by Antoine Simmons
Burpees are a popular exercise, especially in group fitness classes. They are also a good example of how athletic movements are just combinations of basic movement patterns.
Move Your Body With The Heart Rate Behemoth – Burpees
Despite the hilarity of the name, burpees are no joke. They involve every single part of your body and can therefore really get your heart-rate going. The basic burpee can be thought of in four sections: a hinge, a squat, a plank, and a jump. But to execute this properly you will need to be proficient in these movements. If you have a bad back, bad knees, bad shoulders, or wrists you may want to skip this exercise – at least for now.
The Burpee In Six Steps
- Hinge down and place your hands on the ground in front of your feet
- Shift your weight into your hands and kick your feet behind you, ending in a plank
- Bend both knees and float your feet back towards the hands
- Raise your hands off the ground and sit back into the low squat
- From the squat, jump into the air
- Land in a squat and then start over from step 1
The Fundamental Movements
1. The Hinge: The goal of hip hinging is to bend forward without 
rounding your back. That means that the movement must come primarily from the hip joint, and not from the spine. With something as dynamic as a burpee, it is unlikely to be perfect, but that makes it all the more important to have very good fundamentals going into it.
3. The squat: Each Burpee has you in the squat position before the 
final jump. Squats can be very difficult if you, like many people, spend a lot of time sitting in a chair. If you would like to have burpees in your routine, you will want to ensure that you are able to perform a regular, body-weight squat with ease. If you can’t, work on that before beginning with burpees.
4. The Overhead Reach: The jump portion of the burpee requires 
power. The goal is to jump as high as possible, not simply hop. That means reaching your hands to the sky, allowing them to assist with the explosive upward force rather than having them hang as dead weight. This requires basic shoulder mobility for overhead positions.
(The plank is not noted here as it is not considerered a fundamental movement. In burpees, it is a transitional position)
Own Your Fundamentals
The important thing is that each step in the burpee requires you to be capable of getting into a position. You should test these positions before using the burpee. Besides avoiding injury, having these fundamentals will allow you to maximize the movement and get the most benefit possible from the exercise.