What do burpees do?
A burpee is a crossfit inspired full body strength and fitness movement that has gained popularity in recent years. Burpee fans claim that burpees are one of the most effective exercises but sadly this could not be further from the truth.
As a strength and conditioning coach with thousands of hours of real world experience I am going to provide some context about why you should stop doing burpees. So, if you are ready to stop feeling like a fish out of water and are ready to find key insights into developing your strength and fitness- this article is for you.
5 Reasons You Should Stop Doing Burpees
Burpees are hard to scale: Performing a single press up might seem like an impossible feat for some new gym members. Add an explosive movement in the form of jumping and you can see how this could end in injury or distress.
For beginners or people with limited experience in the gym, we recommend eliminating or reducing high impact exercises like jumping as these can cause excessive soreness and lead to longer term issues like shin splints or knee pain.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, a bodyweight burpee or even a set of 15 to 20 reps will not provide enough of a stimulus to improve a person’s strength capacity if they are already training at a high level. For example, if a person can bench or squat 100kg we must ask ourselves – how would a burpee help them? Sure, it might make them tired. But then again…a lot of things can make you tired. So what’s the point of a burpee?
Burpees do not help build fitness correctly: The ACSM recommends a combination of 150 minutes of moderate and vigorous exercise to be completed each week if one seeks to improve their cardiovascular capacity. Burpees are a challenging movement, but they hardly put a dent into this weekly goal.
We recommend priortising the use of low impact machines such as a rower, prowler or ski machine in order to build towards the recommended activity goals each week.
Burpees do not help build flexibility: In order to increase flexibility long term you must train for a period of time at an end range of motion. Static stretching can help with this. While burpees do require a certain range of knee and hip flexion they do not help with maintaining or improving mobility of flexibility. Cool down exercises and static stretching programmes will do a much better job at improving flexibility long term.
Burpees are a lazy coach’s best friend: Look, we know that this one is likely to cut deep or offend some coaches, but it is the truth. Coaching is like an art and science. When designing a fitness programme coaches need to take into account many factors.
However, many coaches selfishly skip over the self-analysis or continuing development and simply aim to create ‘spicy’ workouts or sessions that feel hard for clients.
We do not aim to provide ‘hard’ workouts for clients just for the sake of it. Exercise should not be used for punishment. Instead, we believe in a philosophy where we design individual workouts to maximise each client’s potential.
So rather than complain about lazy coaching and offer no solutions, I propose the following for coaches to self-reflect:
- What is the aim for this workout? Does it help develop strength, mobility, fitness or a combination of each
- How can I make the session easier or more challenging based upon my client’s current fitness level?
- How can I keep my client engaged and ensure continual, long term progress.
Burpees do not require equipment: This is not a bad thing when taken at face value, but what is the point of actively paying for a gym membership and perhaps a coaching service if you are going to spend a good portion of your time jumping around the gym and using your own body weight as resistance. If you want to maximise your investment in a gym, burpees are not your friend.
Rethinking Burpees
Burpees have become a staple in many fitness routines, but it’s time to critically assess their actual benefits. While they may seem effective, the reality is far less impressive.
For beginners, the complexity and impact of burpees can lead to injury rather than improvement, while advanced athletes gain little from a movement that merely tires them out without building real strength.
Additionally, burpees fall short in promoting cardiovascular health and flexibility, leaving enthusiasts stuck in a cycle of ineffective exertion.
Instead of embracing this flashy exercise, we should prioritise smarter training strategies that truly enhance fitness, using equipment that offers a tangible return on investment.
Ultimately, it’s about cultivating a programme that maximises individual potential rather than just breaking a sweat.
