Love them or hate them, there’s no denying burpees are an efficient, equipment-free way to build your engine. Few exercises combine cardiovascular demand and explosive power quite as brutally in a single movement.
Former CrossFit champion Jason Khalipa believes they form the basis of ‘the best fitness test of all time’.
In a recent Instagram post, Khalipa shared his ‘Train Hard’ burpee test: complete 15 unbroken burpees at the start of every minute until failure, with your total time acting as the score.
According to Khalipa:
- 3 minutes is the ‘minimum standard’
- 5 minutes puts you in the ‘train hard’ category
- 10 minutes reaches ‘Jason Khalipa standard’
- 15 minutes is considered elite territory
- Beyond 20 minutes puts you in ‘a league of your own’
Of course, while the test sounds simple on paper, pacing quickly becomes the deciding factor. Go out too hard and the combination of jumps, fatigue and elevated heart rate can catch up with you fast.
‘A lot of this test comes down to pacing,’ Khalipa explained.
What to read next
For Khalipa, the goal of training extends beyond general fitness.
‘The goal isn’t just to be fit. It’s to be useful. Present. Reliable.’
And while burpees may never become everybody’s favourite exercise, if you can keep moving for 10 straight minutes, your conditioning is probably in a pretty good place.
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.
