Burpees – Advanced Variations

Variations on Burpees That Will Burn Fat Fast!

Burpees are one of the toughest exercises that exist.

As a conditioning exercise burpees have few rivals – they’re an all-body test and provide a cardiovascular workout on their own. It’s no surprise that military forces all around the world use burpees as a staple element of their fitness training.

Burpees are so tough that at a gym I use they ran a burpee challenge; the person to do the most burpees in 5 minutes was the winner. A serving Royal Marine won with a total of 82 in 5 minutes and he was cooked at the end of it – that’s how tough burpees are!

As they say though, if it doesn’t challenge us, it doesn’t change us, so today’s blog post is all about variations on traditional burpees and how you can add them into your workouts.

Typically I use burpees as a finisher during strength sessions, or as part of a circuit during conditioning sessions. I like the short but intense cardio burst – I’m not a fan of much steady-state work with personal training clients.

You don’t need traditional cardio to get your heart rate up – strap a Heart Rate Monitor on, do a few of the exercises below and check out how your heart rate responds!

Advanced Burpee Variations

Single Leg Burpees

Single leg burpees are a tough variation on an already hard exercise.

By using a single leg each rep you build extra strength, power and endurance in the working leg and provide an extra test for the core. It’s a burpee for advanced trainees or those looking to mix up their burpee workout without adding extra equipment.

In the interest of balance, make sure you do an equal amount of reps for each side!

Burpees Into Pull Ups

Burpees into pull ups are an effective exercise that build strength, power and co-ordination, all whilst burning fat and improving stamina. This variation adds extra back and bicep work, meaning all of the muscles in the body are trained with the exercise.

The timing element of the exercise helps improve co-ordination so is a useful exercise for athletes and people who have to concentrate and focus whilst fatigued.

Burpees Into Box Jumps

Burpees into a box jump are one of the toughest variations on burpees there is. A ‘normal’ burpee is already very leg-dominant, so adding an extra plyometric box jump into the equation makes for a much tougher exercise.

A couple of quick safety tips – only jump onto a solid surface that has plenty of grip – you don’t want to slip, and also make sure you only to this exercise at the start of a workout whilst you are still fresh so you don’t risk not making the jump and banging your shins in the process!

Burpees Into Tyre Flips

This exercise is brutal! Combining burpees with heavy tyre flips is a fantastic superset exercise, building strength, endurance, power and training the anaerobic respiration system to its max.

Of course you need a tyre for this and the bigger and heavier (within reason), the better. You won’t even need to buy a tyre – as I found out a while back tyre merchants have to pay to dispose of tyres so are happy to give them to you for free – I’ve even had them dropped off for me!

These are four variations on traditional burpees that will make your workout far tougher, more interesting but ultimately, more effective.

Try using them as I do in my now training and with personal training clients – as finishers at the end of a workout or in a circuit.

I usually programme them in a circuit with a strength exercise, for example pairing burpees with push ups. This approach provides different stimulus to the body with each exercise change, preventing mental fatigue and offering a chance of physical recovery (the muscles are working whilst the CV system has a (slight) break).

Give these burpees a try and let me know how you get on!

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