You’ve thought this whole time that burpees are not your friend. I’m telling you now that they can be.

The less efficient you are (yes, there’s an efficient way at getting down on the ground and then back up again) will make this dreaded movement easier.

Chest first, stand on the line, and rotate while in the air.

Chest First

Watch anyone do a burpee and you will see that the first thing that touches the ground (other than their hands and feet) is either their knee or hip.

Your burpees should kind of look like you’re doing the worm on the ground (see video link at the bottom if you’re confused). I say this because if your chest touches the floor first, then you can use the momentum of your hips and quads touching the floor as you press up with your chest.

Try it. You will be amazed how much easier it is.

Stand on the Line

Pretend that their is a line that you must straddle between your hands and legs when going down for a burpee.

As you stand up, make sure each foot lands on that line. In order to do this, you will need to a mountain climber with only one leg — the other leg basically stays extended. This then allows you to step your body up by using your quads instead of using your lower back.

And everyone’s quads are stronger than their low back.

Rotate While In the Air

Lastly, jumping over the bar without any rotation wastes movement when performing your next burpee. If you don’t rotate, you must turn 180 degrees around to face the bar, taking most people four steps.

If you rotate, even if it’s just 90 degrees, you only need to pivot on one foot! One step compared to four steps! That’s performing the same amount of work with three fewer steps.

That, in a nutshell, is fitness. I want you to be able to complete the same amount of work easier — and rotating 90 degrees in the air will accomplish this.

Takeaway

Burpees, like the snatch, have mechanics that make the movement easier.

Try these three tips the next time you’re inside the gym. They will change the way you see burpee workouts now.

Watch Mat Fraser, four-time fittest man on earth, do burpees here. He has mastered the mechanics of the bar-over burpee.

Tyler