Exercise of the Week: Dumbbell Burpees

Add another dimension to your workout routine with one of my favorite combination exercises that will work all your muscles: Dumbbell Burpees!

I’m back with another Exercise of the Week! Things got a little crazy around the holidays and my regular posting schedule got changed around. But no worries! Here’s another new exercise to pump up your workout routine. This is another one of my favorite exercises: Dumbbell Burpees.

I use this exercise with some of my training clients, too. Not sure if they like it or not (most people don’t like burpees), but it’s a very effective move that can be fun once you get the hang of it.

Here are a few tips to get the most out of Dumbbell Burpees. A lot of these tips are similar to for these Dumbbell Burpees are similar to the tips for my Ball Slam Burpees:

• Keep a flat back as much as possible and draw your shoulder blades down (away from your ears) and back (bring your shoulder blades together). This also reduces tension in your neck throughout the exercise and engages the muscles in your mid back
• To avoid rounding in your lower back, use a wide stance with your feet. A narrow stance with burpees will result in rounding in your lower back
• Use a set of dumbbells that are not so heavy that you cannot complete the exercise without good form, but heavy enough to be effective. The amount of weight will be different for eveyone depending on your fitness level
• For this exercise, it is helpful to get a set of dumbbells that have some flat sides to avoid rolling your wrists during the plank portion of the burpee
• Avoid sagging your hips during the plank portion of the burpee! This is hard on your back and should absolutely be avoided. If your hips are sagging too much, move on to another exercise or take a break. Proper form is important for any exercise so you can prevent injury. You have one body – take care of it

Check out the GIF with the moves for this exercise! Watch my video, too, for a little extra somethin’ you can add to this move for even more bang for your buck.

Do you like burpees? What are some of your favorite burpee variations?

Sarah Jane Parker

Sarah Jane Parker is the founder, recipe creator, and photographer behind The Fit Cookie. She’s a food allergy mom and healthy living blogger based in Wyoming. Sarah is also an ACSM Certified Personal Trainer, ACE Certified Health Coach, Revolution Running certified running coach, and an ACE Certified Fitness Nutrition Specialist