Exercise guide
Burpee
- Intermediate
- Compound
- Timed hold
- Back
- Chest
- Lower legs
- Shoulders
- Upper legs
- Waist
The burpee is a high-intensity, full-body compound movement that builds cardiovascular endurance and explosive power by engaging nearly every major muscle group.
Reviewed by the Crucible Fit team · Updated June 2026
Muscles worked
Equipment
Setup
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and your arms at your sides.
- Engage your core and maintain a neutral spine with your weight balanced across your feet.
How to do it
- Lower into a squat and place your hands flat on the floor in front of you, shoulder-width apart.
- Kick your feet back into a plank position and immediately lower your chest and thighs to the floor.
- Push your body off the floor and jump your feet forward toward your hands, returning to the squat position.
- Explode upward into a jump while reaching your hands overhead, exhaling on the jump and landing softly to begin the next rep.
Form checklist
- Keep your core braced to prevent your hips from sagging during the plank and push-up phase.
- Ensure your chest touches the floor for a full range of motion.
- Land with soft knees to absorb impact and protect your joints.
- Maintain a steady, rhythmic breathing pattern to manage cardiovascular fatigue.
Pro tips
- Focus on a 'snap' motion when jumping your feet back toward your hands to minimize time spent on the floor and increase cycle speed.
- Keep your feet wide when jumping back and forward to create a more stable base and reduce the distance your hips need to travel.
Make it harder
- Add a tuck jump at the top of the movement, pulling your knees to your chest.
- Perform a strict push-up at the bottom instead of a floor-drop to increase pectoral and tricep tension.
Frequently asked
- What muscles does the burpee work?
- The burpee primarily targets the abs, glutes, hamstrings, pectorals, quadriceps, and triceps, and also works the deltoids, forearms, obliques, and serratus anterior as secondary muscles.
- What equipment do you need for the burpee?
- The burpee requires no equipment — just your body weight.
- Is the burpee good for beginners?
- The burpee is rated intermediate. Build a base with simpler variations first, then progress to it with light load and strict form.
Related exercises
- Burpee Long Jump With Push-UpAdvanced · glutes, hamstrings, pectorals, quadriceps, and triceps
- Dumbbell BurpeeIntermediate · deltoids, glutes, hamstrings, pectorals, quadriceps, and triceps
- Elevated Lunge T Spine RotationIntermediate · abs, glutes, hamstrings, obliques, and quadriceps
- High Plank To Frog SquatIntermediate · abs, glutes, hamstrings, and quadriceps