This one mighty move has been proven to out-burn and out-firm just about every other exercise. Use it to lose it fast with this fun new routine.
This one mighty move has been proven to out-burn and out-firm just about every other exercise. Use it to lose it fast with this fun new routine.
You’ve most likely done burpees since back in your school days, and there’s a reason we’re all still hooked on them. It’s the exercise you love to hate, but this body-weight move is truly the total package – a perfect mix of high-intensity cardio and all-over sculpting. In fact, banging out 30-second sets of burpees will get you the same boost in fitness as doing sprints: They both crank up your heart rate and VO2 max (the maximum amount of oxygen your body can use during exercise), researchers at the University of Georgia in the US found.
The one difference? Those in the study who did the burpees also got in a full-body strength workout. Not only that, but compared with other resistance exercises such as squats, lunges and planks, burpees burn up to three times the calories – a fat- melting 9.6 per minute, according to a recent report in the Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research.
“Burpees are one of the most effective exercises for burning calories, and because they’re compound moves, you’re never working just a single muscle group,” says Shaun Jenkins, a trainer in New York City who, with YG Studios, has created a new class around this boot camp staple. “There are so many different ways to break down a burpee into separate strength moves and increase and decrease the difficulty, that when you put all the progressions together, the result is one killer workout,” he says. “I like to call it death by burpee.
” Ready for action? Then try Shaun’s ingenious burpee circuit on this spread. It alternates standard moves with fresh variations that will firm every muscle fibre you’ve got. To heighten your calorie burn, move as fast as you can while maintaining proper form, he says. In 26 minutes, you’ll be dripping sweat and completely done with your strength and cardio. Win-win.
Basic Burpee
1 Stand with feet together.
2 Crouch and plant palms on floor in front of you.
3 With abs tight, jump feet back to plank.
4 Bend elbows to lower chest and thighs to floor.
5 Press up to plank.
6 Jump feet toward hands.
7 Jump as high as you can (make sure feet are under shoulders before launching), clapping hands overhead. Repeat for one minute.
Your Workout
Intensity: Hard (RPE*: an 8 or 9 out of 10)
Total Time: 26 minutes
You’ll Need: Just your body weight
How It Works: Warm up, then complete the exercises in order one time through, resting when instructed. Repeat the circuit once.
Calories Burnt: 220 (this calorie burn is based on a 63.5kg woman)
*Rate of perceived exertion; see www.shape.com.sg/rpe.
Warm Up
Do one minute of high knees. Then stand with feet hip-width apart, and squat. Stand, coming up onto balls of feet and reaching overhead. Continue for one minute.
Next, fold forward, walk hands out into plank, then perform one push- up. Walk hands back to standing. Continue for one minute, then repeat entire series once more.
Basic Burpee
(pictured)
High-knee Pop-up
Stand with feet hipwidth apart, arms bent by sides. Quickly lift bent right knee to hip height, return to standing, then bring left knee up. From standing, crouch, place palms on floor and jump feet back to plank, lowering body to floor.
Explosively push up and jump feet to hands to land in a staggered position, knees bent with left foot forward. Then jump as high as you can, landing softly with feet hip-width apart. Repeat, this time landing with right foot forward.Continue for one minute, alternating sides.
Judo Roll With a Jump
Lie face up on floor with knees tucked into chest and arms by sides. Using your abs, roll up to a seated position and place feet on floor. Pressing feet firmly into floor, rise to standing without using hands to push off . Jump high. Repeat for one minute.
Plank Reach
Start on floor in plank on forearms, elbows directly under shoulders and fingers spread wide. Reach forward with extended right arm and touch floor in front of you. Return to start, switch sides and repeat. Continue alternating for one minute.
Rest for 1 Minute
Burpee With Knee-tuck Jump
Stand with feet hipwidth apart, then crouch and plant palms on floor. Jump feet back to plank, then lower body to floor. Press up to plank, then jump feet towards hands to come to stand ing. From standing, squat, then jump, tucking knees towards chest and bringing palms to touch knees. Land with soft knees. Repeat for one minute.
Squat Thrust With Push-up
Start on floor in plank on palms. Jump feet to outside of palms and rise into a wide squat, bringing palms together in front of chest (as in prayer position), elbows bent by sides. Then place palms back on floor and jump feet back into a plank. Do one push-up. Repeat for one minute.
Rolling Squat Burpee
Stand with feet hip-width apart, then lower into a deep squat, elbows bent by sides. Maintaining position, use momentum to roll back onto floor (stop when mid-back touches floor), then engage abs to quickly roll forward and come back to standing. From standing, crouch, palms on floor, and jump feet 5 6 back into plank. Jump feet towards hands and return to standing. Repeat for one minute.
Boat-pose Hold
Start lying on floor with arms by sides, then engage abs to lift up into a V with arms straight out in front of you at shoulder height. Hold for one minute.
