5 Best Burpee Variation Exercises for Beginners

Burpee variation exercises can make your workout routine interesting and work your muscles from different angles.

Burpees are a fabulous, portable full body aerobic exercise. You can train your entire body and get your heart racing with a single motion. The shoulders, chest, triceps, abs, quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, and calves are all worked out in a basic burpee workout.

Basically, burpees can get your heart pumping and blood flowing while working out your entire body.

The abdominal muscles, pectoral muscles, and shoulder muscles, including the deltoids, triceps, and pectoral muscles, are worked when performing the plank portion of a burpee.

The quadriceps, hamstrings, and glutes should be worked out during a burpee's squat leap part. Your lower body strength and power should grow as you jump higher. By including variations, you can more specifically target particular areas, as shown below:

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Best Burpee Variation Exercises

For novices, a 'full burpee' can be difficult, but there are lots of variants and straightforward versions almost everyone can execute.

You can switch things up and train your body from various angles with these five burpee variations. Some of these workouts put more focus on the core, while others emphasize the chest, back, or legs. Let's get started:

1) Jack Burpee

It's a nice burpee variation exercise to get your heart rate up and engage your legs and core more. The exercise combines a burpee with a jumping jack-like motion.

Instructions:

• Begin by putting your feet together. Jump your feet back into a high plank posture with your feet together as you squat down, and place your hands on the floor.
• Jump your feet wide and back together from the high plank position. After that, leap your feet into your hands, and stand up.
• Perform either a standard jumping jack or a plyometric jumping jack at the top by spreading your legs wide and raising your arms high.

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2) Half Burpee

The half burpee is a great burpee variation exercise that's perfect for beginners.

Instructions:

• Begin by lowering yourself into a deep squat, with your feet slightly turned out and legs wider than shoulder-width apart.
• In front of your ribcage, reach out and rest your hands on the ground.
• Kick your legs straight out in front of you, and instantly lower your entire body to the ground, bending your elbows.
• Use your arms to return your body to the upright position as quickly as possible.

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3) Box Jump Burpee

In this burpee variation exercise, the extra height of the box introduced to the jump delays the burpee cycle time a bit, changing the stimulus.

Instructions:

• In front of a box or step, take a standing position with your feet shoulder-width apart and arms by your sides.
• Reach forward with your hands, and squat down with bent knees.
• Sweep your legs straight out in front of you, and instantly lower your entire body to the ground, bending your elbows.
• Bounce your legs back under your body, and rapidly raise it up using your arms.
• Stand up straight after leaping onto the box and landing in a squat position.
• One foot at a time, step away from the box. Put your hands on the ground, and carry on.

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4) Plank Jack Burpee

This burpee variation exercise promises to bring additional core toning while increasing the heart rate and metabolism.

Instructions:

• Start by standing tall, with your feet hip-width apart.
• Jump into the air; squat down, and jump your legs back up into a plank posture.
• Leap both legs out to the side while in the plank position, and jump them back together right away.
• To add more core work, you can adjust the exercise by performing one to three plank jacks before or after a burpee.
• Set yourself up in a crouched stance by hopping your legs forward. Straighten out, and leap into the air.

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5) Slam Ball Burpee

This burpee variation exercise works the upper body, especially the front and lateral deltoids, as well as the transverse abdominals, which are the primary muscles that stabilize the core.

Instructions:

• Holding the slam ball in both hands, maintain your poise.
• Bring the ball aloft as you stand on your toes, and crash it into the ground as you descend into a burpee.
• Pick up the ball, and lift it overhead again as you stand back up.

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Takeaway

When doing a burpee variation exercise, remember to keep the appropriate form. Throughout the plank, your back must remain straight. Keep your hips from rising too high and the midsection from sagging.