How BURPEES are Anaerobic but Train the VO2max?

In this video, I explain how can you train for conditioning or for VO2max only with burpees and why the burpee is in fact a form of anaerobic exercise. Your fitness level doesn't matter, nor any other exercise out there, and thus, burpees are great for almost any type of person out there if boosting conditioning is what you want.

Very few exercises out there are anaerobic by their nature. In calisthenics, most of them are pretty much somewhere in the middle, and we classify them depending on the metabolic processes required to convert chemical energy into mechanical work and depending on the types of muscle fibers they employ during exercising. Obviously, aerobic exercises will utilize mostly slow-twitch fibers because they are performed with and in the presence of oxygen.

Now, BURPEES are not anaerobic by nature, but because you are doing it repeatedly, with rhythmicity, effort and intensity keep increasing, and also because you recruit more muscle groups systematically, it gradually goes towards anaerobic training. So, in a way, at the beginning of your training, a burpee is more aerobic, but because they consume a lot of energy, even if it is far from a submaximal strength exercise, it will still get very close to an anaerobic metabolism rather quickly. What I'm saying is not bro-science. It's pure physiology.

Therefore, burpees can easily be conditioning training without adding any more exercises or form of training whatsoever.

In fact, I dare to say that you could train for VO2MAX with BURPEES alone. Shortly, when doing burpees, the oxygen demand increases proportionally with intensity. This makes the muscles need more oxygen. Your heart rate keeps going up to drive blood with nutrients and oxygen. As the effort adds up, you gradually get close to your maximum level of oxygen consumption, right below the total anaerobic effort. This is the VO2MAX training.

Advanced Bodyweight and Weighted Training Plan:

Beginners Bodyweight Program:

Body Mastery Package: Nutrition, Stretching, Training Plan

Instagram:

Nutrition eBook + Intermittent Fasting:

[Jason-igfg]

I can confirm first hand burpees are king. Going on 50 years old, out of shape and overweight the last 25+ years, eating like crap, drinking too much, unhealthy as you can be short of abusing drugs. When i started with my life style change about 7 months ago i could barely walk up a flight of stair without being out of breath. I could only do 2 push ups. After 7 months i can do 115 six count burpees in 20 minutes, i can sprint for a good minute and still have wind. I have lost almost 40 pounds, i have muscle definition appearing all over. My mental health is 100% better. Burpees saved my life, i do them everyday at this point with the occasional rest day if my body needs it. You earned my sub, great content and details i didn't fully know too. Btw i can't wait to be able to do pull ups, still need to lose a bit more weight. Cheers.

[supersteve]

Excellent video. I now understand the science behind why I hate burpees!
Thank you for the info!!

[funkbpunk]

Yes! With enough practice, the burpee style without the jump at the top becomes a pure cardio exercise, and you can train to develop aerobic capacity in them by doing them unbroken continuously for a few hours at the elite level, without spiking HR above your anaerobic threshold. This style is much like long distance running in that regard: sure, you can go faster and train mostly anaerobically, but you can also go at an easy pace and stay in "Zone 2" for a long time if you want. A good example, Burpees Ikram on his channel did 500 Navy Seal burpees every day for 30 days straight. You would think that such a feat would be impossible to do without needing extra recovery days! Anyway, seeing this training style develop and grow in popularity, mainly due to Iron Wolf, has been a lot of fun. And definitely performing burpees allows for VO2max training. Regards.

[dayytube]

Thank you O.S.C for sharing the factual/scientific evidences which is covered in depth only here ...Love your videos as much as I love calesthenics...❤️✌️👌

[howarddavies]

Down to earth quality information and great videos- keep up the good work.

[rmooremarine]

Before I retired (Marine then police officer) I always ran. 3-5 miles a day five days a week. Had a foot chase though a city, sprint, around buildings, over small chain fences. He was younger. Tall skinny and pumped with fear. He lost me and I was gassed beyond belief. Learned a lesson that day. Train like you fight. Started adding burpees (100 each mon wed Fri and much shorter runs (2 miles) and my capacity went way up.

[johnvargas]

I love and die by my burpees. I have lots of variations depending on the goal for that day. They put me in great cardiovascular health as well as made me stronger significantly. You don’t notice how many push-ups you are doing when you are so winded lol

[gabrielmaximo]

I have been doing it but with a Ez-Vest with a 10KG plate attached to it.
When I get towards the end I start getting dizzy for some reason, sometimes I feel like I'll vomit too, it pushes my body to the limit

[mateenfoster]

when you count the movements you work VO2 even more. The count system is prison style burpees.

[scg]

What if you do slower dumbbell burpees with curl and press. Where you do it slow on the eccentric parts, then go explosive when you’re doing the concentric parts. Will that give a more hypertrophic effect? Maybe even do some overloading over time with heavier weights?

[keith]

What do you think of iron wolf style burpees?

[Tovashi]

What's your opinion on hollow body vs arched pull ups? Which do you prefer?

[terriblecertainity]

great video!
Could you please do a vieo on mind muscle connection? I have a hard time feeling some muscles working and wonder how to improve it. Thanks!

[pierinifitness]

Thank you for your excellent video that I just viewed and enjoyed. New subscriber here.

[ChroniclesofAJ]

if it wasnt for iron wolf i wouldnt be into burpees lol

[janscholochua]

does HIIT make you lose hair? I think it's increasing my baldness

[GedizG]

Makes sense physiologically but if you do not try it on many different people hooking them up to blood-O2-measuring device, I am afraid it is still bro-science.

[jasonwelsh]

You sag your lower back during burpees. This is both bad for your back and makes the reps easier. Kick out into a full instant hard plank on each rep.

[MrApplewine]

That made no sense to me where it sounded like yous aid V02 max is not cardio.

[matthewhawke]

BuT yoU nEED tO lifT HeAVY tO maKE GaINs BrAAAh... when you push to maximal exertion, your own body gets real heavy real quickly .