The Burpee combines a hinge, pushup, squat & jump into one undeniably hellish total body torcher. But this classic exercise has fallen out of favor because of its complexity & difficulty. Many people butcher the move because they don’t have the mobility to get up & down off the ground without collapsing or rounding their spines. Enter the Hands-Elevated Burpee.

Using a low box or step allows you to customize the range of motion to your current fitness level. An adjustable aerobics step with risers allows for micro-progression so you can gradually work your way to the floor over time. However, I recommend using at least a slight elevation even for advanced trainees. It just puts your shoulders & spine in a better position for long-term success. I also recommend a wider sumo stance.

My favorite option is using parallette bars which also allows for extended range of motion pushups with less wrist stress. If it’s still too tough, skip the pushup and the jump. If you still hate burpees, just superset squats and pushups, call it a day and leave me out of it.