Burpees For People That Can’t Do (or Don’t Like!) Burpees, Straight From 2 Trainers

The burpee: it's an advanced move to master, and one full of many different parts that might, if you're not careful, put strain on your wrists and knees. First, there's squats. Then, there's the push-up portion, and don't forget about the jump squats at the end! Done in succession, these exercises all lead up to the total-body burpee, which CrossFitters and non-CrossFitters alike know all too well.

Jonathan Tylicki, certified personal trainer and director of education for AKT, broke it down for POPSUGAR: "In the plank, you've turned on the entire core. Then lowering down and up through the push-up, you work your chest, triceps, and shoulders. You use power to bring your feet into a squat position, then use your glutes, hamstrings, and quads to jump off the floor." It gets your heart rate going, too, he said, and also works on strength, flexibility, and power. So, yeah, it's a lot in one move.

It's also easy to break your form during burpees. Stephen Foster, Trainiac personal trainer and EXOS performance specialist, CSCS, said that you need to consistently keep a tight core and refrain from rounding your back and sagging your hips throughout your movements.

How to Build Up to a Burpee

The key to mastering this exercise, Jonathan said, is to develop your strength first. You can work on the components of burpees and increase the intensity. For instance, here's a list of progressions you can try:

After you master these exercises, you can incorporate two elements together like "lowering through the squat and jumping back into plank, or pressing up from the push-up and then jumping your feet in," Jonathan recommended. But, he noted, be cRead More – Source

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