump.
Variations · Progressions · Regressions
Adaptations for every level
Step-out Burpee
Stepping feet back and forward instead of jumping removes the impact and makes the movement accessible for beginners or those with joint concerns.
Box Jump Burpee
Replacing the vertical jump with a jump onto a box adds power development and a greater height challenge.
Burpee Pull-up
Performing a pull-up at the top of each burpee adds an upper-body pulling demand to the already comprehensive full-body movement.