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Burpee

Draftaerobic50%intermediate⬤ limited evidence
View FHIR resourceFHIR R4 ActivityDefinition — the interoperable form of this exercise

Positions & Range of Motion

Start
Standing tall, feet hip-width, arms at the sides
End
Explosive vertical jump with arms reaching overhead, landing softly through the whole foot with knees tracking over the toes before flowing into the next rep
Range of Motion
Full-body cyclic excursion each rep — standing to deep squat to rigid prone plank (optional push-up) back to an overhead jump

How to Perform

From standing, squat down and place both hands on the floor just inside the feet, jump or step the feet back into a rigid high plank, perform an optional push-up, then jump the feet back toward the hands and explode vertically into a jump with arms reaching overhead. Land softly with knees tracking over the toes and flow immediately into the next repetition.

Watch on YouTube↗

Opens a YouTube search for “Burpee”

Equipment:none (bodyweight)
Starting position: standing

Coaching Cues

  1. 1

    Hands land directly under your shoulders — brace your trunk before your feet leave the ground.

    (setup)
  2. 2

    Kick back to one rigid plank line from head to heels — no sagging hips or piked bottom.

    (form)
  3. 3

    On the jump, push the floor away and reach for the ceiling.

    (external-focus)
  4. 4

    Land softly through the whole foot with knees tracking over your toes, then flow straight into the next rep.

    (landing)

Evidence-Based Dosing & EMG Data

Recommended Dosing

No burpee-specific dosing guideline exists; in published interval-training studies burpees are typically programmed as work-rest intervals (e.g., 20-30 s maximal effort with equal or double rest for 4-8 rounds, 2-3 sessions/week) or as 3 sets of 8-15 repetitions for general conditioning, adjusted to maintain landing mechanics.

EMG Activation Data

Formal EMG data specific to the burpee are sparse; muscle roles here are inferred from the constituent phases, each of which is well characterized: the squat and jump phases demand high quadriceps, gluteus maximus, and triceps surae activation, the plank/push-up phase loads pectoralis major, triceps brachii, anterior deltoid, and serratus anterior, and the abdominal wall and spinal extensors work isometrically to control the trunk through rapid transitions. Physiological studies of burpee interval protocols consistently show near-maximal heart rate and high oxygen-uptake responses, supporting its use as a whole-body cardiometabolic conditioning exercise more than as a targeted strengthening exercise.

Muscles Involved (16)

Primary Movers

Quadriceps Femoris— Concentric knee extension driving the squat-up and vertical jump; eccentric control on the squat-down and landing.
Gluteus Maximus— Hip extension power for the jump and rise from the squat; controls hip flexion on descent.
Gastrocnemius— Ankle plantarflexion in the jump take-off and the hop back to plank.

Secondary Movers

Pectoralis Major— Horizontal adduction during the OPTIONAL push-up phase only; not a prime mover of the burpee, so downgraded from primary.
Triceps Brachii— Elbow extension in the optional push-up and isometric/eccentric control catching body weight at the hand plant; not a prime concentric driver of the exercise, so downgraded from primary.
Hamstrings (Group)— Assist hip extension in the jump; lengthen under load during the standing fold to place hands on the floor.
Soleus— Plantarflexion during take-off and eccentric control of dorsiflexion on landing.
Anterior Deltoid— Shoulder flexion in the optional push-up and, non-optionally, arm drive overhead in the jump.
Iliopsoas— Rapid hip flexion snapping the feet from plank back under the trunk.
Rectus Femoris— Combined hip flexion and knee extension demand in the jump-in and take-off.

Stabilizers

Serratus Anterior— Scapular protraction/upward rotation keeping the scapula fixed to the thorax during plank and push-up; this is scapulothoracic stabilization, reclassified from synergist.
Rectus Abdominis— Prevents lumbar extension sag in plank and resists trunk extension moments during the jump-back.
External Oblique— Anterolateral trunk bracing through plank transitions.
Transversus Abdominis— Anticipatory trunk stiffness during rapid position changes.
Erector Spinae Group— Maintains neutral spine in plank and during rapid trunk repositioning; lengthens during the forward fold.
Gluteus Medius— Frontal-plane pelvic control on take-off and landing.

Easier Variations ↓

1

Step-back burpee (no push-up, no jump)

Step one foot back at a time into plank, step back in, and finish with a stand or heel raise instead of a jump. Removes the impact and plyometric demand while keeping the whole-body transition pattern.

2

Elevated-surface burpee

Perform the movement with hands on a bench, box, or countertop. The incline reduces upper-limb loading and the depth of hip and ankle flexion required.

Harder Variations ↑

1

Burpee with push-up and tuck jump

Add a full chest-to-floor push-up in the plank phase and finish with a tuck jump, increasing upper-body loading and plyometric intensity.

2

Burpee box jump-over

Finish each repetition by jumping onto or laterally over a box, adding a higher-amplitude jump and landing demand plus a directional change.

Target Movements (12)

Hip FlexionHip Joint (Coxofemoral)
Hip ExtensionHip Joint (Coxofemoral)
Knee FlexionTibiofemoral Joint
Knee ExtensionTibiofemoral Joint
Ankle DorsiflexionTalocrural Joint
Ankle PlantarflexionTalocrural Joint
Shoulder FlexionGlenohumeral Joint
Shoulder Horizontal AdductionGlenohumeral Joint
Elbow FlexionHumeroulnar Joint
Elbow ExtensionHumeroulnar Joint
Scapular ProtractionScapulothoracic Articulation
Lumbar FlexionLumbar Intervertebral Joints

Why This Exercise Matters

Everyday activities this exercise helps you do — essential means it directly trains the capacity the task needs:

Floor Transfers (Sit-to-Floor-to-Stand)Jumping & LandingSquat to Stand

Research Notes

claude-researched 2026-07; muscle/movement links validated against the roster. Adversarial clinical verification pending — do not promote past needs_review without human review.