HIIT Burpees – Torture Yourself Stupid With This HIIT Burpee Workout

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If you’ve never tried HIIT burpees or any type of burpee HIIT workout. Then let me be the first to tell you that you’re in for a complete shock to the system.

Because nothing (and I mean nothing) will push you to your absolute limits more than this brutal beast of an exercise.

Now, the first time I ever tried burpees was back in my late teens when I used to train down at the local boxing gym.

Every night after we’d finished out regular gym work. Our coach would finish us off with 3 quick circuits that included a variety of pushups, situps, and (you guessed it) burpees.

Only we didn’t call them burpees back then. We used to call them B*stards.

Now, even though this exercise is disgustingly evil, it’s hard to deny the immense benefits they can have on your overall fitness and conditioning.

And what’s more, they’ve probably the most underused and underrated exercise in the history of the planet because, quite frankly, not many people can muster up the courage to attempt them.

Anyway…

So 10 Years later and 20-pounds heavier, I’d never really given this exercise much though.

But as I started to hit my late twenties (back in around 2015), I slowly started to realize I needed a good hard kick up the ass to get myself back in shape.

Now, when it comes to working up a sweat. I’m all about time-saving and efficient workouts.

And with that comes the overwhelming desire to completely hammer my body into the ground in the shortest time possible.

So with this in mind, I decided to hit the ground running and created a bunch of ridiculously hard workouts that consisted mainly of burpees.

And in today’s blog post, I’m going to be revealing exactly what these workouts are so you can easily reap the benefits of what’s commonly known today as…

…HIIT Burpees.

Let’s get cracking…

Oh, and just quickly before I forget. If you’re looking for even more high-intensity workouts. I’d highly recommend checking out Mike Whitfield’s Workout Finishers 2.0

Without going into too much detail, Mike’s put together a simple yet highly effective training guide. With over fifty short, intense, and borderline barbaric workouts that’ll make you feel like you’ve just taken a good hard kick in the nuts.

If you want to take a look (at your own risk), here’s the link to check it out: Workout Finishers 2.0

3 Killer HIIT Burpee Workouts That Will Leave You For Dead

So, in no particular order, below is a list of my all-time favorite burpee workouts.

They’re fast, effective, and if you’re not careful, you might end up losing your lunch.

But each one of these workouts is guaranteed to get you fighting fit.

Here we go…

Tabata Burpees

So the first workout I’m going to cover is Tabata burpees.

To be honest, I wouldn’t jump headfirst with this exercise if you’re a beginner because it’s not the best way to ease yourself into HIIT training.

Now, if you’ve never heard of Tabata, it’s basically a 4-minute interval circuit where you perform 20 seconds of work with maximum effort…

…Followed by 10 seconds of rest for a total of 8 rounds.

Like this…

• 20 Seconds of burpees
• 10 Seconds of rest
• Repeat x8

Total workout time: 4-Minutes

Sounds simple?

Oh-no Sherlock…

This is, without a doubt, the easiest way to make a guy cry in under 4-minutes that you’ll ever know.

And to this day, I still try to avoid this exercise like the plague but always end up doing it anyway because I know how good it is for me.

Now, due to the nature of this workout and how short it is. All 8 rounds need to be performed at maximum intensity.

And when I say maximum, I’m talking balls to the wall, can’t think, let alone even move afterward kind of intensity.

The kind of intensity that’ll make you regret your very existence.

Anyway, despite this, you might find the first couple of rounds relatively simple. 

But don’t be fooled.

Because by the time you hit rounds six, seven, and eight. You’ll be sucking in air faster than the speed of light.

Now, to track your progress, I’d also recommend trying keeping count of how many burpees you can smash through during the entire 4 minutes. 

It won’t be easy because your brain will likely be scattered from all the blood, sweat, and tears.

But if you can, do your best to keep a tally because this way, you’ll always have a specific number to try and beat when you next try it.

Every Minute On The Minute (EMOM)

This is another challenging burpee workout that’ll test your grit.

And the great thing about it is you can program it any way you like.

Here’s how it works…

So you set a timer to go off at one-minute intervals.

And within that time, you perform a specific number of burpees until you’ve completed all of your reps.

Then, you use the remainder of that minute to quickly catch your breath before repeating the process at the start of the next minute.

Confused?

Here’s a breakdown of what it might look like…

• Minute 1 – 10 Burpees
• Minute 2 – 10 Burpees
• ………….
• ………….
• Minute 10 – 10 Burpees

Again, this is the type of workout that will feel pretty easy for the first few rounds.

But as fatigue sets in and your speed starts to slow. It’ll become harder and harder to catch your breath before the next round begins.

Now, the upside of this workout is you can create your own workout based on your current fitness level and capabilities.

So for instance, if you wanted a quick 5-minutes of hell, you could do, let’s say, 15 or even 20 burpees every minute to kick things up a few levels.

On the flip side, if you’re just getting used to this style of training. You could do seven, six, or even five burpees every minute for as many rounds as you can before your completely spent.

The Descending Ladder Of Pain

So last up, on my corrupted list of burpee HIIT workouts is a descending rep workout.

Put simply, you’re basically going to start with a set number of burpees.

Let’s say 15 for argument’s sake.

Then, all you’re going to do is perform 15 burpees…

… rest for 30-60 seconds

And then, drop one repetition off the total and perform 14 burpees on the next set.

You’ll then continue to do this until you’re down to just one burpee at the end.

Here’s what it looks like for clarification…

• Round 1 – 15 Burpees
• Round 2 – 14 Burpees
• Round 3 – 13 Burpees
• ……………….
• ……………….
• Round 15: 1 Burpee

…Take 10 minutes rest, grab a beer, and relax. You’ve earned it, my friend.

Again, this is another workout you can change up depending on your personal preferences.

For instance, you could start at 5, 10, 20, even 30 burpees.

Hell, if you’re really game, you could even up the ante and try for 50. Although I wouldn’t count on moving, let alone walking for the next few days if you do.

Mixing Up Your Burpee Workout

Now, over the years, I’ve experimented with a few adaptions of the above, and let me tell you… 

…It doesn’t get any easier.

But every time I train this way, I find I’m faster, stronger, and I’ve got soo much more energy both in and out of the gym.

So for me, it’s a complete no-brainer to execute these types of workouts regularly.

But if you ever find yourself getting bored with plain old burpees, then here’s a few things add to your burpee workout to keep things interesting.

Try them at your peril…

Battle Ropes

Mixing battle ropes into your HIIT workout is something that’s going to test your muscular endurance beyond its limits. 

You’ll obviously need to find a gym that has a battle rope or buy your own. 

But has one of the few exercises that hammers multiple muscle groups while elevating your heart rate to intense levels.

Sledgehammer Swings

This is another tough test of your metal that great for the core. 

But what you might not realize is that it’s incredible for increasing both your grip and forearm strength.

Something that’s often lacking in most people’s routines.

Light Deadlifts

Now, you might associate this exercise with bodybuilding or powerlifting. 

But the truth is that deadlifts (and I’m talking light deadlifts performed at 50-60% of your 1 rep max) are an awesome HIIT workout.

Personally, I like to do light deadlifts Tabata style and get it over with because any longer and I feel like I’m about to pass a kidney stone.

But either way, it’s a killer combination to supplement your burpee workout with.

How To Make Burpees Harder

Now, if these burpee HIIT workouts aren’t tough enough and you’re looking for something really harsh. Here’s a couple of things you can do to make them even harder.

Burpee Box Jumps

Burpee box jumps are great for adding a little bit more explosiveness into your burpee. 

You’ll need a stable surface to jump on to like a plyometric box. But the added intensity of jumping up onto an elevated surface takes the exercise to an entirely new level.

Here’s what it looks like in action…

Burpee Tuck Jumps

This is basically a burpee with a slight twist.

The only difference now is you’re going to tuck your knees towards your chest during the jump at the end of the burpee.

It doesn’t sound like much, but the extra effort needed to perform the tuck will add a whole new element to the exercise.

Here’s what it looks like for your unenjoyment…

HIIT Burpees – Pushup Vs No Pushup?

Now, this question is up for debate, and to be honest, you’ll probably find that every man and his dog has an opinion on whether or not you should include the pushup in your burpee workouts.

And the truth is there isn’t really a definite answer. Because at the end of the day, it’s ultimately going to depend on your goals.

For instance, I personally find it more beneficial to perform burpees without the pushup.

But this is because I find it slows down the repetition way too much. Which eventually has a knock-on effect on how quickly I can get my heart rate up.

In addition to this, I’m also a huge fan of tabata pushups, so I don’t really see the benefits of adding more pushups into the mix.

Again, this is just my take on the situation. And you should ultimately do what works for you and what fits in with your personal goals.

Taking Your HIIT Workout To The Next Level

So before I wrap things up. Hopefully, this has given you a few things to think about when planning your next HIIT workout. 

And I guarantee that if you try one or more of the workouts above. Pretty soon, you’ll become stronger, faster, and fitter than you ever thought possible.

Now, this is only ground zero when it comes to HIIT training. Because there are literally hundreds, if not thousands, of grueling workouts you can create if you’re willing to use your imagination and think outside the box.

But if you want to skip all the trial and error of building your own workout and want to attempt some really killer workouts…

…Then I’d highly recommend taking a look at Mike Whitfield’s Workout Finishers 2.0

Basically, Mike has done the dirty work for you and created over 50 short, intense, and highly effective HIIT workout guarantees to melt body fat and get you ripped in record time.

Now, I’m not going to hype this up or oversell it because the truth is these types of workouts aren’t for everyone.

And if you’re not the type of guy (or gal) whose willing to push the boundaries and work your ass off. Then it’s highly unlikely your reap the benefits of these deceptively challenging workouts.

But if you’re ready to work hard, get stuck in, and dig deep each and every time you workout, then this is exactly what you need.

Anyway, here’s the link again to check it out: Workout Finishers 2.0