"100 burpees for time." Four words that make even the most experienced athletes tremble. You see them on the whiteboard and your first thought is: "Why? What did I do wrong?" Yet here we are, generation after generation of CrossFitters, throwing ourselves to the ground and getting back up hundreds of times a week. If burpees were truly useless, why do we keep doing them?
Table of contents
Why we hate burpees (and why that's okay)
Let's be clear: burpees suck. There's no nice way to say it. They're uncomfortable, exhausting, and after 20 reps you're already gasping like someone who just ran a marathon. But that's exactly why they work.
The burpee was invented in the 1930s by physiologist Royal Huddleston Burpee as a fitness test. The American military adopted it during World War II to assess recruits' fitness. The idea was simple: if you can do burpees, you're ready for anything.
The reason we hate them is the same reason they're so effective: they engage the entire body, send your heart rate through the roof in seconds, and there's no way to "cheat." Either you get up, or you stay down.
What a burpee actually trains
Think of the burpee as a fundamental exercise disguised as torture. In a single movement you work:
- Chest, shoulders, triceps — during the push-up phase
- Core — to stabilize the ground-to-feet transition
- Quads, glutes, calves — during the jump phase
- Cardiovascular system — constantly under pressure
A study published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research showed that burpees produce a metabolic response comparable to sprinting, burning about 10-15 calories per minute at high intensity.
In practice, 10 minutes of burpees equals 20-30 minutes of moderate running in terms of caloric expenditure. And you don't need any equipment.
Proper technique (yes, it exists)
Just because burpees look simple doesn't mean they don't have a technique. Doing them poorly means wasting energy and, worse, risking back and shoulder injuries.
CrossFit standard
According to CrossFit standards, a valid burpee requires:
- Chest and thighs touching the ground
- Full extension of hips and knees at the top
- Hands above head with clap (standard burpee) or jump over an obstacle (burpee over bar)
Phase by phase
- Descent: bring hands to the ground, kick feet back in a fluid motion, lower chest. Don't "collapse" — control the descent.
- Push-up: push the floor, keep core active. Avoid arching your back.
- Foot jump: bring feet outside your hands, not under them. Landing with feet too narrow robs you of power in the jump.
- Jump and clap: fully extend hips and knees, clap hands overhead.
Common mistakes
- "Banana" back: if your lower back sags during the push-up, your core isn't working. Squeeze your abs.
- Feet too close: landing with narrow feet means having to do a deep squat to get up. Land wide.
- No extension: the final jump should be explosive. A lazy little hop doesn't count (and you'll lose the rep in competition).
Variations: from beginner to elite
Not all burpees are created equal. Here are the most common variations, from most accessible to most brutal.
For beginners
- Step-back burpee: instead of jumping feet back, step one at a time. Same movement, less impact.
- No push-up burpee: touch chest to ground without pushing. Useful for those with limited arm strength.
- Box burpee: place hands on a box or bench. Reduces range of motion and effort.
Standard versions
- Classic burpee: chest to ground, jump with clap overhead.
- Burpee over bar: used in CrossFit competitions. Lateral jump over a barbell.
- Burpee box jump over: jump onto a box instead of clapping. Present in many competitive WODs.
For masochists
- Burpee pull-up: burpee followed by a pull-up. Combines two lethal movements in one.
- Bar facing burpee: you must always face the barbell, so you jump forward and backward instead of laterally.
- Devil press: burpee with two dumbbells, followed by a snatch. The name says it all.
Strategies to survive WODs
Whether it's 50 or 150, burpees in a WOD require strategy. Going all-out from the first rep is a beginner's mistake.
Pacing is everything
For long WODs with 100+ burpees, set a sustainable pace. A good reference:
- Beginner: 8-10 burpees per minute
- Intermediate: 12-15 burpees per minute
- Advanced: 18-22 burpees per minute
If the "100 burpees for time" benchmark terrifies you, a reasonable goal for an intermediate athlete is under 8 minutes. Elites do it in 4-5.
Breathe consciously
Many hold their breath during burpees — fatal mistake. Breathe rhythmically: inhale when standing, exhale during descent, inhale while pushing, exhale on the jump. If you lose your breathing rhythm, you lose everything.
Divide into mental sets
100 burpees is a lot. But 10 sets of 10? More manageable. Or 5 sets of 20. Choose a strategy and stick to it. Remember what we said about structured programming: even during a WOD you need a plan.
How to program burpees
Burpees are versatile. You can use them as:
- Warm-up: 2-3 rounds of 10 burpees + 10 air squats to activate the entire body
- Finisher: EMOM 5 minutes, 8-10 burpees per minute
- Complete WOD: "7 minutes of burpees" — how many can you do?
- Skill work: for competitors, working on burpee speed is crucial for competitions
Benchmarks to know
Want to know where you stand? Here are some classic tests:
- 100 burpees for time: under 8 minutes = good, under 6 = excellent, under 5 = elite
- 7 minutes of burpees: 100+ reps = good, 120+ = excellent, 150+ = beast mode
- Burpee mile: one burpee every 6 feet for a mile (about 880 burpees). Only for the bravest.
Burpees will never become your favorite exercise. They're not meant to be loved — they're meant to work. Every time you throw yourself to the ground and get back up, you're building mental resilience as much as physical. And next time you see them on the whiteboard, instead of complaining, you'll know exactly how to tackle them. Because in the end, they're not the enemy. It's just your head that hasn't figured it out yet.