Burpee Broad Jump
Reviewed by Dylan Maurick, Physiotherapist
The Burpee Broad Jump is a full-body exercise that combines a burpee with a forward jump to build power, conditioning, and total-body strength.
Burpee Broad Jump
Muscles Worked: Burpee Broad Jump
The Burpee Broad Jump mainly works your legs, especially your quads and glutes, because you have to stand up fast from the floor and then drive your body forward off the ground. Your calves help finish the takeoff and absorb the landing, while your abs brace to keep your torso from folding as you sprawl, pop up, and jump. Your chest also helps during the push-up portion, but the lower body does most of the work once you explode into the jump. You should feel your thighs and glutes doing the hard work on takeoff and your abs staying tight as you land and reset, and burpee-based drills are also used in military conditioning to build whole-body work capacity (Knapik and East, 2014).
Technique and form
How to perform the Burpee Broad Jump
- Begin in a standing position with feet shoulder-width apart, arms at your sides, and core engaged.
- Bend at the knees and hips to squat down, placing your hands on the floor just in front of your feet while keeping your back flat.
- Kick your feet back into a plank position, maintaining a straight line from head to heels with your core tight and shoulders positioned directly over your wrists.
- Lower your chest to the floor by bending your elbows at a 45-degree angle from your body while inhaling.
- Push through your palms to straighten your arms as you exhale, maintaining a rigid plank with engaged core and glutes.
- Jump your feet forward to return to the squat position, landing softly with your knees tracking in line with your toes.
- From the squat, explosively extend your hips, knees, and ankles while swinging your arms forward to propel yourself into a forward jump, exhaling during the effort.
- Land softly with bent knees to absorb the impact, immediately beginning your next repetition by squatting down and placing your hands on the floor.
Important information
- Keep your core engaged throughout the entire movement to protect your lower back, especially during the plank and push-up portions.
- Maintain proper push-up form by keeping your elbows at approximately 45 degrees from your body rather than flaring them out to the sides.
- Land softly on the balls of your feet first, then roll to your heels when jumping forward to minimize joint stress.
- Scale this exercise by removing the push-up or performing step-backs instead of jumps if needed for your fitness level.
Is Burpee Broad Jump effective for endurance?
Yes. The Burpee Broad Jump is effective for endurance because it keeps your heart rate high while making your legs, glutes, chest, and core repeat powerful efforts with very little rest. Burpees and similar full-body drills have long been used in military-style conditioning because they build work capacity without equipment and challenge both stamina and movement quality at the same time (Knapik and East, 2014).
- Repeated power under fatigue — Each rep asks you to drop down, get back up, and jump forward hard. That means you are not just doing steady cardio; you are teaching your body to keep producing force even when breathing gets heavy.
- Big leg demand — The broad jump changes the burpee from mostly up-and-down into a move that really loads the quads and glutes. You need a strong leg drive to cover distance, then enough control to land softly and go right into the next rep.
- Core stays on the whole time — Your midsection has to stay tight when you kick back, snap your feet in, and land the jump. That makes this more demanding than a basic burpee, because the forward jump adds more need for body control.
- Easy to progress without equipment — You can make it harder by covering more ground per jump, doing more reps in the same time, or pairing it with a long jump focus on cleaner takeoffs. That gives you clear ways to build conditioning within the kind of equipment-free drill progressions commonly used in military training (Knapik and East, 2014).
Programming for endurance
Do 3-5 sets of 6-12 reps with 60-90 seconds rest, or use 20-30 second work periods for 4-8 rounds. Train it 1-2 times per week because the jumps and burpee portion add up fast. Keep each rep sharp: if your jump distance drops hard or your landings get sloppy, stop the set before form falls apart.
Burpee Broad Jump Variations
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FAQ - Burpee Broad Jump
This exercise targets multiple muscle groups simultaneously including chest and triceps during the push-up, quads and glutes during the squat and jump phases, and core muscles throughout the entire movement. Your shoulders, hamstrings, and calves also get significant engagement, making it a true full-body exercise.
Beginners can start with a partial squat depth and press lighter weights or no weights at all. You can also separate the movements initially, mastering the squat first, then the overhead press, before combining them into one fluid motion.
The most common mistakes include rounding your lower back, rotating your hips instead of keeping them square, rushing through the movement, and not hinging properly at the hips. Focus on maintaining a neutral spine, moving with control, and keeping your standing knee slightly soft rather than locked.
For most fitness enthusiasts, incorporating this exercise 2-3 times per week is sufficient, allowing 48 hours for muscle recovery between sessions. Consider including it in HIIT circuits or as a finisher, starting with 3-4 sets of 6-10 repetitions depending on your fitness level.
Yes, this exercise significantly improves power, explosiveness, and conditioning that transfers to many sports. The combination of horizontal jumping power and upper body strength mirrors movements found in basketball, volleyball, football, and track events, while the cardiovascular demand enhances overall endurance for any athletic pursuit.
Workouts with Burpee Broad Jump
Scientific References
History of United States Army physical fitness and physical readiness training.
Knapik JJ, East WB · U.S. Army Medical Department journal (2014)
Sources are peer-reviewed academic publications from PubMed.
Burpee Broad Jump
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