Squat-Thrust
or Burpee
One of the most common non-weighted exercises has to
be the simple burpee. For all this exercise is one of the most common
it has to be one of the most questioned.
A burpee is also known as a squat-thrust and has long
been recognised for its worth in promoting overall body conditioning,
FAST.
To perform a burpee is relatively simple yet proper
execution is imperative.
1. Start by assuming a pushup position with the feet
together. Hands shoulder width apart.
2. Quickly draw your knees towards your chest. Your knees will now
be between your arms.
3. Explode upwards elongating your body as much as possible legs fully
extended arms above the head, “reach for the sky”.
4. Upon landing immediately shoot both legs back to the starting position
ensuring that you extend them fully. You will now be supporting most
of your bodyweight on your arms, once again in the pushup position.
5. Repeat!
This exercise is performed at a rapid speed. Generally
look to perform anywhere between 10 and 15 per 30 seconds. As a rough
guide 1 burpee for every 2 seconds is considered good going.
As with most exercises there are some interesting variations.
Before progressing onto these variations I would suggest that you
attain a sufficient base level of fitness in the regular burpee, set
this base level at 30 consecutive but it will vary from individual
to individual.
Burpee to chinup
Stand under a high chinup bar. Perform your burpee as
normal and upon “reaching for the sky” grab hold of the
bar and perform a chinup. Drop back down and continue as if you have
just performed a regular burpee.
This can also be done on one or two ropes.
Burpee with pushup
Simply start by performing a pushup and end by performing
a pushup.