Burpees are one of the most calorie-intensive exercises available per unit of time, which makes them genuinely useful for weight loss in the right context. They are not a magic exercise, and weight loss from any exercise programme depends primarily on total caloric deficit rather than the specific exercise chosen. But within a well-structured weight loss programme, burpees earn their reputation as one of the most efficient tools available.
This guide covers what burpees actually do for weight loss, how many calories they burn, how they compare to other exercise options, and how to use them effectively.
What Burpees Are
The standard burpee is a total body exercise that combines:
- A squat and forward hand placement
- A jump or step back to the push-up position
- A push-up
- A jump or step forward to return to the squat position
- A vertical jump with arms overhead
This sequence takes 3 to 5 seconds per repetition, involves every major muscle group, and produces heart rate elevation comparable to sprint running.
Variations:
The push-up and the jump at the top can be added or removed to adjust difficulty:
- Burpee without push-up: Reduces upper body demand and reduces intensity slightly
- Burpee without the jump at the top: Reduces cardiovascular intensity and makes it accessible for low-impact needs
- Full burpee (with push-up and jump): The standard version used in this guide
How Burpees Produce Calorie Expenditure
Burpees burn more calories per minute than most exercises for three specific reasons:
Total muscle mass involvement: Burpees engage the legs (squat and jump), the chest and triceps (push-up), the shoulders (push-up and overhead reach), and the core (plank maintenance). As a proportion of total muscle mass engaged, burpees are among the highest of any single exercise.
High heart rate response: Research measuring heart rate during burpees has found that even at moderate rep rates (8 to 12 per minute), heart rate reaches 70 to 85 percent of maximum within the first minute. At faster rates (15 to 20 per minute), heart rate can reach 90 to 95 percent of maximum. This high cardiovascular demand is the primary driver of calorie burn during and after the exercise session.
EPOC (afterburn): As covered in the hiit skipping rope workout article on this site in the context of high-intensity interval training, exercises that produce very high heart rates generate significant excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC). Burpees, particularly in interval formats, produce meaningful afterburn that extends the total calorie expenditure of the session beyond what is burned during the exercise itself.
Calorie Burn: Specific Numbers
Burpee calorie expenditure varies significantly by body weight, pace, and whether the full push-up and jump are included.
Per minute at moderate pace (10 to 12 burpees per minute):
| Body weight | Calories per minute |
|---|---|
| 55 kg | 9 to 11 |
| 65 kg | 11 to 13 |
| 75 kg | 12 to 15 |
| 85 kg | 14 to 17 |
| 95 kg | 15 to 19 |
Per 10 minutes of burpees (moderate pace):
| Body weight | 10 minutes |
|---|---|
| 55 kg | 90 to 110 |
| 65 kg | 110 to 130 |
| 75 kg | 120 to 150 |
| 85 kg | 140 to 170 |
| 95 kg | 150 to 190 |
Important context: Very few people can maintain continuous burpees at this pace for 10 minutes straight. Most effective burpee training uses interval formats (as described below) where total burpee time is 4 to 6 minutes across a 20-minute session. The total calorie burn of the session (including rest intervals and EPOC) typically exceeds the per-minute numbers above.
Why Burpees Are Specifically Effective for Weight Loss
Time efficiency: Burpees produce high calorie expenditure in minimal time. A 20-minute burpee interval session can produce 200 to 350 calories of direct burn plus 100 to 200 calories of EPOC, for a total of 300 to 550 calories in 20 minutes. Running at 10 kilometres per hour for 20 minutes produces 200 to 280 calories for most people. Burpees produce more calorie expenditure per minute.
No equipment: As a bodyweight exercise requiring only a small floor area, burpees can be performed anywhere, removing the access barriers that interrupt gym-based training.
Metabolic rate elevation: The high heart rate and total body demand of burpees produces the metabolic rate elevation that persists for 24 to 48 hours after a high-intensity session. This sustained metabolic elevation means the calorie expenditure of a burpee session extends well beyond the session itself.
Strength maintenance during caloric deficit: Unlike steady-state cardio (running, cycling), burpees include a push-up component that maintains upper body pushing strength during a weight loss phase. Preserving muscle mass during weight loss prevents the metabolic slowdown that occurs when muscle tissue is lost alongside fat.
The Honest Limitations
Burpees are not a substitute for caloric deficit:
Weight loss requires a negative energy balance — more calories expended than consumed. Burpees contribute to the expenditure side of this equation, but no exercise programme can overcome a significant dietary surplus. A 20-minute burpee session burns 300 to 500 calories; a single chocolate bar contains 200 to 300 calories. The dietary contribution to the caloric equation is typically larger than the exercise contribution.
Burpees become less effective over time without progression:
As fitness improves, the same number of burpees at the same pace burns fewer calories (the body becomes more efficient). Progressive overload — adding reps, increasing pace, or reducing rest — is needed to maintain the weight loss stimulus as fitness develops.
Burpees are high-impact:
The squat-to-floor-to-jump sequence involves significant impact forces on the knees, ankles, and wrists. People with joint issues may need to modify burpees (removing the jump, stepping rather than jumping to the plank position) or substitute lower-impact alternatives.
Burpees are not sustainable at high intensity for long durations:
Unlike running or cycling, which can be sustained for 30 to 60 minutes at moderate intensity, burpees at effective intensity are typically sustainable for only 20 to 30 minutes with rest intervals. This limits the total calorie burn of a single session compared to longer moderate-intensity sessions.
Complete Burpee Weight Loss Workout Protocols
Protocol 1: Beginner Burpee Interval Workout
Level: People new to burpees or returning after a break
Total time: 20 minutes
Format:
- 30 seconds of burpees (modified if needed: step back to plank, no jump)
- 60 seconds rest
- Repeat 10 rounds
Total burpee time: 5 minutes
Estimated calorie burn (75 kg person): 200 to 280 total (including EPOC)
Progression: When all 10 rounds can be completed with the full burpee (push-up and jump), reduce rest to 45 seconds.
Protocol 2: Standard Burpee HIIT Workout
Level: Intermediate — can complete 10 consecutive full burpees
Total time: 25 minutes
Warm-up (5 minutes):
- 2 minutes of easy movement (walking, light jogging in place)
- 1 minute of bodyweight squats
- 1 minute of push-ups
- 1 minute of jumping jacks
Main session — Tabata Burpee Protocol (16 minutes, 4 blocks):
Block 1 (4 minutes):
- 20 seconds full burpees at maximum effort
- 10 seconds rest
- Repeat 8 times
Rest 1 minute.
Block 2 (4 minutes):
Same structure — 20 seconds on, 10 seconds rest, 8 rounds.
Rest 1 minute.
Block 3 (4 minutes):
Same structure.
Rest 1 minute.
Block 4 (4 minutes):
Same structure.
Total burpee time: 32 x 20 seconds = approximately 10 minutes 40 seconds
Estimated calorie burn (75 kg person): 350 to 500 total (including EPOC)
Cool-down (5 minutes):
Easy walking and static stretching (hip flexors, chest, calves)
Protocol 3: Burpee Pyramid Workout
Level: Intermediate to advanced
Total time: 25 to 30 minutes
Format: Ascending and descending rep pyramid with brief rest
- 5 burpees, 30 seconds rest
- 10 burpees, 45 seconds rest
- 15 burpees, 60 seconds rest
- 20 burpees, 90 seconds rest
- 15 burpees, 60 seconds rest
- 10 burpees, 45 seconds rest
- 5 burpees
Total reps: 80 burpees
Total burpee time at 8 to 10 per minute: Approximately 8 to 10 minutes
Estimated calorie burn (75 kg person): 300 to 450 total
Why the pyramid format: The increasing and decreasing rep structure allows high-quality burpees at each stage because the rest periods increase as the rep counts increase. This produces better movement quality than a constant high-rep approach and allows more total volume than straight sets at a single rep count.
Protocol 4: Burpee and Strength Superset Workout
Level: Intermediate — combines burpees with bodyweight strength exercises
Total time: 35 minutes
Format: 5 supersets, each pairing burpees with a strength exercise
Superset 1:
- 10 burpees immediately followed by
- 15 push-ups
- Rest 90 seconds
- Repeat 3 times
Superset 2:
- 8 burpees immediately followed by
- 15 bodyweight squats
- Rest 90 seconds
- Repeat 3 times
Superset 3:
- 10 burpees immediately followed by
- 10 walking lunges per side
- Rest 90 seconds
- Repeat 3 times
Why this format: The superset structure maximises calorie burn (burpees) alongside muscle maintenance (strength exercises). As noted in the limitations section, preserving muscle mass during weight loss is important for long-term metabolic health and prevents the metabolic slowdown associated with muscle loss.
Protocol 5: 100 Burpee Challenge
Level: Advanced
The challenge: Complete 100 burpees as quickly as possible, resting only when needed.
Estimated time: 8 to 20 minutes depending on fitness level
Estimated calorie burn (75 kg person): 150 to 300 (the session is shorter than interval protocols)
Who this is for: Athletes with a strong aerobic base and good burpee mechanics who want a time-based performance benchmark. The 100 burpee challenge is more of a fitness test than a structured training protocol.
How to progress: Track the completion time over weeks. As time decreases, the intensity per unit time increases.
Programming Burpees for Weight Loss
Frequency: 3 to 4 burpee sessions per week. More than 4 sessions per week at high intensity produces accumulated fatigue that reduces session quality and increases injury risk.
Rest day structure: At least one complete rest day between burpee sessions. On non-burpee days, low-impact activities (walking, swimming, cycling) maintain the caloric expenditure without the high-impact loading.
Progressive overload:
- Week 1 to 2: Beginner protocol (30 seconds on, 60 seconds off)
- Week 3 to 4: Increase work interval to 40 seconds (40:60)
- Week 5 to 6: Increase to 45 seconds (45:45)
- Week 7 to 8: Standard HIIT format (20:10 Tabata)
- Week 9 onwards: Advanced protocols and volume increases
Combined with dietary approach:
For consistent weight loss, burpee training should be combined with a dietary approach that creates a modest caloric deficit (300 to 500 calories per day). The training contribution to the deficit (300 to 500 calories per session, 3 to 4 sessions per week) works alongside the dietary contribution. Attempting to create the entire caloric deficit through exercise alone is much harder to sustain than combining moderate dietary reduction with regular training.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many burpees should I do per day to lose weight?
The number of burpees per day is less important than the total caloric expenditure and the consistency of the programme. A structured interval session of 50 to 100 burpees (in an interval format with rest) performed 3 to 4 times per week is more effective than attempting 200 consecutive burpees once per week. As a rough guide: 50 to 100 burpees in an interval session 3 to 4 times per week, combined with a modest dietary deficit, produces meaningful weight loss progress over 4 to 8 weeks.
Are burpees better than running for weight loss?
Burpees produce more calories per minute than moderate-pace running, but running can be sustained for longer durations and may be more accessible for people who find burpees too intense. The best exercise for weight loss is the one that can be performed consistently over months. For people who find burpees sustainable and enjoyable, they are an excellent weight loss tool. For people who find them aversive and are likely to skip sessions, running or other preferred activities are more effective in practice.
Can I lose belly fat with burpees?
Burpees contribute to total caloric expenditure that produces body fat reduction. As covered in the how many calories can you burn skipping rope article on this site in the context of spot reduction, no exercise specifically reduces fat from a particular body region. Burpees reduce total body fat (including abdominal fat) through the caloric deficit they contribute to. They do not specifically target abdominal fat.
How long before I see weight loss results from burpees?
Meaningful weight loss (1 to 2 kilograms of fat) typically becomes measurable after 4 to 6 weeks of consistent training 3 to 4 times per week combined with dietary changes. Exercise-induced changes in body composition often occur before scale weight changes are visible (muscle development alongside fat reduction can maintain or increase weight while body composition improves). Progress is typically more reliably tracked through body measurements, clothing fit, and fitness improvements than by scale weight alone.