Gentlemen of TRP, there are currently two "Bodyweight/Minimalist" fitness posts on the front page already. This is my attempt to both add to the noise and slice through it at the same time.

SUMMARY - Burpees are the best "bang-for-your-buck", equipment-less exercise known to man. If you're not doing them, you're missing out on a slew of benefits.

The title of this post is click-baitey as hell for a specific reason, to attract eyeballs - I respect this community and the title is tongue-in-cheek...this isn't Men's Health, but if you are reading this or commenting below then the title did its job. Moving on...

Overview

Up-downs. Squat thrust jumps. Burpees. Whatever you call them, you are likely to know what I'm talking about (if you do not, google "advanced burpee exrx"). Hip drive, explosive jumping and pushups - these things hurt, and are an oft-overlooked gem when it comes to improving our health. The burpee works almost every muscle in the body, and does so in a way that the body is meant to move - while also taxing multiple energy systems.

Benefits

Over time, burpees done for high reps result in strength, stamina and general cardiovascular prowess becoming vastly improved (which translates into you being able to fuck women harder, more furiously, for longer). The aesthetic effects of such physical adaptations are not to be overlooked, either - get really good at burpees and your body composition will change for the better, period.

Aesthetics aside, the resultant boosts in overall energy, mood and mental strength are well worth the grueling effort. Cardio is every bit as essential as strength training for overall health and wellness - you don't need cardio to get ripped (that comes down to nutrition), but you would be wise to indulge in it often to maintain peak health and consistently high energy levels.

My favorite piece of the burpee equation is that there is almost no excuse NOT to do them. This exercise requires literally no equipment other than a flat surface, gravity, and a set of balls. You can truly do them almost anywhere, in a very short amount of time.

Programming the burpee

A.) There are many ways to program the burpee, but my personal preference is to do a burpee ladder. Do one set, walk a few paces (not more than ten if outside, or just across the room if indoors) and drop down to start banging out the next set. This keeps things brief, intense, excruciating, and builds up pain tolerance along with discipline and mental strength.

Let's say you're indoors, doing a ladder of ten reps. The workout would look like this:

  • 10 burpees walk across the room 9 burpees walk across the room 8 burpees walk across the room 7 burpees walk across the room 6 burpees walk across the room 5 burpees walk across the room 4 burpees walk across the room 3 burpees walk across the room 2 burpees walk across the room 1 burpee * you're done, walk around and catch your breath/possibly vomit

Ten burpees was a good starting point for me, if you're more out of shape I would suggest starting with 5 and steadily build from there. It doesn't matter how many reps you can do the first time, all that matters is that you do the work and push yourself more as you make progress. The way I progressed was by doing one of these ladders 6 days per week, taking a day off then starting the next week with one more rep added to the ladder. I am no ironman but my athleticism, physique, lung capacity and willpower have all noticeably improved from consistent application of these painful bastards we call burpees - specifically, only six weeks of making these burpee ladders my sole focus and taking a break from lifting. Very simple, very difficult and very beneficial.

An excellent checkpoint is to complete a ladder of 20 reps - that's 210 burpees in a matter of a few minutes, which is no small feat. If you want to really push your limits, aim to work up to ladders of 30 reps over time (465 burpees). Accomplish this and you will be a bad motherfucker - that's a promise.

B.) For those that want to add in burpees as a supplement to their weight training, you can do them immediately after lifting and/or on rest days. Perhaps start with 3 sets of 10 burpees, done for time, and progress from there. An excellent milestone is to do 100 burpees in 5 minutes (all credit goes to Johnny Pain of Greyskull LP fame for this idea, google "Villain Challenge #1" for more insight into programming the burpee.)

Wrapping this up

In summation, explosive burpees done for high reps result in a set of brass balls, iron lungs, and consistently high energy levels as a default state (also better sex). If you can push through a grueling set of burpees when your arms and legs are on fire, your body is shaking, gasping for breath and trying not to puke - realizing you've still got dozens of reps to go - while knowing that you're going to do the same thing all over again tomorrow - the carryover in your everyday life will be profound and very, very noticeable. The improved work capacity will pay dividends when it comes to lifting weights, and the mental fortitude forged during those hellish ladders will benefit your life massively. Master the burpee, and you will be physically carved out of wood with an iron will and an unbreakable mind - you'll have abs, and you won't give a shit.