We get itburpees (a.k.a. squat thrusts) suck in the moment. But you should definitely power through them. Trust me: all that jumping, pressing, and sweating isnt for nothing. Thats what makes burpees an amazing .

Burpees are a total-body exercise and a cardio-strength movethey predominantly give you a cardio challenge, while also building strength and mobility, says Brandon Mentore, ACE-certified personal trainer and strength and conditioning coach in Philadelphia.

Burpees are also known for conditioning for other high intensity exercises, they're ability to burn fat and they can be done anywhere with absolutely no equipment needed. Plus, they totally by triggering your flight or flight response and bolstering your improvement on reaction time. And if you do enough burpees on a consistent and long-term basis, those workouts can result in to major muscle sculpting (think: stronger arms with triceps definition and toned legs).

In other words: We know they hurtbut they'll work your body, burn off calories and give you some much-needed cardio.

But before your rush off and start jumping up and down, its important to mention that burpees can also result in serious injurious, especially in your wrists and shoulders where most of your bodyweight will be felt as you jump up and down. Thats why Womens Health tapped Mentore to breakdown everything you need to know about the exercisefrom how to do a simple burpee to variations, modifications and everything in between.

How To Do A Burpee

How to: Stand with feet hip-width apart, arms by your side. Drop your body down into a low squat position, with your hands on the ground. Then kick your feet back, landing in the pushup position. Now, repeat the motion backward: Jump your feet forward to the outside of your hands so youre in a low squat position, then stand back up. Thats one rep. (Optional: Complete a pushup in the middle, or try one of these other burpee variations .)

Form tip: Regardless of variation, Mentore says to watch your form in the pushup positiondont let your hips sink down.

Reps/sets for best results: Aim for three to four sets of 10 to 15 reps.

Benefits Of A Burpee

Burpees are considered a cardio-strength move, meaning they increase your heart rate but also build muscleand are on par with similar exercises like mountain climbers and jumping jacks, says Mentore. They're a full body excercise, especially in your arms and shoulders.

Make Burpees Part Of Your Workout

If you want to incorporate burpees into your workout, it's actually pretty simple. Its a very versatile exercise, Mentore says, noting that burpees are best used in a warmup and as active recovery.

It makes for a great warmup because it engages a lot of muscle groups, plus "gets the core body temperature up and the muscles ready for continued work," says Mentore.

For active recovery, pair burpees with an accessory arm exercise like biceps curls. Biceps curls have a high fatigue rate and performing burpees in between sets minimizes the downtime for recovery and maximizes your work efficiency, says Mentore.

When you do burpees, stick to 10 and 15 reps. If you're just doing one set, feel free to push past this number. But if youre doing more than one set, youll get more out of each round if you stick to this rep range, rest for 30 seconds to a minute, and then hit it again, says Mentore. (Three to four sets is a good goal.)

You can do burpees several times a week, as long as you have strong and healthy shoulders. Because you focus so much bodyweight into this area when you drop down, its easy to overdo it if your shoulder strength isnt where it needs to be, Mentore says. But otherwise, don't be afraid to make this workout move a regular part of your fitness routine.

How To Make A Burpee Harder

Let's say you've already mastered the burpee and are looking for more of a challenge. For an extra cardio boost, instead of standing from the low squat position, jump straight up into the air. And be sure to land with soft knees as you seamlessly move down into the next burpee.

How To Make A Burpee Easier

If you're struggling to complete this intense exercise, that's okay too. We can always modify the movement to make it a little easier, but still effective. To lighten your load (whether youre new to conditioning or exhausted halfway through your set), skip the jump in and out of the pushup position. Instead, step your feet back and into the low squat.

Variations Of Burpees

• Mountain Burpee: Mentore recommends this variation for people looking to increase the challenge. "When you drop down into the low position, instead of doing a pushup, cycle your legs back and forth for about 10 repetitions, or 5 each leg and then stand up," Mentore says. This way you get the benefits of both a burpee and a mountain climber.
• Shoulder Touch Burpee: If you want to focus more on your balance and core stability, Mentore suggests shoulder touch burpees. "Getting into the low position, kick the legs out and take one arm and touch your opposite shoulder. Then lower it back down, stabilize and use your other arm to touch the opposite shoulder," Mentore says. He recommends performing 2-3 touches with each arm to the opposite shoulder to get those delts and arms really fired up.
• Dumbbell Burpee: If you really want to kick things up a notch, the dumbbell burpee is Mentore's favorite recommendation. "You basically perform the burpee in its standard version, but you hold dumbbells while doing it," he says. Drop down with a dumbbell in each hand, do your pushup but keep the legs back in. Then get back into the standing position bringing the dumbbells up in a deadlift motion and repeat. Pro tip: "You need dumbbells that are hexagonal or square shaped because you perform the pushup while still holding the dumbbells and round or circular dumbbells can be risky if they roll on you," Mentore says.

Want more burpee exercises? Check out Women's Health 30-Day Burpee Challenge designed to help you level-up your burpee game and improve your strength and cardio endurance as a result.