Why We Don’t Do Burpees at Pursuit (and Smarter Alternatives You’ll Love)
When was the last time you actually saw a burpee executed well? Chances are, it’s rare. At Pursuit Athletic Centre, we design training programs with purpose, safety, and long-term performance in mind, and that means leaving certain exercises behind, even if they’re popular. Burpees are one of them.
Why We Don’t Prescribe Burpees
Let’s be real: burpees are often thrown into workouts as a form of punishment or simply to make people tired. But “tired” isn’t the same as “trained.” Our approach at Pursuit is about building athletes who move well, stay strong, and avoid unnecessary injuries. Burpees don’t check those boxes. Here’s why:
High Joint Stress: Dropping to the ground and springing back up places aggressive stress on the wrists, shoulders, and lower back. For most people, that’s a fast track to aches and injuries—not performance.
Poor Execution Under Fatigue: Even athletes with decent mobility and strength struggle to keep form when burpees are programmed for high reps. Add fatigue into the mix, and technique goes out the window.
Lack of Purpose: We study and collaborate with top strength coaches, educators, and therapists while also we also apply our own expertise. Burpees rarely make the cut in expert programming, and with years of experience designing safe, effective training, we know why. If the experts—and we—don’t see value in them, it’s not happening at Pursuit!
At the end of the day, high reps + poor form + fatigue = a higher chance of injury. That’s a formula we don’t mess with.
Smarter, Safer Alternatives
Just because we skip burpees doesn’t mean we skip hard work. We focus on movements that build strength, resilience, and conditioning, without the unnecessary risk. Some of our go-to alternatives include:
Jump squats with controlled landings to develop power and proper mechanics.
Plank walkouts to challenge core stability without punishing your joints.
Conditioning tools like the assault bike, sled sprints, med ball slams, rower, or ski ergometer—because if the goal is to get your heart rate up, these will do it more effectively and safely.
In other words: if you just want to get tired, hop on the bike and crank out a mile as fast as you can. Mission accomplished (without wrecking your shoulders or spine).
The Pursuit Philosophy
We don’t program exercises just because they’re trendy or “hard.” We program with intention, using methods rooted in performance, safety, and results. Our athletes deserve training that helps them get better, not just tired.
So, the next time someone tries to convince you that burpees are the ultimate test of grit, remember: at Pursuit, we’re more interested in building athletes who move well, perform well, and last long. And that’s a standard burpees just don’t meet.
Looking for training that challenges you, builds you up, and keeps you injury-free? Come experience the Pursuit difference.
