Burpees, a word that elicits groans the moment it is uttered, is one of the most challenging yet infamous callisthenics routines. Whether you are a fitness buff or a novice just starting out, this is that one exercise in your workout routine that you would love to hate but cannot simply because of the benefits of burpees.
What are Burpees?
Fitness enthusiasts all around the world share a love-hate relationship with burpees. Why, you ask? If squats and push ups scare you, then imagine what a workout routine which requires you to do both together would look like and that is exactly what a burpee is. The callisthenics drill essentially demands you to leap into the air, drop down into a squat position, proceed further into a push up and spring back up into a squat jump posture.
Burpees Exercise Benefits
Regardless of the number of times burpees will force you to say, ‘I am never doing this again’ and the soreness it leaves you with, the benefits of burpees will compel you to incorporate them into your everyday routine. Some of them are listed below:
1. Burns the Excess Calories
Burpees for weight loss are recommended by fitness trainers all across the globe. There are several benefits of burpees but this still remains the number one. An average person can fit in 20 burpees in a span of 1 minute. However, continuing the exercise for 20 minutes can help you burn 250 calories.
2. Full Body Workout
Unlike a lot of other exercises, burpees target the entire body. This means that burpees exercise benefits do not only include weight loss but also building muscle strength and endurance. The benefits of burpees can be observed in the strength you gain in both your lower and upper back, legs, abdomen, shoulders, chest, buttocks, and arms.
3. Effective Cardio
The benefits of burpees are not just limited to muscle strength and weight loss. They also help you get the much-needed cardio fitness into your workout programme. In addition, the exercise helps you acquire the following results that you can reap with a good cardio workout:
- Enhances blood flow
- Maintains stable blood pressure
- Minimises risks of attaining heart diseases and diabetes
- Improves cholesterol levels
- Builds up lung and heart strength
- Boosts brain function
Tips to Keep in Mind Before You do Burpees
Here are some essential points you must remember if you have decided to incorporate burpees into your routine:
1. Warm Up
Ensure that you have caught up on some of your mobility work like lunges, squats, push ups, and press ups to ease the manoeuvrability of your joints. Burpees are a part of high intensity workout and diving straight into them without warming up may not be such a good idea.
2. Segment It
Divide burpees into phases so that you do not stress your body out. Burpees are strenuous in themselves and trying to do it all together when you are not yet comfortable with it will only put more strain on you.
3. Know Your Positions
When performing the squat thrust, ensure that your legs are in a press up position and your shoulders are placed above your hands without any deviation. When getting into the deep squat position, keep your chest as straight and erect as you possibly can with your hips sitting back. Make sure you ease into the landing by bending your knees at the optimum position.
4. Do Not Skip Steps
The complex workout routine may make you want to skip over a few steps to make the exercise easier and more bearable but that just means that you will also be skipping out on the maximum benefits of burpees.
5. Be Mindful of Your Core
The plank included in the burpees is integral in ensuring that your abdomen yields the maximum results it can when performing burpees. Make sure that when you reach the plank stage, your core is contracted and your back is straight in alignment with your glutes.
However challenging, burpees are a critical form of exercise to keep your body in shape. While you may feel discouraged to start with this overwhelming workout routine, the results you’ll get are enough to keep you motivated. So, what is stopping you from attaining the benefits of burpees?
