A burpee is an intense full-body exercise that combines several movements into one fluid motion. You start standing, drop down into a squat with your hands on the ground, kick your feet back into a push-up position, do a push-up, jump your feet back toward your hands, and then leap up with your arms overhead. All of that counts as one burpee.

Physical education teachers and coaches love burpees because they work your arms, legs, chest, and core all at once while getting your heart pumping fast. Soldiers and athletes use them for conditioning because you can do them anywhere without any equipment. A set of ten burpees will leave most people breathing hard and sweating.

The exercise was invented in the 1930s by a physiologist named Royal Burpee (yes, that was his real name!). He created a simpler four-count version as a fitness test. Over time, people added the push-up and jump to make it more challenging.

When your gym teacher announces burpees, you might hear groans because they're genuinely tough. But that difficulty is exactly why they're so effective at building strength and endurance quickly.