The Burpee (1939)

Let's talk about the burpee. Everyone's favourite exercise. Now, burpees hold a special place in my heart. It was my coach's favourite exercise, and then became my favourite warm-up and indoor substitute for running. Winter is burpee season. Years ago, I did 300 push-up burpees in one training session. After that, my warm-up routine was 100 burpees. A very convenient adrenaline and endorphin booster. And no, I did not get rhabdomyolysis. But I do not recommend attempting a burpee marathon without prior training. 

Actually, this is a more accurate portrayal of my relationship with burpees.

The History of the Burpee

The burpee was invented by American physiologist Royal Huddleston Burpee, Sr. in 1939 for his PhD thesis at Columbia University as a simple, full-body exercise. It gained widespread popularity after the US military used it as fitness test during WW2. 

So someone's PhD thesis became your coach's favourite exercise.

Variations on the Burpee

There are endless variations on the burpee to meet your fitness goals. It's also easy to quantify for the data-obsessed fitness enthusiasts. This is the beauty of the burpee. I'm sure cross-fitters have made crazy variations, but here I cover a few basic ones you can do anywhere. 

Speed burpees

Set a specific timing, say 30 sec to 1 min, and aim for maximum reps within the timeframe. The idea is to be as light and quick as possible, probably no big jumps after standing-up. Do it with or without pushups. Extend the timing to focus more on cardio endurance. Watch your breathing pattern, figuring out where it's best to inhale or exhale. 

Pyramid burpees 

Set a number target, say 100. Do it in an upwards pyramid - 10, 15, 20 etc. Rest freely or timed in between the sets. You can note down your overall timing to completion, aiming to decrease the timing each time. 

Push-up burpees

You can vary the type of push-ups, adding pyramids or timing as well. Pyramids can be added specifically to the push-ups. 

Weighted-vest burpee

Remember to keep good form. You can eliminate the big jump after the stand-up to minimise impact.

Burpee to pull-up

This is an awesome one, I promise you. I have tried it and it is great fun. Do a burpee (ideally with a push-up), after standing up, do a pull-up, but minimising swinging and momentum from the burpee. You can also add a pyramid or timing to this. 

Levitating planche burpee

I have not tried this nor have I found a video on this. If anyone can physically do this, let me know. The idea is to squat thrust directly into the levitating planche position, with both feet off the ground. You could probably start with a burpee to frog-stand and progress from there.