subject: How To Make Burpees Even Harder! [print this page] If ever there was a "full body" exercise, the Burpee has to be it. Try and tell me a body-part that isn't taxed in one way or another during this exercise.
Remember, a full Bupee involves squatting down, thrusting your feet back, doing a pushup, thrusting your feet back under you, and standing up with a jump.
However, another reason Burpees are great are because they can be modified - and made harder - so easily.
Just in case you're one of the true weirdos out there who just loves to punish yourself during your cardio workouts, try any one of the following variations:
-At the end of the rep, don't just jump up. Instead, make the jump harder. Do a Star Jump (jump and spread your arms and legs like a starfish), or a Tuck Jump (jump and tuck your legs in at the top).
-Do Burpees directly under a chinning bar. At the end of each rep, jump up to the bar and do one Chin or Pullup.
-Wear a weighted vest while doing Burpees (I get nauseous just thinking about that idea).
-Do Burpees while holding onto 10-20 lbs. dumbbells (trust me - after five reps, 10 lbs. never felt so heavy). To add another sick twist, swing the dumbbells to overhead with each rep.
-Do Burpees while holding onto a Medicine Ball (can you say "instability"?).
You get the idea. Don't do too many to start off with. 10 sets x 5 reps of any of these variations with 60 seconds rest in between should be more than enough for most people. Gradually add reps to each set, working your way up to 10 sets x 10 reps. At this point, you should be a bona fide "stud". Or, you'll be proficient at puking up your lunch - one or the other.
