It's fair to say we have something of a love-hate relationship with burpees: love the way they work your whole body, hate how easy it is to mess them up [1] and get hurt. According to Angelo Grinceri [2], FAFS (fellow of applied functional science), Head Trainer at Performix House and coach for personal training platform Ladder [3], most of us just aren't strong enough to perform a burpee correctly. And doing them improperly, he explained, "can lead to excessive joint wear and tear."
So when Angelo told us he'd created a move that he called "the burpee's well-behaved cousin," we were immediately intrigued. He's dubbed it the "Grincee" (amazing), and said it trains the same muscles without putting your joints in danger — the perfect first step to performing a full burpee. The unilateral, controlled full-body move "mobilizes and activates the glutes [5], hamstrings, and core while replicating the powerful starting position of a sprinter," Angelo told POPSUGAR. It's a great way to get the same total-body blast of a burpee, minus the form mistakes and injuries.
See how to do the Grincee on the next slide, and remember to maintain a strong posture and engage your core [6] throughout.
"Grincee" Burpee Modification
- Start in a high plank position with your shoulders over your wrists and your feet together.
- Complete one push-up.
- Return to a high plank position while stepping one foot up to mid-torso level.
- Press your foot into the ground and drive up to a standing position. As you do, bring your opposite knee up to hip height and raise your hands overhead.
- Slowly lower back down into a high plank by controlling through the hamstring of your standing leg.
- Complete another push-up and repeat the stand-up motion on your opposite leg.
- This completes one rep. Alternate left and right leg for 1-3 sets of 10-20 repetitions.
Do one to three sets of 10-20 reps for a warm-up that improves your single-leg muscle activation, stability, and power.