One Perfect Move: Burpee–Broad Jump–Bear Crawl Combo

Burpees may be known as one of the hardest exercises out there — and for good reason, considering they strengthen your whole body while also skyrocketing your heart rate.

But what happens when you combine a burpee with two other objectively difficult moves? Well, you get a single exercise that packs all the benefits of a full-body strength and cardio workout.

Alexis Dreiss, a NASM Certified Functional Strength Coach (CFSC) in New York, created this burpee–broad jump–bear crawl combo to build leg endurance, strengthen your core and upper body, and get you breathing hard in one killer compound move — something that will serve you well in everything from rowing and squats to dance cardio.

You start in a push-up, jump up to do a broad jump forward, then bear crawl backward to start again. The push-up strengthens your triceps, biceps, upper back, and pecs; the broad jump builds strong and powerful legs, and the bear crawl demands a rock-solid core. Plus, this all-in-one move is easy to do anywhere. "Going backward for the bear crawl not only minimizes the space but increases the thought process to coordinate the movement," Dreiss says.

Ready to add this exercise to your workout arsenal? Follow along for a step-by-step breakdown of exactly how to perform this move.

Burpee–Broad Jump–Bear Crawl Combo

How it works: You'll do this compound move altogether, EMOM style: Every minute on the minute. If you finish a set early, use the rest of the minute to recover before the next round. "It's a two-for-one deal," Dreiss says. "You gain strength and power while getting your heart rate up and breaking a good sweat."

A. Start in a high plank position near the back of the available space. Do 1 push-up.

B. Hop feet forward to hands, then stand up with arms overhead, lifting onto toes.

C. Swing arms backward and hinge at the hips to prepare to jump, then swing arms forward to do a broad jump, jumping as far forward as possible.

D. Land softly in a squat. Then place both palms on the floor under shoulders, step feet back into a bear crawl position.

E. Bear crawl backward, moving opposite hand and foot at the same time, alternating sides.

F. Stop once near the start position, then jump feet back to a high plank to begin the next rep.

Do 6 to 8 reps for 4 to 8 minutes.

Burpee-Broad Jump Bear-Crawl Combo Form Tips

• For the broad jump, start on your tiptoes with arms overhead, send the hips back as arms swing back, then explode forward with the hips as arms swing up.
• You can do the push-up portion of the burpee on your knees — or make it harder by bringing your belly to the floor.
• When moving backward in the bear crawl, make sure your shoulders are stacked on top of wrists and your knees are hovering above the ground under your hips.