Modified Burpee Guide: How to Master Modified Burpees

The modified burpee is a bodyweight exercise that activates muscles across your body. Perform modified burpees by standing in front of a plyometric box (also known as a plyo box) or elevated surface. Bend your knees, hips, and ankles to lower yourself into a squat position. Place your hands on the elevated surface and hold yourself in a high plank position with your upper body and lower body forming a straight line. Jump your feet back toward the starting position and push explosively against the floor to jump up in the air. Repeat this movement pattern for the desired amount of time.

Including modified burpees in your strength-training program can have several benefits.

1. 1. Modified burpees are a lower impact exercise than standard burpees. The incline position of a modified burpee makes it a low-impact burpee variation. If you’re new to burpee exercises, practice modified burpees until you feel confident enough to try more challenging burpee modifications.
2. 2. Modified burpees are a full-body exercise. The modified burpee activates major muscle groups across your entire body—including your quads, glutes, pecs, triceps, hamstrings, deltoids, and core muscles.
3. 3. Modified burpees can increase cardiovascular health. By practicing modified burpees as a HIIT workout (high-intensity interval training), your can increase your heart rate and improve cardio fitness.

Before practicing modified burpees, consider these four tips.

1. 1. Pace yourself. Depending on your fitness level, start your modified burpee exercises with slow, controlled movements and gradually work your way up to a faster pace.
2. 2. Engage your core. Remember to keep your core activated to stabilize yourself throughout the full duration of the exercise.
3. 3. Remember to breathe. Find a consistent rhythm with your breath and maintain it throughout your modified burpee exercises.
4. 4. Break down the movement pattern. If you’re having trouble with your modified burpees, practice each movement individually until you are comfortable enough to put them all together.

For modified burpees, begin with 2–3 sets of 8–15 repetitions. Choose your sets and repetitions based on your ability to maintain good technique throughout.

1. 1. Stand in front of a securely anchored elevated surface such as a bench or plyometric box with your feet shoulder-width apart and a slight bend in your knees. Your shoulders should be directly over your hips with a neutral head and neck position. Your chin should remain tucked throughout the movement, as if you were holding an egg under your chin.
2. 2. Evenly distribute your weight and grip the floor with your feet to create a stable position. Your arms should remain long by your sides with a slight bend in your elbows. Pre-tension your shoulders and hips, and engage your core. Your ribs should be down and your pelvis should be slightly tucked. All repetitions should begin from this starting position.
3. 3. While maintaining a neutral spine, bend your hips, knees, and ankles to lower yourself toward the elevated surface. Place your hands on the elevated surface slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
4. 4. While keeping your hands in contact with the elevated surface, keep your arms long and jump your feet back so you’re in an incline push-up position.
5. 5. While maintaining proper alignment, jump your feet forward toward the elevated surface.
6. 6. Stand by pushing through the ground while releasing your hands from the elevated surface.
7. 7. Begin your upward movement by pushing through the ground to jump into the air. As you begin to straighten your legs, simultaneously swing your arms forward. At the top of your jump, your arms should be above your head and your legs should be straight.
8. 8. Land from the jump on the balls of your feet and evenly distribute your weight while allowing your hips and knees to bend to absorb force. Your bodyweight should be loaded into your midfoot and heel. Keep your toes engaged and in contact with the floor. Your knees should track over your toes.
9. 9. Land softly and under control. Keep your core engaged throughout the landing. Immediately begin to lower yourself to the incline pushup position to perform another repetition.

If you have a previous or pre-existing health condition, consult your physician before beginning an exercise program. Proper exercise technique is essential to ensure the safety and effectiveness of an exercise program, but you may need to modify each exercise to attain optimal results based on your individual needs. Always select a weight that allows you to have full control of your body throughout the movement. When performing any exercise, pay close attention to your body, and stop immediately if you note pain or discomfort.

To see continual progress and build body strength, incorporate proper warm-ups, rest, and nutrition into your exercise program. Your results will ultimately be based on your ability to adequately recover from your workouts. Rest for 24 to 48 hours before training the same muscle groups to allow sufficient recovery.

Throw on some athleisure, fire up a MasterClass Annual Membership, and get ready to sweat it out with exclusive instructional videos from Nike Master Trainer and GQ fitness specialist Joe Holder. Want to improve your cardiovascular endurance? Give Joe’s HIIT workout a go. Trying to get a little swole? He’s got a strength training workout for that. From fitness tips to nutrition hacks, Joe will have you feeling healthier in no time.