Gorilla Burpee

The gorilla burpee is a burpee variation that adds a wide-stance, crouched "gorilla" squat and crawl phase to the standard burpee sequence, increasing the demand on the legs, hips, and core while keeping the exercise's signature push-up and jump. It is a full-body conditioning movement used to build muscular endurance, explosive power, and cardiovascular capacity in a single exercise. The wide hand and foot placement during the squat and crawl phases also increases hip mobility demand compared to a standard burpee.

Muscles Targeted

• Primary: Quadriceps, glutes, pectoralis major
• Secondary: Core (rectus abdominis, obliques), triceps, anterior deltoids
• Tertiary: Hamstrings, calves, hip adductors and abductors

Starting Position

Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent, and arms relaxed at your sides. Pick a patch of open floor with enough space in front of you to drop into a plank and jump. Keep your core braced and your weight balanced on the mid-foot before you begin the first rep.

Execution Steps

1. Squat down low into a wide "gorilla" stance and plant both hands on the floor just inside your feet
2. Kick both legs back explosively into a plank position, keeping your hands under your shoulders and your body in a straight line
3. Lower into a push-up, keeping your elbows close to your body and your core tight, then press back up to plank
4. Jump both feet forward, landing back into the wide gorilla squat with your hands still planted
5. Drive through your heels and explode upward into a vertical jump, reaching your arms overhead
6. Land softly with bent knees, absorbing the impact before immediately dropping into the next rep
7. Repeat continuously for the prescribed number of reps or time interval

Form Cues

• Keep the plank tight: Brace your core and squeeze your glutes to prevent your hips from sagging or piking during the plank and push-up
• Land soft: Bend your knees on every landing, whether from the foot jump or the vertical jump, to absorb impact
• Full push-up depth: Lower your chest close to the floor rather than shortening the range of motion
• Drive the jump with your legs: Use your hips and quads to generate the vertical jump rather than just your arms
• Keep a consistent rhythm: Move with control between phases rather than rushing sloppily through the sequence

Common Mistakes

• Skipping the push-up depth: Cutting the range short reduces chest and triceps engagement. Lower your chest fully toward the floor each rep.
• Letting the hips sag in plank: A dropped core position strains the lower back. Keep your body in a straight line from shoulders to heels.
• Landing stiff-legged: Failing to bend the knees on landing increases joint stress. Absorb every landing with soft, bent knees.
• Rushing the transitions: Moving too fast between the squat, plank, and jump sacrifices form and increases injury risk. Slow down enough to maintain control at each stage.
• Shallow squat before the jump: Not sinking into a full squat reduces power output on the jump. Reach full squat depth before driving upward.

Variations

• Standard burpee: Removes the wide gorilla stance for a more traditional, narrower movement pattern
• Burpee without push-up: A regression that removes the upper-body pressing phase for beginners
• Burpee with tuck jump: Adds a knee tuck at the top of the jump to increase core and coordination demand
• Step-back burpee: Steps instead of jumps into and out of the plank, reducing impact for those with joint sensitivity
• Gorilla burpee with lateral jump: Adds a side-to-side jump instead of a vertical jump for extra agility work

Tips for Progression

• Increase work interval duration or rounds gradually, moving from 30 seconds up toward 45 seconds as conditioning improves
• Add a tuck jump at the top of the vertical jump to increase power and coordination demand
• Shorten rest periods between rounds once you can complete each round with full push-up depth and squat depth
• Add a lateral jump instead of a vertical jump on alternating reps to build agility alongside conditioning
• Increase reps per round before increasing rounds, since the movement is highly fatiguing on joints and cardiovascular capacity

Training Notes

Use the gorilla burpee as a conditioning finisher or as part of an interval circuit, programming it for 3-5 rounds of 30-45 seconds of work with 15-30 seconds of rest, or a fixed rep count of 8-12 per round. It is demanding on the joints and cardiovascular system, so limit it to 2-3 sessions per week and pair it with adequate recovery, especially for those newer to high-impact training.