Can’t do burpees? Try these three hip-friendly full-body exercises instead

I run a weekly Circuits Club exercise class and quite a few of my regulars have hip issues and can’t do burpees. Let’s be honest, I don’t know many people who like doing them, but they are an excellent full-body move.

If you struggle with them, too, or maybe avoid them because you hate them (no judgment!), you might like to try my mini workout, below, which has a range of full-body exercises that are just as good for you.

These compound exercises are a really time-effective way to train, because they work multiple muscles at once, as opposed to an isolation move like a biceps curl, which works just one muscle group—in this case, the biceps.

So next time you’re faced with a burpee in an exercise class or when you’re training at home, you can swap them for one of these full-body moves instead.

Three hip-friendly full-body exercises

1. Mountain climber

• Get on your hands and knees with your shoulders directly above your wrists.
• Engage your core then step one foot back at a time so you are supported on your hands and toes, and your body is in a straight line.
• Quickly bring your right knee toward your right elbow.
• Reverse the movement, then repeat with your left leg.
• Continue at pace.

2. Plank jack

• Get on your hands and knees with your shoulders directly above your wrists.
• Engage your core then step one foot back at a time so you are supported on your hands and toes, your body is in a straight line, and your feet are together.
• Jump both feet out to the sides so they land wider than hip-width apart.
• Jump both feet back together.
• Continue at pace.

How to modify: If jumping both feet out at the same time is too challenging, move one at a time.

3. Bear crawl

• Get on your hands and knees with your shoulders directly above your wrists.
• Raise your knees a couple of inches above the mat.
• Move your right foot and left hand forward, followed by your left foot and right hand.
• Continue, so you travel forward, keeping your knees just above the floor.
• Once you have taken three steps forward, reverse the movement back to the start.

No-burpee mini workout

You can string these three movements together into a pulse-raising workout. Just set a timer for three minutes and keep doing 10 reps of each move until it goes off. Do it as a short, standalone exercise snack or as a finisher.