Get your blood pumping by doing burpees

Burpee is a full-body workout that boosts your strength and endurance while burning calories, and is a firm favorite among the high-intensity interval training (HIIT) fanatics. With just a mat as a prop, you can do the burpees anytime and anywhere by using your body weight for resistance.

Let’s dig deep into the benefits of burpee:

1. Builds muscle strength and endurance in both the lower and upper body;
2. Burns calories;
3. Strengthens the heart and lungs;
4. Lowers blood pressure and improves the blood flow;
5. Lowers the risk of heart disease and diabetes;
6. Improves cholesterol levels and brain function.

Let’s cut the nonsense and do the burpee the right way. Here’s how: 

A burpee exercise is fundamentally a push-up followed by a jump squat that effectively strengths the muscles in your calves, abdomen, buttocks, shoulders, arms and chest. 

1. Begin with a squat position, bend your knees with your feet shoulder-width apart. With your back straight, lower your arms to the floor.
2. Kick your feet back behind you lightly, kiss your chest to the floor similar to a raised plank position.
3. Prepare for a push-up by keeping your back straight, stick your butt in the air and do one push-up. 
4. With your arms extended, push your body up and do a frog jump by leaping into the air with your feet forward lightly, reach your arms over your head and land with your knees bent and end with a clap. Return back to the starting position.

Burpees, like with other exercises, it is effective only if you do it safely. Here are some safety reminders before you kick off the workout:

1. Start slow with a few reps until you get used to the movement. 
2. Initially do 5 reps, pause and increase reps gradually.  
3. Always land lightly on the balls of your feet and wrists.

Lastly, keep your abs tight, breathe and pace yourself. Burpees may be brutal for some, but the results are definitely worth the pain.