Despise Burpees? Do These 5 Exercises That Are Just as Effective

Burpees [1] suck. Everything about them is hard. So if you cringe at the thought of doing even one burpee, try these jumping exercises that will get your heart rate up and work your arms, core, and legs just as much.

Squat Thrust

Begin standing with the feet hip-distance apart.
Lower into a crouching squat with your hands on the floor.
Keeping the abs engaged, jump your feet back so you're in plank position.
Keeping the arms straight, jump your feet forward behind the hands.
Stand up to complete one rep.
Do as many reps as you can for one minute.

Jump Squats

Begin in an athletic stance with feet shoulder-width apart and arms bent with hands at chest level. Bend knees and come into a full squat.
Jump up as explosively as you can, reaching for the ceiling.
When you land, lower back into the squat position to complete one rep.
Do as many reps as you can for one minute.

Split-Lunge Jumps

Stand with your feet together and your knees soft. Jump and come into a lunge with your left leg forward.
Push off with both feet, jumping them together, then hop into a lunge with your right leg in front.
Jump your feet back together to complete one rep.
Do as many reps as you can for one minute.

Square Squat Hop

Before you start this move, visualize a large square on the floor, and you're standing in the bottom right corner, feet hip-distance apart.
Keeping weight in the heels, bend the knees and squat down. Take a huge jump forward to the top right corner of that imaginary square, landing quietly back into a squat.
Keep going around the square, jumping to the left, jumping back behind you, and jumping to the right. Now you're back where you started.
Continue hopping around the square in this direction for 30 seconds, then reverse your jumps around the square in the opposite direction for another 30 seconds.

Plank With Bunny Hop