Master Burpees With These 6 Easy-To-Follow Steps

Updated Jan 29, 2025 | 05:00 PM IST

SummaryThe focus here is to do it efficiently and not quickly. If you focus on the quickness, then chances are, you will tire yourself and not even get the most of it. You would also not get up as quickly as you want to. So, it is best to take your time, than to start doing everything quicker and then tire yourself.
How to master burpees

Everyone likes the idea of staying fit, and since summers are approaching too, who does not want a perfect summer's body. One of the exercises, best suited for the most high intensity workout. In fact, this workout is one of the High-intensity interval training or HIIT workout. It is burpees. But, not everyone enjoys doing it.

HIIT are workouts which involves short bursts of exercise at more than 70% of your aerobic capacity. The key here is to focus on high-intensity workouts that increase your heart rate.

Burpee is also a full-body workout, which is why, for some it is something they swear by, while for others, they dread doing even one. Before we delve into why one must do it and how can one do it efficiently, let's know how to master burpees.

Step-by-step method of doing a burpee

  • Start by standing on your feet, shoulder-width apart.
  • Now, squat, place your hands flat on the floor, inside your feet.
  • Now, go into a pushup position, squeeze your shoulder blades, abs, glutes. You can also wider the feet than shoulder-width apart.
  • Bend your elbows, lower your chest, down to the floor. Stay here a while and then press back up into the pushup position.
  • Leap your feet forward back to initial squatting position.
  • Now, jump straight up into the air, powerfully. Then come back on the floor.

How To Do It Efficiently?

The focus here is to do it efficiently and not quickly. If you focus on the quickness, then chances are, you will tire yourself and not even get the most of it. You would also not get up as quickly as you want to. So, it is best to take your time, than to start doing everything quicker and then tire yourself.

When you are on the ground after the pushup position, ensure that your body is straight. You are not lying down. If your core in strong, it will be much easier for you to get up and complete your rep.

Keep your feet shoulder-width-apart, always. This will help you maintain your posture throughout, even when you are on the ground, holding a plank, keep your feet wide enough.

When it is the time to jump, don't just bunny hop, do it well. Make sure you end your burpee with the power move, and that power move is your jump.

ALSO READ: What Are Burpees And How Can They Help?

Who Made Burpees?

The exercise was named after its creator, physiologist Royal H Burpee, who used it as a protocol to test fitness and physical capacity in 1939. He created this exercise as part of his PhD thesis at Columbia University. Later, burpees were used by the US military as a benchmark test for incoming recruits.

However, back then, what he created was a simple burpee, it had four easy steps:

  • Squat down and put both hands on the floor in front of you
  • Pop your feet backward into a plank position
  • Bring your feet back forward
  • Stand back up

There was no pushup in the middle and no jump at the end. This was used to measure an athlete's standing heart rate, and then made to do four burpees and then test to see how long it took them to get their heart rate back to normal. When it was used in the military, it was settled on ten exercises to test which recruits would fit. The test was simple, how many burpees a soldier could do in 20 seconds.

What Are The Benefits?

Burpees are a major calorie burner as it is a full-body workout. It is also a multi-joint, multi-step exercise and enhances body control, coordination, explosiveness, and power, making them an all-around effective workout move.

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5 Pelvic Floor Exercises That Can Transform Your Sexual Wellness

Updated Sep 28, 2025 | 10:12 AM IST

SummaryPelvic floor exercises, or Kegels, are simple movements that strengthen the muscles supporting your bladder, bowel, and uterus. Beyond improving control and core strength, these exercises can also enhance sexual health. Regular practice helps both men and women feel more confident and satisfied in their intimate lives while also supporting recovery after childbirth or prostate surgery, making them a natural way to improve sexual wellness.
Pelvic Floor Exercises That Can Transform Your Sexual Wellness

Credits: Canva

Your pelvic floor muscles do much more for your sexual health than most people realise. These deep muscles support the bladder, uterus, and bowel, but they also play a big part in pleasure, performance, and confidence during intimacy.

Whether you’re healing after childbirth, managing incontinence, or simply aiming to feel more connected with your body, training your pelvic floor is a natural way to improve sexual wellness.

What Is Pelvic Floor Exercise?

Pelvic floor exercises, often called Kegels, focus on strengthening the group of muscles that create a supportive sling for the bladder, bowel, and, in women, the uterus. They are done by contracting these muscles, as if stopping the passage of urine or gas, holding the squeeze, and then releasing. Regular practice can improve bladder and bowel control, enhance sexual health, and aid recovery following childbirth in women or prostate surgery in men.

ALSO READ: Is It Safe To Have Sex With Heart Disease? Expert Tells 5 Things You Should Keep In Mind

Benefits of Pelvic Floor Exercise For Better Sexual Health

Pelvic floor exercises can make a real difference in your sexual life. As per Mayo Clinic, by strengthening the muscles that support the bladder, uterus, and bowel, these exercises improve blood flow and muscle control in the pelvic area. This not only enhances arousal and sensitivity but can also lead to stronger orgasms and better stamina during intimacy. For many people, a stronger pelvic floor helps reduce discomfort, boost confidence, and create a greater sense of connection with their body and partner.

ALSO READ: Can A UTI Cause You Your Limbs? Explains Doctor

5 Pelvic Floor Exercises to Boost Sexual Health

1. Kegel Exercises

How to do it:

  • Squeeze the muscles you use to stop urinating.
  • Hold for 5 seconds, then relax for 5 seconds.
  • Repeat 10–15 times, two to three times daily.
Kegels strengthen the muscles that control arousal and orgasm. With regular practice, they can improve stamina and heighten sexual sensation.

2. Bridge Pose

How to do it:

  • Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat.
  • Lift your hips upward while tightening your glutes and pelvic muscles.
  • Hold briefly, then lower down.
This yoga-inspired movement works your core, glutes, and pelvic floor, which helps support stability and sexual function.

3. Deep SquatsHow to do it:

  • Stand with your feet hip-width apart.
  • Lower into a deep squat, keeping your chest lifted.
  • Engage your pelvic muscles as you come back up.
Squats increase blood flow to the pelvic area and strengthen the lower body, which can enhance sensitivity and arousal.

4. Bird-Dog

How to do it:

  • Begin on your hands and knees.
  • Extend your right arm and left leg at the same time.
  • Hold, then switch sides.
This move improves balance while gently activating the pelvic floor, making it a safe, low-impact option.

5. Pelvic Tilts

How to do it:

  • Lie on your back with your knees bent.
  • Flatten your lower back into the floor by tilting your pelvis upward.
  • Hold for a few seconds, then relax.
Pelvic tilts improve circulation and flexibility in the pelvic area, easing tension and increasing comfort during intimacy.

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Love Playing Football? Studies Show That Footballers Face A Higher Dementia Risk

Updated Sep 28, 2025 | 12:00 AM IST

SummaryRecent large, scale studies reveal that elite male footballers are more likely to develop dementia and other neurodegenerative diseases compared to the general population. The increased risk, largely absent in goalkeepers, points to repeated heading of the ball as the primary culprit. The findings spark urgent questions for football’s future.
Love Playing Football? Studies Show That Footballers Face A Higher Dementia Risk

Credits: Canva

Football, the world’s most popular sport, may come with an invisible cost: brain health. While players are celebrated for their stamina, skill, and longevity on the pitch, research shows that elite footballers are more likely to develop dementia and related neurodegenerative diseases later in life compared with the general population.

The main factor? Heading the ball.

The Swedish Study: What It Found

A major cohort study, published in The Lancet Public Health in 2023, followed 6,007 male footballers who had played in Sweden’s top division between 1924 and 2019. Their health outcomes were compared with 56,168 men from the general population.

  • 8.9% of footballers were diagnosed with a neurodegenerative disease versus 6.2% of controls.
  • Footballers had a 1.46 times higher risk of developing these conditions.
  • Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias were significantly higher among players, with a 62% increased risk.
  • No increased risk was found for motor neuron disease.

Surprisingly, footballers had a lower risk of Parkinson’s disease.

But the most striking finding was the difference between player positions. Outfield players, who head the ball regularly, showed a 50% higher risk compared with the general population, while goalkeepers, who rarely head the ball, showed no significant increase in risk.

This position-based difference strongly suggests that repetitive head impacts, even those not causing concussions, play a central role in long-term brain health risks.

Confirming Earlier Evidence

These Swedish results echo a 2019 Scottish study published in The New England Journal of Medicine, which found that former professional footballers were 3.5 times more likely to die of neurodegenerative disease compared with controls. That study also highlighted that defenders, who head the ball most often, were at the greatest risk.

Together, these studies strengthen the link between heading the ball and higher dementia risk, adding to growing international concern about football’s long-term safety.

Also Read: 21-year-old Billy Vigar Of Chichester City Dies Of Sustaining Brain Injury

Why Football Differs From Other Sports

Sports like boxing, rugby, American football, and ice hockey are already well-known for head injury risks. However, football is unique because concussions are relatively rare (<0.1 events per 1,000 player-hours), yet players repeatedly use their heads to control and redirect the ball.

This creates frequent “sub-concussive impacts”, blows to the brain too mild to cause immediate symptoms but capable of triggering long-term neurodegenerative changes. Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a condition linked to repeated head trauma, has already been identified in athletes from other collision sports. Football’s heading tradition may be creating similar risks.

Changing the Game: Calls for Action

  • Recognizing these risks, football associations have started to act.
  • In the UK, heading is restricted in children’s training sessions.
  • UEFA has issued guidelines limiting headers in youth football.
  • In England, rules now cap the number of high-force headers in training for adult professionals.

Experts, however, stress that these measures may not be enough. Tara Spires-Jones, professor of neurodegeneration at the University of Edinburgh, noted that the stark difference between outfield players and goalkeepers reinforces the link between head impacts and dementia. She emphasized that while sports and physical activity overall reduce dementia risk, avoiding repetitive head injury is crucial for brain protection.

Has Modern Football Changed the Risk?

One question remains: do today’s footballers face the same level of risk as those who played in the mid-20th century?

The Swedish study noted that most players diagnosed with neurodegenerative disease had careers before the 1970s. Since then, major changes have reshaped the sport:

  • Leather balls, which absorbed water and became heavier, have been replaced by lighter synthetic ones.
  • Training methods, tactics, and playstyles have evolved, potentially reducing—or even increasing—head trauma exposure.
  • The modern game involves far more matches and intense training, meaning players may head the ball more frequently over a lifetime.
  • Researchers caution that the long-term risks for today’s players remain uncertain, and ongoing monitoring is essential.

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Should People Suffering From Migraines Exercise? Neurologist Answers

Updated Sep 25, 2025 | 08:25 PM IST

SummaryMigraines are not simple headaches that you can ignore hoping it gets better in sometime. They can cause immense pain, making people dizzy, confused as well as make it difficult to hold conversations. So, keeping these things in mind, is it safe for them to exercise? Here’s what you need to know.
Should People Suffering From Migraines Exercise? Neurologist Answers

(Credit-Canva)

For people who suffer from migraines, even normal activities like concentrating on work, holding a conversation can be difficult. These are things we do not think twice about, however, simply going through these can be a major task for people who suffer with migraines.

So, what about exercising? It is an activity that requires a lot of movements, some of which require you to do movements that jerk your body like jumping jacks. Is it safe for people with migraines to work out? According to Dr Sudhir Kumar, a Hyderabad-based neurologist, the answer is yes.

Getting regular physical activity is hugely helpful for people who get migraines because it can often make your headaches happen less often and feel less painful when they do occur. While a super-hard, intense workout might seem like it would only make your head hurt more, exercising smart and making it a habit can be a very effective way to prevent future migraine attacks. However, there are some things you need to keep in mind before doing so.

How to Exercise Smartly to Prevent Migraines

To get the most benefit from working out and avoid accidentally causing a migraine, people need to be mindful of five simple rules:

Be Consistent, Not Extreme

It's the steady routine that pays off. Doing regular exercise at a medium effort level (moderate intensity) helps keep migraines away. On the flip side, sudden, super-tough, or "all-or-nothing" workouts—like running a marathon with no training—can shock your system and easily trigger an attack. The goal is to build a steady habit, like a morning walk or a bike ride a few times a week, rather than pushing yourself to exhaustion once a month.

Figure Out Your Personal Triggers

Everyone is different, and certain activities might be a trigger just for you. For instance, some people find that lifting very heavy weights causes a headache, while others get one from running outdoors on a very sunny day or simply forgetting to properly warm up their muscles. The best way to understand these unique headache causes is to keep a diary of your headaches and write down what you did right before the migraine started.

Watch the Clock (Timing Matters)

Doing a very intense workout right before bed, late in the evening, can make it hard for you to fall asleep or get good rest. Poor sleep is a well-known migraine trigger, so late-night intensity can create a double problem. To protect your sleep, it's generally best for migraine sufferers to plan their workouts for the morning or during the day.

Pick the Right Environment

Your surroundings can put stress on your senses. To avoid this sensory strain, choose a workout spot that is comfortable. Cool, well-aired rooms with soft lighting are much better than places that are hot, stuffy, or have bright, intense lights that can make your head ache worse.

Try Adding Mind-Body Activities

You can actually increase the headache-fighting power of your physical activity by adding calming practices. Things like yoga, deep breathing exercises, and mindfulness meditation are great because they help you manage stress and relax tight muscles in your neck and shoulders, both of which are common contributors to migraine pain.

Do Aerobic Exercises Help Migraines?

Dr. Sudhir explains that scientific research has repeatedly shown that regular aerobic exercise—that's any activity that gets your heart pumping, like brisk walking, cycling, or swimming—is highly effective. The recommendation is to aim for a moderate effort level, for about 30 to 40 minutes, three times a week. In fact, some studies suggest that doing this type of exercise consistently can reduce the frequency and severity of migraines just as well as certain preventive medications. The very best approach combines this steady cardio with gentle strengthening and stretching exercises for your neck and shoulders.

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