Want to bang out your burpees faster? Then try bottom burpees, says Men’s Health fitness director BJ Gaddour.
Unlike the regular burpee—which requires you to stand or jump at the end of every rep—this version entails going from only the bottom of a pushup to the bottom of a squat to the bottom of a pushup again.
“Practicing this portion of the exercise will teach you how to bang out your burpees with more efficiency,” he says.
Why it works: In the video below, notice how your feet leave the floor before your hands touch it on the way down. Then, on the way back up, your hands will leave the floor before your feet touch. This decreases your transition time and improves your joint positioning, according to Gaddour.
Use it: The next time you do burpees, either warm up with this variation or use if for the whole workout. Gaddour also like to mix in 3 to 5 second isometric holds in each position—the bottom of the pushup and the bottom of the squat—to increase your muscles’ time under tension and to bulletproof your joints.
