Exercise · form guide
Burpee
- Primary muscle
- Full Body
- Also works
- Engine
- Equipment
- Bodyweight
- Difficulty
- Beginner
Tempo
Cyclic · sustainable pace
It's a pacing exercise, not a sprint. Find a rhythm you can hold for the full round — going to failure in round 1 wrecks the workout.
Sets & reps
General programming defaults by goal — not specific to this lift. Pick the row that matches yours.
| Goal | Sets | Reps | RPE | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Strength | 4–6 | 3–5 | 8–9 | 3–5 min |
| Hypertrophy | 3–5 | 8–12 | 7–9 | 90–120 s |
| Endurance | 2–4 | 15–25 | 6–8 | 45–60 s |
Form
Cues
- Chest to floor, full hip extension at the top
- Soft landings on the jump back and forward
- Breathe in 2 counts, out 2 counts
Common mistakes
- Half-burpees with no chest contact
- Going too hard early
Injury notes
Step-back variant for knee/wrist issues.
Progression
Add reps per minute or strict push-up at the bottom.
Indian gym reality
Zero-equipment lift — works in a hostel room, PG, or a park. No excuse for skipping it on travel or gym-closed days.
If your gym doesn't have this equipment
- Zero-equipment variant works — see the home version below.
Home & hostel version
Bodyweight variants of this movement pattern exist — search the pattern name (squat, hinge, press, pull) plus 'bodyweight' and pick the version that matches your current strength.
Nutrition & recovery around this lift
Isolations recover fast — 24 hours is usually enough. You can hit the same muscle again the next day with a different exercise. For an Indian lifter, land 30–40g of protein within 90 minutes of finishing — 200g paneer, 4 whole eggs, 150g chicken, or a whey shake all work.
Frequently asked
What muscles does Burpee work?
Primarily Full Body · Engine. Load and rep range shift the emphasis — heavy triples bias the primary mover, sets of 12+ bring more of the secondaries in.
How many sets of Burpee per week?
For hypertrophy, 10–20 direct working sets per week across all exercises for that muscle. This exercise usually contributes 3–8 of those sets, depending on where it sits in your program.
What if I'm training at home in India?
See the home & hostel version above. Bodyweight variants of every major pattern exist and progress for months if you're intentional about it.
How often should I do Burpee?
Most intermediates do best with 2× per week frequency on any given lift — one heavier session and one lighter, or two matched sessions with different rep ranges. Beginners can add a third if recovery holds up.
Get Burpee programmed for you
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