Crush Your Week: 5 Burpee Workouts to Help Build Power

Every Spartan race includes obstacles that require some serious power input to be successful. This week's workouts, provided by Spartan SGX Coach Jono Blodgett, is all about developing that power using a comprehensive Spartan favorite: burpees.
What are the benefits of burpee workouts?
Burpees are an incredibly well-rounded exercise, and the benefits of adding them to your workouts extend far beyond Spartan race prep.
- Do them anywhere: no equipment needed
- Build full-body strength
- Increase muscular endurance
- Enhance cardiovascular health and endurance
- Faster race finishing times (that is, of course, assuming you fail an obstacle or two)
Workout: Core Burpee Brigade
Perform 4 rounds of the following circuit, doing 12 reps of each exercise and resting for 1 minute and 40 seconds between each round.
- Alternating reverse lunges
- Spiderman planks
- Speed skater burpees
- Hollow holds
- Burpee sit-throughs
- Superman planks
Workout: Dumbbell Burpee Debauchery
Two circuits, done for four rounds each before moving onto the next circuit. Rest 60 seconds between rounds and 3 minutes between circuits.
Circuit I
- 10 dumbbell bent-over rows
- 10 dumbbell front squats
- 10 dumbbell devil's presses
Circuit II
- 10 dumbbell chest presses
- 10 (each leg) dumbbell reverse lunges
- 10 dumbbell renegade row burpees
Workout: The Breathless Ball
A 20-minute AMRAP where you'll do as many rounds as possible while holding a medicine ball.
- 20 ball rotational lunges
- 10 ball slam burpees
- 20 alternating ball push-ups
- 15 ball thrusters
- 10 ball tuck jump burpees
- 10 ball squats
- 10 ball rollback burpees
- 15 supine ball chest passes
Workout: Single-Side Scorcher
Three circuits done for 2 rounds each before progressing to the next circuit. Rest 60 seconds between rounds.
Circuit I
- 10 (per side) split squats
- 10 (per side) side plank reach-throughs
- 6 (per side) single-leg burpees
Circuit II
- 10 (per side) single-leg deadlifts
- 10 (per side) side plank leg lifts
- 6 (per side) single-arm burpees
Circuit III
- 10 (per side) single-leg glute bridges
- 10 (per side) lateral lunges
- 10 Spiderman burpees
Workout: Power Train
Do the following circuit for 4 rounds, performing 40 seconds of work per exercise followed by 20 seconds of rest. No rest between rounds.
- Burpee box jumps
- Pull-ups (or dead hang)
- Leonidas burpees
- Feet elevated push-ups
- Burpee pull-ups
- Lateral box step-overs
- Feet elevated glute bridges
