Burpee

It requires strength, endurance and explosive power. it there's one exercise that encapsulates CrossFit training, it's the burpee. Here's how to perform one correctly. 

John Whitman

1. From a standing position, crouch down and place your hands on the floor in front of you.



 

2. Kick your feet back into a solid plank position.

To perfect your plank, focus on making a straight line from your heels to the top of your head.

 

3. Bend your elbows and execute a full push-up until your chest touches the floor.

At the very least, you must get your chest to the deck at the bottom of the burpee (Step 3) and you must catch some air at the top (Step 6).

 

4. Push away from the floor to finish the push-up at full arm extension.

As you perform multiple burpees for time, make sure not to sacrifice the integrity of the plank position.

 

5. Hop your feet to a crouch position. You should land with your feet flat, heels down. This is important to protect your knees and create more efficient upward thrust in the next step. If your hands are still on the ground, you’ll find it easier to place your feet outside your hands. You also can release your hands from the ground to help maintain a straight back as your feet land forward.



 

6. Use your legs to thrust upward through a standing position into a jump with your arms overhead.

For the 2012 CrossFit Games Open, Workout 12.1 stated that the athlete must jump high enough at the end of a burpee to touch an object six inches higher than his or her standing reach.

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