Cathe Friedrich
Administrator
The key is to shoot your legs out wide instead of straight back. This will give you much more stability. A one arm burpee is harder than a regular burpee because you need to be more balanced since you are now performing on three contact points instead of four. In other words, view your body like a tripod since you are only balancing on one arm and two legs. Just the way a tripod needs to spread out and open up to balance on three legs is the same way your body will move. So go down and place your hand down between your shoulder blades at chest height (mid chest just above your upper sternum). Now shoot your legs back into a wide stance, so your arm and legs make the shape of a triangle/tripod. This gives you your best balance.
New one arm burpee "testers" will just thrust their legs out a little bit instead of all the way back. As you get the balance down you can work your way to a bigger thrust back.
Those who get nervous because they feel their upper body strength will not support the one arm burpee can just send one leg back (make sure its the same leg of the arm that is down). So the right hand goes down at mid chest between the shoulder blades and the right leg shoots back (left foot stays in place), then right leg comes back in and both legs jump up while sending the right arm up in the air and land with soft knees so that you can seamlessly continue right down into the floor for the next one. Repeat same way going down with the left arm and shoot the left leg back etc.
New one arm burpee "testers" will just thrust their legs out a little bit instead of all the way back. As you get the balance down you can work your way to a bigger thrust back.
Those who get nervous because they feel their upper body strength will not support the one arm burpee can just send one leg back (make sure its the same leg of the arm that is down). So the right hand goes down at mid chest between the shoulder blades and the right leg shoots back (left foot stays in place), then right leg comes back in and both legs jump up while sending the right arm up in the air and land with soft knees so that you can seamlessly continue right down into the floor for the next one. Repeat same way going down with the left arm and shoot the left leg back etc.
Thanks especially for the description of a one-arm burpee being like a tripod. That makes a lot of sense and is something we can visualize when tackling the exercise. 