Be Well Workout of the Week: The Muscle-Burning Burpee Workout 

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I hear you guys like burpees, so that’s what we shall do this week! (If I heard wrong, well, too bad.) For this workout, you have five rounds of five exercises, and — here’s where the real fun comes in — in between each exercise, you’ll do burpees. So for the first round of exercises, you have five burpees in between each exercise; for the second round, you have four; for the third round, you’ll do three burpees in between exercises; and, well, you get the idea. After the fifth round, when you’ve finished your last burpee, you are done.

Now, ready to get your burpee on? Leeeeet’s go!

Be Well Workout of the Week: The Muscle-Burning Burpee Workout 

Do five rounds of each exercise, decreasing the number of burpees you do in between exercises by one each round. 

25 kettlebell swings
Burpees (5,4,3,2,1)

20 bent-over rows
Burpees (5,4,3,2,1)

15 bicycle crunches (15 on each side)
Burpees (5,4,3,2,1)

10 squats with overhead press
Burpees (5,4,3,2,1)

5 pull-ups
Burpees  (5,4,3,2,1)

Wondering how hard this workout is going to be? Check out this review of the Muscle-Burning Burpee Workout.

Explanation of exercises: 

Kettlebell swings: Standing with feet about hip-width apart, hold a kettlebell in front of you both both hands. Bend your knees into a squat, swinging the kettlebell back through your legs as you drop down and forward to about shoulder height as you stand. Repeat in a fluid motion.

Bent-over rows: Hold a dumbbell in your hand with feet shoulder width apart and knees slightly bent. Bend forward from the waist, keeping your spine straight and letting your hand fall forward in front of you. Pull the dumbbell back (you should feel like you’re rowing a boat), squeezing your shoulder blade. Do 10 on the left then switch and do 10 on the right. For more of a challenge, try a plank row in a push ups position with your hands on the weights.)

Bicycle crunch: Lie on your back in sit-up position: feet on floor, knees bent, hands behind the head to support the neck. Lift your feet off the floor, extend your left leg to straighten, and twist your torso as you touch your left elbow to right knee. Draw the left leg in as you push the right leg out, and twist the other direction, touching your right elbow to left knee. Repeat by alternating sides in a fluid motion.

Squat with overhead press: Hold free weights at your shoulders, and do a squat. As you stand back up, press the weights over your head.  Return them to your shoulders as you squat back down.

Pull-ups: Suspend yourself on the pull-up bar with your hands a little wider than shoulder-width apart. Pull yourself up, keeping your body as straight as possible, until your chest reaches the bar. Slowly return to the starting position and repeat. (If you’re struggling with pull-ups, try these alternatives instead.)

Burpee: Just like an up-down in football. Put your hands on the ground, jump your feet out behind you so you’re in push-up position, lower to the ground, bring your feet back in, and stand up.

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Audrey McKenna Hasse is the owner of A.M.Fit, a personal training and healthy consultation business on the Main Line. You’ll find her workouts every Monday right here on Be Well Philly.

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