Hate Burpees? Try These 10 Burpee Alternatives

Let’s make this clear straight off the bat - burpees are NOT for everyone. 

While they’re a great full-body move, burpees require a certain level of strength, mobility and cardiovascular fitness. For many people, that can be a barrier. You might skip burpees because of wrist, knee or hip pain, a previous injury, pregnancy, or simply because you prefer to avoid high-impact exercises. Or maybe you just don’t like them - and that’s totally valid, too.

Your workouts should make you feel good, and we're all about making adjustments so that movement is something you enjoy.

Although burpees feature in a number of Sweat programs and they definitely use a lot of muscles, don’t feel like you have to do them to build your strength and fitness or that avoiding burpees means you’re not fit and strong. There are plenty of alternative exercises you can try instead!

10 burpee alternatives

If you want to remove burpees from your workouts but aren’t sure what exercise to replace them with, here are 10 different options. 

All of these exercises will increase your heart rate and engage multiple muscle groups, but feel free to pick and choose which ones are best suited to your body if you’re avoiding burpees due to issues with your wrists, hips or knees.

Jumping jacks

You can find the step-by-step instructions here.

Jumping jacks are great if you want a full-body cardio jumping exercise. You could also try jump rope or high-knee running on the spot.

Plank or plank jacks

You can find the step-by-step instructions here.

Plank jacks are an advanced variation where you jump your feet in and out while in a high plank position. Try to keep your hips as steady as possible! If adding a jack is too much (the jacks will add more pressure to your wrists), hold a high plank on your hands or a low plank resting on your forearms. Whatever feels good for you!

Squats or squat jumps

You can find the step-by-step instructions here.

Squat jumps are an advanced squat variation where you jump explosively into the air at the top of the squat before landing softly into the squat for your next rep. If that feels difficult or you’re opting for low-impact workouts, a standard bodyweight squat is a great option. For added difficulty, grab some weights!

Squat thrusters

You can find the step-by-step instructions here.

A squat thruster is a fantastic low-impact way to increase the difficulty of a squat by adding weight and challenging your upper body at the same time.

Hand release push-ups

You can find the step-by-step instructions here.

Start by mastering push-ups on your knees and then your toes before progressing to hand-release push-ups for an added challenge. Think about keep your whole body in one straight line as you push yourself up off the floor.

Sprawls

You can find the step-by-step instructions here.

This is a tough exercise that mimics the lower section of a burpee and is similar to a half-burpee - one of Kayla Itsines' top five favourite ab exercises!

Kettlebell swings

You can find the step-by-step instructions here.

You can start with a light kettlebell, then progress to a heavier weight or try single-arm kettlebell swings for an advanced variation. Remember to focus on hinging at the hips and then squeezing your glutes to swing the kettlebell up - this movement shouldn't feel like a squat.

Caterpillar walk and plank jack 

You can find the step-by-step instructions here.

To reduce the difficulty, remove the jumping jack or step your feet in and out one by one. Caterpillar walk-outs (aka inchworms) are a great full-body exercise on their own.

Medicine ball slams 

You can find the step-by-step instructions here.

To increase the difficulty, grab a heavier medicine ball!

Mountain climbers

You can find the step-by-step instructions here.

To add some variety to your mountain climbers, you can perform them slowly (you’ll really feel the burn in your abs), or try X mountain climbers where you draw your knee across your body towards your opposite elbow.

How to do a burpee for beginners: Try these progressions

If burpees are an exercise you want to master but you’re looking for progressions to build your way up to a full burpee, amazing. A burpee is a functional exercise made up of several movements strung together - a squat, plank, an optional push-up if you’re doing a chest-to-floor burpee, and a jump. 

Start by mastering each component individually and then connect them together slowly. As you build your strength, coordination, muscle memory, mobility and confidence, your ability to perform burpees with more speed will improve! 

Here are the exercises to practice: 

High plank 

You can find the step-by-step instructions here.

Once you’ve got the hang of a high plank hold, try walking your feet towards your hands, then try jumping your feet into your hands to practice that movement.

Squat 

You can find the step-by-step instructions here.

Squats are a key part of burpees as you move through a squat position twice in one burpee! Once you feel confident with squats, try progressing to jump squats.

Push-up

You can find the step-by-step instructions here.

If you want to master the chest-to-floor burpee, learning how to do push-ups will help build the upper body strength you need. You can then progress to a hand-release push-up (see the demonstration earlier in this article) where your chest touches the floor before you push yourself back up again. Eventually, you will be able to perform a full chest-to-floor burpee.

Modified burpee

You can find the step-by-step instructions here.

If you’re ready to string it all together but want to reduce the intensity as you start, you can remove the jumps or perform your burpees at a slower pace. Try stepping your feet back into the plank position one foot at a time, then stand up from your squat or rise up onto your toes rather than jumping into the air. You can also place your hands on a chair as another modification.

Whether you need variations to try on your way to performing a full burpee or need alternatives up your sleeve so you can avoid burpees altogether, we’ve got you covered! Feel free to use any of these options as substitute exercises whenever burpees feature in your Sweat workouts.