How to do Burpees Over Bar

Introduction:

Burpees over bar is a powerful, full-body exercise commonly featured in CrossFit workouts. This movement combines the traditional burpee with an explosive lateral jump over a barbell, increasing the intensity and cardiovascular demand. Burpees over bar are excellent for improving agility, strength, and endurance. Whether you’re new to CrossFit or looking to refine your technique, this guide will help you master burpees over bar, providing step-by-step instructions, equipment tips, scaling options, and more.

Steps in the Burpees Over Bar movement

1. Starting Position:
  - Stand facing the barbell, which should be placed on the floor.
  - Ensure there’s enough space on either side of the barbell for safe movement.
2. Performing the Burpee:
  - Drop into a squat position, placing your hands on the ground just in front of your feet.
  - Kick your feet back into a plank position, maintaining a straight line from your head to your heels.
  - Lower your body to the ground, performing a push-up so your chest touches the floor.
3. Returning to Squat:
  - Push through your hands and bring your feet back towards your hands, returning to a squat position.
4. Jump Over the Bar:
  - From the squat, explode upwards and laterally, jumping over the barbell to the other side.
  - Land softly with your knees slightly bent to absorb the impact.
5. Repeat:
  - Immediately drop into another burpee and continue the sequence, alternating sides with each jump over the bar.
  - Use Chalk to mark where you should put your hand to make the reps more consistent.

What Equipment is needed

Barbell: A standard barbell placed on the floor. No need for added weight unless specified in your workout.
Crossfit Shoes
Chalk for marking where to put your hands.

Check out the Equipment subsite for more tools, tips, and inspiration.

Scaling Options:

To gradually build strength and proficiency, consider the following scaling options:

Stepping Over the Bar: Instead of jumping, step over the barbell one foot at a time to reduce impact and intensity.
Elevated Burpees: Perform the burpee with your hands on a raised surface (like a box) to decrease the range of motion and make the exercise easier.
Modified Push-Up: If a full push-up is too challenging, perform the push-up from your knees.

Common Mistakes to Avoid:

Not Landing Softly: Avoid hard landings by keeping your knees slightly bent and landing softly to reduce the risk of injury.
Improper Push-Up Form: Ensure your body stays in a straight line during the push-up to prevent lower back strain.
Rushing the Movement: Maintain control and proper form rather than speeding through the repetitions, which can lead to mistakes and potential injuries.

Benefits of the Movement:

Full-Body Workout: Targets multiple muscle groups simultaneously, providing an efficient workout.
Cardiovascular Endurance: The high-intensity nature boosts heart rate and improves cardiovascular fitness.
Agility and Coordination: The lateral jump over the bar improves coordination and agility, crucial for athletic performance.
Functional Strength: Enhances functional strength and power, benefiting daily activities and other physical endeavors.

Which Muscles Are Worked:

During this exercise, the following muscle groups are engaged:

Primary Muscles:
- Pectorals (chest)
- Deltoids (shoulders)
- Triceps (arms)
- Quadriceps (thighs)
- Glutes (buttocks)
Secondary Muscles:
- Core muscles (abs and obliques)
- Calves
- Hamstrings

Alternative Similar Movements:

If you’re seeking variation or targeting specific muscle groups, consider incorporating these alternative exercises:

- Traditional Burpees: Simplifies the movement by removing the lateral jump.
- Box Jumps: Focuses on the explosive jumping component, improving lower body power.
- Lateral Jumps Over Line: A lower impact alternative to improve agility and lateral movement without the full burpee.
- Jumping Lunges: Enhances leg strength and explosiveness, similar to the jumping aspect of burpees over bar.

Check out the exercise library for more alternatives!

Q&A for Burpees over Bar

What are the rules for the burpee over the bar?
The key rules include ensuring both feet leave the ground and land simultaneously during the jump, and your chest must touch the ground during the burpee portion.

What muscles do the burpees over the bar work?
Burpees over bar work the chest, shoulders, arms, thighs, glutes, core muscles, calves, and hamstrings.

What is a lateral burpee over bar?
A lateral burpee over bar involves performing a burpee next to the bar and then jumping sideways over it.

How to do a burpee correctly?
To do a burpee correctly, ensure a full push-up with chest touching the ground, jump your feet back to your hands, and jump straight up at the end.

How to do a burpee over bar?
Perform a standard burpee and then jump laterally over a barbell, landing softly on the other side before repeating the movement.

How many burpees in a row is impressive?
Performing 30 or more burpees in a row is impressive and indicates excellent cardiovascular and muscular endurance.

What is a broken burpee?
A broken burpee involves pausing at various stages of the movement, typically used as a scaled version for beginners.

How to do lateral burpees?
Perform a burpee beside a bar or line, then jump sideways over it, landing softly and immediately going into the next burpee.

What is a deadman burpee?
A deadman burpee involves lying flat on the ground at the bottom of the burpee before pushing back up, adding a full lay-down and get-up to the standard movement.

What are 3 common mistakes when doing a burpee?
Common mistakes include not landing softly, improper push-up form, and rushing through the movements, which can lead to poor form and potential injury.

Why are burpees pointless?
Burpees are not pointless; they are highly effective for full-body conditioning, improving strength, endurance, and cardiovascular fitness.

Do burpees keep you fit?
Yes, burpees are an excellent exercise for overall fitness, combining strength and cardio in a single movement.

What is death by burpees?
Death by burpees is a workout where you perform one burpee the first minute, two the second, three the third, and so on until you can’t complete the required number within a minute.

What is a barf burpee?
A barf burpee is an extremely intense burpee variation that can push you to your physical limits, potentially causing nausea due to the high intensity.

What is a Spiderman burpee?
A Spiderman burpee incorporates a Spiderman push-up, where you bring one knee towards the elbow during the push-up phase.

Is 20 burpees a day enough?
Doing 20 burpees a day is a good start for maintaining fitness, but depending on your goals, you might need to increase the number or intensity over time.

Is 100 burpees a day too much?
Performing 100 burpees a day can be excessive for some, potentially leading to overtraining. It’s important to listen to your body and allow for adequate rest and recovery.

What happens if you do 10 burpees every day?
Doing 10 burpees every day can help improve your overall fitness, cardiovascular health, and muscular endurance gradually over time.

Conclusion:

Burpees over bar are a versatile and challenging exercise that can significantly boost your fitness level. By mastering this dynamic movement, you’ll improve your strength, agility, and cardiovascular endurance. Follow the step-by-step guide, avoid common mistakes, and explore scaling options to make the exercise accessible and effective. Incorporate burpees over bar into your routine to experience their full benefits and take your CrossFit training to the next level.