For years, Max Edwards, known as Busy Dad Training on YouTube, trained like many lifters occupying the squat rack most mornings. He lifted heavy, often for marathon-length sessions. But when he became a father and lockdown stripped away his usual routine, he was forced to rethink his workouts.
Edwards adopted a more minimalist approach. With no gym, no equipment and limited time, 90-minute sessions were no longer realistic. Instead, he focused on two burpee variations, performed well, four times a week.
‘That six-month training practice has become the defining training practice of my life,’ he says. ‘For five years I have trained for no more than 80 minutes per week.’ At the centre of that method was the Navy SEAL burpee.
What Is a Navy SEAL Burpee?
The Navy SEAL burpee is a more demanding variation of the traditional burpee, adding multiple push-ups within a single rep to increase upper-body workload. Compared to a standard burpee, the added push-ups place greater demand on the chest, shoulders and triceps, while keeping your heart rate elevated throughout.
How to Do Them
- Start standing, feet shoulder-width apart
- Crouch down and place your hands on the floor
- Jump your feet back into a high plank
- Perform a push-up (chest to floor)
- At the top of the push-up, bring your right knee to your right elbow, then return
- Perform another push-up
- Bring your left knee to your left elbow, then return
- Perform a third push-up
- Jump your feet forward
- Stand or jump to finish
How to Include the Navy SEAL Burpee in Your Training
On his Navy SEAL burpee days, Edwards performs a 20-minute AMRAP (as many reps as possible), aiming to beat his previous total each session.
‘On a Navy Seal training day I would simply do as many Navy Seal burpees as I could within 20 minutes,’ he explains. ‘And then in the next workout I would try to beat the number I had managed in the previous one.’
What to read next
Edwards now completes 135 Navy SEAL burpees in 20 minutes, but you don’t need to match his numbers to benefit from the method. Start with a 10-20 minute AMRAP, track your total reps and aim to improve gradually.
Focus on:
- Consistent pacing
- Clean, efficient reps
- Beating your previous score, even by a small margin
Edwards is a reminder that, when done consistently, a simple, time-efficient workout can still deliver serious results – even with a busy schedule.
Kate is a fitness writer for Men’s Health UK where she contributes regular workouts, training tips and nutrition guides. She has a post graduate diploma in Sports Performance Nutrition and before joining Men’s Health she was a nutritionist, fitness writer and personal trainer with over 5k hours coaching on the gym floor. Kate has a keen interest in volunteering for animal shelters and when she isn’t lifting weights in her garden, she can be found walking her rescue dog.
