There are a lot of exercises out there. Between names like clean and jerk, snatch, leg press and pistol squat, it can be hard to keep track and remember what everything means.
Two moves that often get confused are the squat thrust (which isn't the same as a squat thruster!) and the burpee. Although the terms are sometimes used interchangeably, they actually describe two separate exercises.
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Below, we dive into the differences, benefits of each and how to know which one is the best fit for you.
Squat Thrust vs. Burpee: What's the Difference?
Is a squat thrust the same as a burpee? These two exercises are very similar, so it's easy to get confused when you see one or the other in your program.
Both exercises begin with you dropping your hands to the floor and jumping your feet back behind you into a high plank. After that, the differences begin.
For a burpee, you perform a push-up in the middle of the move before jumping your feet back to your hands and exploding off the ground into a squat jump.
It's helpful to view squat thrusts as an easier version of burpees. You skip the push-up and the squat jump, and instead just jump your feet back to your hands and stand up like a regular squat. These omissions significantly reduce the strength and power demands of squat thrusts.
How to Do a Squat Thrust With Proper Form
- Begin standing upright with your feet hip-width apart and your arms at your sides.
- Initiate the movement by dropping your hands down to the floor in front of your feet.
- Jump your feet back behind you. Land in a high plank position with your legs straight, arms extended and hands beneath your shoulders. Engage your core muscles.
- Hold the plank for 1 to 2 seconds before jumping your feet back to your hands.
- Finish the movement by picking your hands off the floor and standing upright. Treat this like a squat and push through the floor with your feet and keep your knees out.
Squat Thrust Muscles Worked
Squat thrusts are a full body exercise that challenge your legs, core and upper body to work together.
- Legs: You use your quads, hamstrings and glutes to perform the squat portion of the squat thrust.
- Core: Your abdominals, obliques and other deep stabilizer muscles help you maintain a proper plank position.
- Upper body: Your pecs, shoulders and triceps are involved to a lesser extent to support you as you jump in and out of your high plank position.
Squat Thrust Benefits
1. No Equipment Is Required
All you need to perform squat thrusts is your own body weight. This makes them a great option for people who work out outside, 0n the road or at home. You no longer have to let a lack of gym equipment stop you from getting in a quick and effective workout.
2. They Help You Build Up to Burpees
Certain styles of training — like CrossFit or bootcamp workouts — use a lot of burpees. It's easy to get frustrated or overwhelmed if you see burpees in your program but don't feel confident in your ability to perform them yet.
After all, you can't perform a full burpee unless you are also able to perform full push-ups from the floor. And not everyone can tolerate jumping when they're first starting out.
If this is you, use squat thrusts to build the skill you need to eventually perform full burpees. Squat thrusts are a great teaching tool for burpees because they're so similar but remove the hardest parts of the exercise. You can use them in tandem with exercises that help you build up to push-ups and strengthen your lower body.
3. You Get an Intense Workout in Minimal Time
How effective are squat thrusts? Squat thrusts won't build strength like heavy lifting, and they aren't a true substitute for longer cardio workouts. However, they offer an easy way to perform an intense bout of exercise in a short amount of time. If you only have a few minutes to work out, it's hard to beat the efficiency of squat thrusts.
4. They Offer a Mental and Physical Challenge
Squat thrusts may be easier than burpees, but they still provide a fun challenge for your mental and physical endurance.
Do enough squat thrusts in a row and your heart will pound, your muscles will burn and you'll be sucking down air. It takes some grit to stick with your set until the end. You'll be challenged in the moment but feel accomplished when you're finished!
How to Do a Burpee With Proper Form
- Begin standing upright with your feet hip-width apart and your arms at your sides.
- Initiate the movement by dropping your hands down to the floor in front of your feet.
- Jump your feet back behind you. Land in a high plank position with your legs straight, arms extended and hands beneath your shoulders. Engage your core muscles.
- Perform a full push-up by lowering your chest to the floor and pushing yourself back up into your high plank.
- Jump your feet back to your hands.
- Finish the movement by picking your hands off the floor and performing a squat jump. Swing your arms up and try to jump as high as you can. Land quietly with soft knees.
Burpee Muscles Worked
Burpees and squat thrusts target your muscles in similar ways. The biggest difference comes from the addition of a push-up when during burpees, which means a lot more work for your upper-body pressing muscles. Another difference in burpee muscles worked is that your lower-body muscles must contract more explosively to propel you into the squat jump.
- Legs: You use your quads, hamstrings and glutes to perform the squat jump at the end of your burpee.
- Upper body: Your pecs, shoulders and triceps are much more involved with burpees than squat thrusts because you perform a full push-up in the middle of each rep in addition to jumping your legs back.
- Core: Your abdominals, obliques and other deep stabilizer muscles help you maintain a proper plank position during your push-up.
Burpee Benefits
1. No Equipment Is Required
Like the squat thrust, you can perform burpees without any equipment. This makes them a good option for people who want an intense conditioning workout but don't have consistent access to weights.
2. They Offer a Full-Body Strength and Conditioning Challenge
Even the most experienced exercisers are often humbled by burpees. There's a reason why they are one of the most hated and controversial exercises at the gym!
It's true that you can get really strong and fit without ever doing burpees. Burpees also aren't a great fit for people with joint issues (more on this below). Nevertheless, if you enjoy the challenge of burpees, there is absolutely value in pushing yourself to get better at them.
Few exercises tax your strength, conditioning and endurance all at once — and within minutes — the way that burpees do. Many people enjoy testing their limits in this way at the gym.
So if you like burpees — or have a love-hate relationship with them — embrace the challenge. Just be sure to pair them with slower paced lifting and cardio workouts for the most balanced results.
3. You Have the Option for More Advanced Progressions
If you've ever gone to a CrossFit class or watched a competition, you might have seen some advanced burpee variations in action. There are many ways to increase the complexity and difficulty of burpees as you get stronger and fitter over time, like doing a burpee into a pull-up or a burpee into a box jump.
Squat Thrust vs. Burpee: Which Exercise Is Right for You?
There are a few key criteria to consider when determining if you should do squat thrusts or burpees during your workout.
First, if you're unable to do at least 10 full push-ups from the floor, you may struggle with burpees and it may be best to stick with squat thrusts for now. Sure, you could muscle your way through burpees with questionable push-up form, but this isn't a great idea for your joints.
Second, if you have a history of knee pain or injuries, proceed with caution before doing burpees. Jumping is not a beginner exercise, and the risk of aggravating your knees can increase under the fatigue that comes along with burpees. Squat thrusts may be a better fit because there's no jump.
Finally, if you struggle with wrist pain, consider holding off on squat thrusts and burpees altogether. There is a high degree of force and impact directed into your wrists during both of these exercises.
When in doubt, always talk with a doctor or physical therapist to determine if a specific exercise is a good fit for you. And remember that you can always modify your exercise selection mid-workout to make things easier or harder.
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