Burpees might just be the most loathed exercise in the world, but I have some good news. An exercise expert says that, if you don’t like them, you don’t have to do them.
“Are there any moves you prefer to burpees or might suggest as an alternative?” I asked Wendy Batts, an NASM-certified personal trainer and assistant professor in exercise science at PennWest California.
“Harry, how much time do you have?” she replied.
Wendy Batts is an assistant professor in exercise science at PennWest California and a regional master instructor for the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM). She has more than 25 years’ experience in the fitness industry and holds a master’s degree in exercise science and health promotion.
Alternatives to burpees
Batts refers to burpees as a “metabolic blast” because the move recruits multiple major muscles and raises your heart rate, delivering elevated calorie burn and cardio perks. But burpees aren’t the only way to achieve this. Here are five alternative moves that have similar benefits.
1. Prisoner squat to calf raise
- Stand with your feet hip-width apart, your toes facing forward and your hands on the back of your head.
- Push your hips back to initiate the movement then bend your knees to lower your hips as far as you can control. As you do this, keep your back straight and your chest up.
- Drive through your heels to return to the standing position. At the top of the movement, lift your heels off the floor to raise your calves.
Benefits
This equipment-free exercise recruits several big leg muscles says Batts, so it can significantly increase your heart rate and boost your calorie burn. It also strengthens your lower-body muscles and joints.
“The muscles you’re focusing on are your quads and glutes [the muscles on the front of your thighs and buttocks, respectively]. Then by coming on to your toes, that’s more joints and more muscles that are being worked,”…
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