This week’s workout is Burpees. You may have heard of Burpees before, as they are a popular exercise used by personal trainers, athletes, military personnel, and CrossFit enthusiasts.Burpees—also known as squat thrusts—are a great calorie-torching, full-body exercise for strengthening your arms, chest, quads, glutes, hamstrings and abs. They are performed in five steps with rapid movement—each step should take about one second. Here’s how to do them:
1. Begin in a standing position with your arms at your sides and your feet shoulder-width apart.
2. Next, assume a squat position with your hands on the floor in front of you.
3. Kick your feet back into a push-up position and complete one full push-up.
4. Immediately return your feet back to the squat position as quickly as possible.
5. Finally, stand up from the squat position. Congratulations, you just completed one full Burpee!
For added difficulty, try adding two push-ups into step 3. Try incorporating 2 or 3 sets of 15-20 Burpees into your workout. You can even do them in between other exercises to keep your heart rate up. After doing a few sets of Burpees, your legs will likely feel a bit like lead—but don’t worry, this is normal!
We hope you’ll try Burpees over the weekend and then build them into your exercise routine Monday through Friday of the coming week.
Want more fitness ideas? If you’re a Health Advocate member with access to the Wellness Coaching program, reach out to your Wellness Coach for more healthy ideas to get—and stay—fit. And remember, talk to your doctor before beginning any new fitness regimen.
