Last week we gave you a relaxing yoga workout, but now it’s time to kick it into high gear again. Grant Hill, the founder of MyBootcamp and an indoor cycling instructor at Revolve Fitness, knows that no exercise is quite as intense as the exercise we love to hate: the burpee.
“The burpee is loved for its effectiveness at working just about everything you can possibly imagine at once—and loathed for the absolute butt-kicking it delivers,” says Hill.
The jump-squat-pushup combo is a total-body workout that targets your upper body, lower body, and core while including both cardio and strength-training elements.
Even more intense? Doing Tabata intervals of burpees. “The key with Tabata is intensity. You must give maximum effort if you want the gains Tabata can deliver,” says Hill.
Read on for his seemingly simple yet crazy tough workout.
How to Perform the Workout
Warmup: 30 seconds each of high knees, butt kicks, walking lunges, and mountain climbers.
Workout: 20 seconds of good-form burpees for max reps* (a.k.a. do as many as you think you possibly can).
Rest 10 seconds.
Repeat Tabata sequences for four minutes.
Rest one minute.
Repeat four-minute sequence.
Total time: 8 minutes and 16 sets of burpees.
*Count your reps in each set, and aim to complete more reps the next time you do the workout.
How to Cater the Workout to You
If two rounds of four-minute Tabata burpees is too intense, start with two rounds of two-minute burpee sets and work your way up.
“Once you master the burpee, you can progress by adding a challenge with nose dives, tuck jumps, max vertical, or double pushups,” says Hill.
(And if you want an even greater challenge, try doing your burpees “Laurent style.”)
The Verdict
“You can’t get much simpler than this—it’s short, it’s intense, and it’s doable anytime, anywhere. No excuses,” says Hill.
We’ve said before that burpees are our biggest workout nemesis, but there is nothing quite as effective—and the added Tabata element kept the workout lively and fresh.
For more Well+Being workouts, visit our Fit Check page.
