Burpees are a staple bodyweight movement in the functional fitness world. Though, it’s often targeted as one of the most grueling movements!
Burpees are a challenging, two-part exercise that involves a pushup followed by a leap in the air. While this sounds fun, the novelty definitely wears off after the first 10 reps!
Doing so many burpees in a row can be tiring, though this versatile movement can really pay off, particularly if you’re looking to build strength and endurance while burning calories.
Let’s take a look at how to do burpees and how many you should be aiming for in a 7-minute timeframe!
The Benefits of Burpees
- Burns calories
It goes without saying that any movement burns calories, though burpees burn them at a much faster rate due to the high-intensity nature of the movement, as well as the incorporation of many muscle groups.
- It offers a full-body workout
Burpees are a calisthenics exercise, meaning they use your bodyweight for resistance. Burpees focus on a full-body movement that aims to build strength and endurance in both your upper and lower body.
- Boosts cardiovascular fitness
Burpees are often performed at high intensity as part of a functional training workout. This is a type of cardio that requires you to do short bursts of intense exercise with minimal rest. This is an effective way of burning fat and improving cardio fitness.
- Convenient and versatile
Burpees do not require any equipment or much space, so you can perform them even in a small room or garden space (perfect for home or hotel workouts).
How to Do a Burpee
- Stand up straight with your feet shoulder-width apart, arms at your sides
- Push your hips back, bend your knees, and lower your body down to a squat
- Place your hands on the floor in front of you, shifting your weight onto your hands
- Jump your feet back, landing softly on the balls of your feet, finishing in a plank position
- Lower your body down like a push up to touch your chest to the floor
- Lift your body to return to the plank position
- Pop your hips up and jump your feet back towards your hands
- Stand back up to the starting position, jumping and reaching above you to finish the move
Burpee Challenge: How Many in 7 minutes
Many people can do about 20 burpees in one minute, however adding another 6 minutes onto that is an additional challenge in itself.
140 is a very good number to aim for, however for many of us, 100 may be more realistic!
This would equal around 14 burpees every minute.
Though, some of the top athletes have been known to do as much as 160 reps in 7 minutes.
Whatever you do, try to stay consistent every minute and don’t go out too hot in the first few minutes!
Good luck!
