The burpee stands as one of fitness’s most polarizing movements — loved for its simplicity and efficacy, yet often loathed for its intensity. Despite mixed feelings, this bodyweight exercise has proven its worth as a comprehensive movement that builds strength, endurance, coordination, and mental fortitude with no equipment required.
Origins and Evolution
The burpee was invented in the 1930s by physiologist Royal H. Burpee while completing his Ph.D. at Columbia University. His goal was to design a simple method for assessing physical fitness, particularly cardiovascular health and muscular coordination. During World War II, the U.S. military adopted the exercise as a quick assessment tool for recruiting fitness levels.
The original burpee was more modest than today’s versions:
- Squat down and place both hands on the floor
- Jump the feet back into a plank position
- Jump the feet back to the squat position
- Return to standing
The push-up and jump components were added later as the exercise evolved. From military training to group fitness programs and CrossFit, the burpee has become a staple across all levels of athletic programming, and it can be modified and scaled to be accessible to every athlete.
Modern Variations
Contemporary burpee variations continue to expand:
- Push-up burpee: Adds a full push-up at the bottom
- Bunny burpee: Ends with a jump lunge to each side
- Burpee box jump: Includes a jump onto a box at the end
- Burpee pull-up: Adds a pull-up after the jump
- Double burpee: Two push-ups and two jumps in one rep
Benefits
Total body conditioning: Burpees engage the entire body — chest, arms, shoulders, core, glutes, quads, and calves — in one comprehensive movement.
Cardiovascular endurance: When performed explosively in continuous motion, burpees rapidly elevate heart rate and improve aerobic capacity.
Functional movement: The exercise mimics real-life movement patterns while building coordination, agility, and the ability to perform under fatigue.
Equipment-free: Requiring only body weight and minimal space, burpees are ideal for travel workouts, outdoor training, and any setting where equipment is unavailable.
Mental resilience: The inherent discomfort of burpees cultivates grit, concentration, and persistence — qualities that extend beyond fitness into all aspects of life.
Efficiency: In minutes, burpees deliver a powerful metabolic workout that maximizes training time. It’s a shining representation of bang for your buck.
Conclusion
From its scientific beginnings in the 1930s to its current role in high-performance training programs, the burpee remains a foundation of functional fitness. Its reputation as a brutal but effective movement is well-deserved. The next time you face a burpee, remember you’re participating in an almost century-old tradition of testing the limits of human fitness and building the resilience that transfers to every challenge life presents.
Nine Burpee Workouts to Try
1. Death by Burpees
Every minute on the minute (EMOM) until failure:
Minute 1: 1 burpee
Minute 2: 2 burpees
Minute 3: 3 burpees
Continue adding one burpee each minute until failure.
Goal: See how many rounds you can complete before you can’t finish the required reps within the minute.
2. Burpee Mile
Format:
For time:
100 burpees
800-meter run
100 burpees
Goal: Complete for time. The burpees bookend a middle-distance run, testing both anaerobic power and aerobic recovery.
3. The Burpee Ladder
21-15-9 reps for time of:
Burpees
Thrusters (65/95 lb)
Pull-ups
Goal: Classic CrossFit rep scheme with burpees leading each round, emphasizing metabolic conditioning.
4. Burpee Box Jump Tabata
Tabata (20 seconds of work, 10 seconds of rest):
Burpee box jumps (20/24-inch box)
Repeat for 8 rounds (4 minutes total).
Goal: Maximum intensity burpee variation in minimal time.
5. Burpee Broad Jump Chipper
For time:
50 burpee broad jumps
40 wall-ball shots (14/20 lb)
30 box jumps (20/24-inch box)
20 muscle-ups
50-foot handstand walk
Goal: Burpee broad jumps front-load this descending rep scheme to test power endurance.
6. Burpee, Swing, Squat
As many rounds and reps as possible in 20 minutes of:
5 burpees
10 kettlebell swings (53/70 lb)
15 air squats
Goal: Sustainable pace over 20 minutes with burpees anchoring each round.
7. The Burpee Gauntlet
5 rounds for time of:
20 burpees
400-meter run
15 burpee pull-ups
Goal: Mixed burpee variations with running intervals, testing different energy systems.
8. Triple Threat
3 rounds for time of:
30 burpees
30 double-unders
30 sit-ups
Rest 2 minutes between rounds.
Goal: High-volume burpee rounds with built-in recovery periods.
9. 100 Burpees
For time:
100 burpees
Break up reps as needed. Record time and number of sets.
Goal: Pure burpee endurance test. Mental toughness and pacing strategy are key.
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About the Author
Sarah Coleman loves her fitness community, enjoys playing in the great outdoors (shredding, biking, surfing), is a Certified CrossFit Level 3 Trainer, and hasn’t met a burpee she doesn’t like. She inspires athletes to just show up, and the rest will fall into place. “Your purpose is not the thing you do. It is the thing that happens in others when you do what you do.”