Burpees

4 × 8-12  ·  Equipment: No equipment

Muscle groups: Full body

How to do burpees

1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart.
2. Squat down and place your hands on the floor in front of you.
3. Jump or step your feet back into a high plank position.
4. Perform a full push-up lowering your chest to the floor, then push back up.
5. Jump your feet toward your hands and rise into a squat.
6. Jump straight up with your arms extended overhead.
7. Land softly with bent knees and start the next rep right away.

Mistakes to avoid

• Don't sag your hips in the plank or the push-up; keep your core tight.
• Don't land on straight legs; bend your knees to absorb the impact.
• If you get fatigued, drop the push-up and jump, and step your feet instead of hopping.
• Stop if you feel dizzy, ankle or knee pain, or a loss of movement control.

Progression

• Start with the version without push-up or jump until you master the coordination.
• Add the push-up and then the vertical jump as you improve.
• Speed up by cutting rest between sets from 90 to 60 seconds.
• Progress to burpees with push-up and jump with no pause, adding reps each week while keeping form.