Burpee With Push-Up

Body Part: Cardio

Muscle: Other

Equipment: Body Weight

Burpee With Push-Up is a bodyweight conditioning exercise that combines a squat, plank, push-up, and jump in one continuous rep. It is designed to raise the heart rate while also demanding coordination, trunk stiffness, shoulder control, and clean transitions between the floor and standing positions. The push-up makes the movement more demanding than a standard burpee because you have to keep the torso organized while pressing from the floor before you can return to the jump.

The setup matters because the quality of the first hinge and hand placement determines the rest of the rep. Start standing with a hip-width stance, then squat down and place your hands on the floor under or slightly in front of your shoulders. The image shows the athlete folding into a low squat, kicking back to a straight plank, lowering into a push-up, and then snapping the feet back in before jumping tall overhead. That sequence is the pattern to protect: low squat, strong plank, strict push-up, fast return, and soft landing.

Each repetition should move in a clear rhythm. After the feet kick back, keep the body in a long plank and lower the chest under control until the elbows are bent and the torso stays rigid. Press back to the top of the push-up without letting the hips sag or the shoulders shrug. Then jump or step the feet back underneath the hips, stand fast, and explode upward into the finishing jump with the arms reaching overhead. Land quietly, absorb the impact through the hips and knees, and flow into the next repetition without collapsing through the middle.

This exercise is useful for conditioning circuits, athletic finishers, and workouts where you want a lot of work in a short amount of time. It can be scaled to match the athlete: step the feet back and forward instead of jumping, remove the top jump, or elevate the hands if the floor push-up is too demanding. Those regressions still keep the burpee pattern intact while reducing impact on the wrists, shoulders, and lower back.

Good burpees look smooth rather than frantic. The rep should feel like one organized movement instead of a scramble from standing to the floor and back again. If the push-up shortens, the plank softens, or the landing gets loud, the set is no longer serving the goal. Keep the transitions crisp, the torso braced, and the breathing steady so the exercise builds conditioning without turning into sloppy repetition.

Instructions

• Stand with your feet about hip-width apart, then squat down and place your hands on the floor under or just in front of your shoulders.
• Keep your weight balanced through the hands and hop or step both feet back into a straight plank with the body in one long line.
• Lower your chest toward the floor in a controlled push-up while keeping your elbows slightly tucked and your neck neutral.
• Press back up until your elbows are fully extended and your shoulders are stacked over your hands.
• Jump or step both feet forward so they land outside your hands or just behind them, returning to a deep squat.
• Drive through your whole foot, stand up fast, and finish with an explosive jump and arms reaching overhead.
• Land softly with bent knees and hips, then absorb the impact and reset for the next repetition.
• Inhale on the way down and as you kick back, then exhale through the push-up and the jump.
• If needed, step back and step in instead of jumping to keep every rep crisp and controlled.

Tips & Tricks

• Place your hands so the push-up starts from a stable base, not from a very wide or narrow arm angle.
• Keep your ribs pulled down in the plank so the low back does not sag when the feet kick back.
• Think of the push-up as a strict floor press; if the chest bounces or the hips lead, the rep is too fast.
• Step back and step in when fatigue builds, because the movement pattern matters more than the jump height.
• Land with the whole foot, not just the toes, so the knees can absorb the return without crashing forward.
• Keep the top jump controlled and vertical instead of pitching the chest forward or overreaching behind you.
• Use a lower rep target if the push-up starts shortening, since sloppy floor reps defeat the purpose of the burpee.
• If your wrists bother you, use push-up handles, dumbbells, or an elevated surface for the hand contact point.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does Burpee With Push-Up train?

It is a full-body conditioning drill that heavily challenges the chest, triceps, shoulders, quads, glutes, core, and cardiovascular system.

Do I need to lower my chest all the way to the floor?

Not if it breaks the plank. Lower only as far as you can while keeping the torso rigid and the neck neutral.

What is the most important setup detail?

Hand placement matters most: put the hands under or slightly ahead of the shoulders so the kick-back and push-up feel stable.

How can a beginner scale this movement?

Step the feet back and forward instead of jumping, and remove the top jump until the push-up and transitions stay clean.

What is a common mistake in this exercise?

The biggest mistake is rushing between the floor and standing positions and letting the push-up turn into a soft, sagging plank.

Should the landing be loud or quiet?

Quiet. A soft landing shows that the knees and hips are absorbing the return instead of the body crashing into the floor.

Can I use an elevated surface for the push-up?

Yes. Elevating the hands on a bench or box reduces wrist stress and makes the floor phase easier to control.

How should I breathe during the rep?

Inhale as you squat and kick back, then exhale as you press through the push-up and explode into the jump.