Struggling with burpees? Discover two effective methods to immediately ease the challenge they present
Burpees, a popular exercise in fitness routines, are known for their ability to take you quickly from standing to hitting the deck and back up again. But to make the most of this versatile move, it's crucial to focus on proper form and technique.
Gustavo Vaz Tostes, a fitness expert and trainer Gus at digital fitness platform FIIT, emphasizes correcting common burpee mistakes. One such mistake is squatting too deep during burpees, which overloads the leg muscles and spikes heart rate, causing early fatigue. Instead, Vaz Tostes recommends hinging from the hips, a more efficient approach.
Another common mistake is keeping feet too close together. This forces the legs to work harder and puts one in a weak position. Vaz Tostes suggests maintaining a wide foot stance, which makes every rep quicker, more efficient, and less taxing on the legs.
Key Tips for Proper Burpee Form
- Keep feet close to the dumbbell: Maintaining proper alignment and reducing strain or erratic movement is key.
- Keep your eyes on the dumbbell: This ensures better control and precision during the movement.
- Control the eccentric (lowering) phase: Steadily lowering oneself without dropping down too quickly or letting the shoulders shrug can prevent inefficient movement or injury risk.
- Avoid using excessive weight that causes swinging or traps overuse, as this interrupts smooth motion and reduces effectiveness.
These corrections improve the efficiency, safety, and overall effectiveness of burpees by ensuring proper posture and movement control throughout the exercise.
The "Death-by-Burpees" Workout
The "death-by-burpees" workout, where one starts with one burpee in the first 30 seconds, adds an extra rep every 30 seconds, and tries to complete as many reps as possible before tapping out, can be a challenging finisher or standalone exercise. However, Vaz Tostes advises starting slow and trying to keep heart rate as low as possible for as long as possible. He suggests not rushing, as it can spike heart rate without enough rest, leading to a "quick and painful death".
Vaz Tostes also advises against doing the "death-by-burpees" workout more than once a week, and only after a thorough warm-up.
Burpees are a bodyweight exercise that improves overall strength, mobility, and fitness. By mastering the proper form and technique, as demonstrated by Gustavo Vaz Tostes, one can ensure a safe and effective workout that delivers results.
- Gustavo Vaz Tostes, a fitness expert, highlights the importance of keeping feet close to the dumbbell during burpees to maintain proper alignment and reduce strain.
- In addition to maintaining a proper stance, Vaz Tostes emphasizes controlling the eccentric (lowering) phase of burpees to prevent inefficient movement and potential injury risks.
- Strength training routines often include burpees as they are bodyweight exercises that improve overall fitness, but Vaz Tostes warns against using excessive weight that causes swaying or trapping overuse to ensure smooth motion and workout effectiveness.
