Legs · Bodyweight
Burpee
How to do the burpee, the muscles it works, and the mistakes to avoid. Pulled straight from the Kovo app's exercise library.
- Equipment
- Bodyweight
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Logged as
- Weighted reps
- Movement
- Extension
- Mechanic
- Accessory
See it in motion
How to do it
From standing, drop into a squat position and place hands on floor. Kick feet back to plank position, then immediately return to squat. Stand up and repeat.
- 1Drop into a squat, place your hands on the floor, jump your feet back into a plank, and complete a push-up before hopping back up and jumping; you should feel your entire body working
- 2Keep a steady rhythm to elevate your heart rate and challenge your cardiovascular system
- 3Land softly on each jump and feel the cushioning through your legs
Common mistakes
- Don't let your hips sag in the plank or your back round during the jump
- Avoid skipping the full range of motion or doing half push-ups
- Don't land with straight knees or stiff ankles; absorb the impact through a slight bend
Muscles worked
The burpee mainly works the quads, with the triceps, mid chest, upper abs, lower abs, glutes, hamstrings, calves, and front delts assisting.
- QuadsPrimary
- TricepsSupport
- Mid ChestSupport
- Upper AbsSupport
- Lower AbsSupport
- GlutesSupport
- HamstringsSupport
- CalvesSupport
- Front DeltsSupport
- ForearmsMinor
- ObliquesMinor
Kovo programs the burpee for you and tracks it every session.
The AI builds your whole program, drops the right lifts into each workout, and adjusts your weights as you get stronger. Free on iOS and Android.
More quads exercises
- How to do the barbell squat
- How to do the split squat
- How to do the step-up
- How to do the lunge
- How to do the squat
- How to do the bulgarian split squat
Last reviewed April 2026.