How to Do Burpee
Quick facts
| Primary muscle | Quads |
|---|---|
| Secondary muscles | Chest, Shoulders, Core |
| Equipment | Bodyweight |
| Category | Strength |
How to perform Burpee
- Stand tall, then squat down and place your hands on the floor.
- Jump your feet back into a plank and perform a push-up.
- Jump your feet back toward your hands.
- Explode up into a jump with arms overhead.
Muscles worked
- Quads (primary): extends the knee to drive squats, lunges and jumps.
- Chest (secondary): pushes the arms forward and across the body — your horizontal pressing power.
- Shoulders (secondary): raises and rotates the arms and drives everything overhead.
- Core (secondary): braces the trunk and resists twisting to protect the spine.
Sets & reps by goal
| Goal | Sets × reps | Load | Rest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Strength | 3–5 × 3–5 | Heavy (~85%+) | 2–3 min |
| Hypertrophy | 3–4 × 8–12 | Moderate (~65–75%) | 60–90 s |
| Endurance | 2–3 × 15–20 | Lighter (~50–60%) | 30–45 s |
Bodyweight movement: once you own the top of a rep range, progress by slowing the tempo, pausing at the hardest point, or moving to a harder variation instead of adding load.
Form tips
- Keep the knees tracking in line with the toes and push the whole foot into the floor.
- Own the largest range you can control with clean form before you chase extra reps.
- Treat every rep the same — a repeatable setup and bar path is what lets you add weight safely over time.
- Stop a rep or two short of failure on most sets to keep form clean and recover faster.
Common mistakes
- Letting the knees cave inward as you push out of the bottom.
- Cutting the range short to squeeze out extra reps instead of owning each full one.
- Chasing weight jumps before the current load feels solid on every rep.
Frequently asked questions
What muscles does Burpee work?
Burpee mainly works the quads, with the chest, shoulders, core helping as secondary movers.
What equipment do I need for Burpee?
None — Burpee is a bodyweight movement, so you only need your bodyweight and a little space.
How many sets and reps should I do for Burpee?
It depends on your goal: about 3–5 sets of 3–5 heavy reps for strength, 3–4 sets of 8–12 for muscle growth, or 2–3 sets of 15–20 for endurance. Bodyweight movement: once you own the top of a rep range, progress by slowing the tempo, pausing at the hardest point, or moving to a harder variation instead of adding load.
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