core

Burpee

A full-body conditioning exercise that combines a squat, plank, push-up, and jump into one continuous movement, commonly used for cardiovascular conditioning alongside strength work.

Equipment: bodyweight

How to do it

1Start standing, then squat down and place your hands on the floor in front of you.
2Jump or step your feet back into a plank position.
3Perform a push-up (or skip it for an easier version), then jump or step your feet back toward your hands.
4Explosively jump up with your arms overhead, then immediately lower back down to repeat.

Common mistakes

Letting the hips sag during the plank and push-up portion instead of keeping the core braced.
Rushing the pace to the point where form breaks down, especially on the landing from the jump.

Sets & reps by goal

Goal	Sets	Reps	Rest
Strength	2-3	8-12	60-90 sec
Build muscle	2-3	10-15	45-60 sec
General fitness	2-3	12-15	45-60 sec

Ranges reflect the same goal-based logic used by the workout plan tool. Actual set count in a generated plan also depends on how often this muscle group appears elsewhere in your week.

Frequently asked questions

Is the Burpee safe for beginners?

The Burpee is tagged intermediate, meaning it generally works best once you already have some core training experience. If you're new to training, building a base with the Plank first is a reasonable place to start.

See the Plank

What muscles does the Burpee work?

The primary mover is your core. As a core movement, it also involves your hip flexors and lower-back stabilizers.

How do I make the Burpee harder as I get stronger?

Since this is a bodyweight movement, progress by adding reps or sets before anything else, slowing the tempo down (especially the lowering portion), or shortening rest between sets. Once bodyweight reps stop feeling challenging, that's usually the sign to add external load or move to a more advanced variation.

Related exercises

Learn more

Want a full plan built around exercises like this one? Try the workout plan tool.