Burpees: Are They Worth Doing and How Should You Scale Them?
Burpees are worth doing if you want a hard conditioning effort with no equipment, and if you can do them with control. They are not a strength exercise, they are not essential, and for many adults over 30 the standard version, with a chest-to-floor drop and a jump at the top, is the wrong starting point. Scale them so every rep looks the same, keep the sets short, and treat them as one conditioning tool among several rather than the measure of your fitness. Done that way, they earn their place.
What a burpee actually does
A burpee strings together a squat, a plank, a push-up or chest drop, a return to standing and a small jump. Because the whole body goes from standing to the floor and back again, your heart rate climbs fast. That is the appeal: three or four minutes of burpees can leave you as out of breath as a much longer run.
What it does not do is build much strength. Nothing in a burpee is heavy enough, for long enough, to grow muscle in the way a squat or a press with real load does. It is conditioning: training your heart, lungs and legs to work hard and recover. That is valuable, but it is not the whole of fitness. If you are choosing how to spend limited time, our comparison of HIIT and weight training is worth reading first.
Why burpees go wrong
The problem is rarely the exercise. It is how it gets done when people are tired and counting reps.
- The back sags in the plank. The hips drop, the lower back arches and you land hard on the floor. Repeated forty times, that is uncomfortable for many backs.
- The jump back is a crash. Throwing both feet back at once, with no control, jolts the shoulders and wrists.
- The landing is stiff. Landing from the jump with straight knees sends the impact up through the joints rather than absorbing it.
- Reps become shapeless. By rep twenty, half the movement has gone. You are moving fast and training little.
Add years of desk work, a little extra weight and a lack of recent practice at getting on and off the floor, and the full version often hurts more than it helps.
Five ways to scale a burpee
Choose the level where every rep looks the same from first to last. Move up only when the current one feels controlled at the end of a set, not just the start.
| Level | Version | Why it helps |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Incline burpee: hands on a bench or box, step back, step in, stand | Less distance to the floor, far less load on wrists and shoulders |
| 2 | Step-back burpee on the floor, no jump | Teaches a solid plank and a controlled return |
| 3 | Jump back, jump in, stand tall with a calf raise | Adds speed without a landing at the top |
| 4 | Full burpee with a small jump, no push-up | Standard conditioning version |
| 5 | Full burpee with a push-up and a jump | Only once the push-up is strong when tired |
Most people I coach spend weeks at levels 1 and 2 and are better for it. There is no prize for the hardest version done badly.
How to do a controlled burpee
- Stand with feet hip-width apart.
- Squat down and place your hands flat on the floor, shoulder-width apart, just in front of your feet.
- Step or jump your feet back into a plank. Brace your trunk so your body forms a straight line.
- Lower your chest towards the floor under control if you are doing a push-up, or hold the plank for a beat if you are not.
- Step or jump your feet back towards your hands, landing with flat feet.
- Stand up tall. If you jump, land softly with bent knees and settle before the next rep.
How many and how often
Short sets beat long ones. Something like 30 seconds of work and 30 to 60 seconds of rest, repeated five to eight times, gives you plenty of conditioning while letting you keep form. Another option is a fixed number, say eight reps at the start of every minute for eight minutes, with the remaining time as rest. If you cannot finish the reps within the minute by the fourth round, the number is too high.
Twice a week is enough for most people, ideally on days you are not training legs heavily. Our beginner interval workout shows how to build a session around short efforts like this.
Who should go carefully
Burpees involve a fast change from standing to lying and back. If you feel light-headed when you stand up quickly, take that seriously. Check with your GP first if you have a heart condition, high blood pressure, are pregnant, have had recent surgery, or are coming back after a long break from exercise. Pain in the wrists, shoulders, lower back or knees during burpees is a reason to drop to an easier level, not to push through. The UK Chief Medical Officers’ physical activity guidelines recommend a mix of aerobic activity and strength work across the week; burpees can count towards the vigorous part of that, but they do not replace strength training.
Alternatives if burpees do not suit you
Burpees are a means to an end. If the end is getting out of breath safely, there are better options for many people:
- Air bike sprints. Hard, no impact, easy to scale. The studio has one and it is what I use most for conditioning.
- Bear crawls. Ground-based, joint-friendly and surprisingly tiring. See our guide to the bear crawl.
- Dumbbell complexes. Several lifts in a row with one pair of dumbbells. Builds a little strength as well as fitness.
- Brisk uphill walking. Highgate has no shortage of hills, and it counts.
If impact is the issue, these give the same training effect with far less wear. If you want a coach to choose for you, that is exactly what 1-1 personal training in Highgate is for: the session is built around your body, not a fixed workout.
A short session to try
- Warm up: five minutes of easy movement, including slow squats and a few planks.
- Six rounds: 30 seconds of burpees at your level, 45 seconds rest.
- Three rounds: 30 seconds of bear crawl, 30 seconds rest.
- Cool down: two to three minutes of easy walking and steady breathing.
That is under 20 minutes. Note how many reps you managed in each round. When the last round matches the first, you are ready for the next level.
Questions we get asked
Are burpees good for weight loss?
They burn energy and improve fitness, but no single exercise drives fat loss. Overall activity, strength training, sleep and what you eat matter far more than any one movement.
Are burpees bad for your knees?
Not inherently. Hard, stiff landings and fatigue are what cause trouble. Use the step-back version and drop the jump if your knees complain.
How many burpees should a beginner do?
Start with five to eight controlled reps per set, at the level where every rep looks the same. Quality first, numbers later.
Do you use burpees in sessions at the studio?
Occasionally, and usually scaled. Most of the time the air bike or a dumbbell circuit does the job better. You can read about the studio on The Highgate House site, and prices are on the personal training page.
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