Burpees

The Burpee has gotten so much press the last number of years that even though I've touched on it twice before, I think it deserves it's own post.  It's literally one of my favorite exercises out there.  Why?  You don't need any equipment and it tones, conditions, and shreds people!  Plus, I always have a tendency to like exercises that really expose people's mobility and stability shortcoming.  That's why I like Overhead deep squats too.  You have to have all regions of your body working well to do it well.  But I digress.  Burpees.

Burpees are a combination movement where you start in a standing position, jump down to a lowered pushup position (chest touching the ground), kip your feet to a full squat position, then jump up and clap your hands above your head.

I love burpees because if I have an extremely full day when I know I won't be able to get to the gym,  I know I can do 4 minutes of burpees and get a hell of workout and feel good about myself the rest of the day.

Here's the problem.

People don't do them very well.

The main issues I see that would lead to injury is that people do not come to the full deep squat position.  When they jump up they have the feet too close together, their heels are elevated, and all the stress of the movement goes straight to the knees and the quads.  When you are in a deep squat position (like you should be) the stress of the movement goes to the glutes and the hips (which can handle the load without causing injury).

If you notice that you can't get in a full squat position, then there is something wrong with either your foot, ankle, hips, or body control and you need to be evaluated by a movement professional.  If you're in the South Florida/Boca Raton area you can schedule your own personal evaluation either at 561.997.8898 or by emailing me personally at drscotthoar@gmail.com. To check out more visit www.Mobility-4Life.com