What Is a 6-Count Burpee?

A 6-count burpee is the American military burpee counted in six parts: squat and place your hands down (1), kick your feet back to a plank (2), lower your chest to the floor (3), press back up (4), jump your feet in (5), and stand (6). There is no jump and no clap.

It is the foundational movement of the Busy Dad Program, trained for 40 minutes every week at every level from 1A to Graduation, and the movement most practitioners use to build the conditioning that everything else rests on.

Stripped of the jump, the clap and the flailing, the 6-count is a controlled full-body movement you can repeat hundreds of times with the same form. That repeatability is exactly what makes it useful as a training standard.

Written by Max Edwards, creator of Busy Dad Training · Updated 2026-09-03

6-count burpee: quick facts

Counts per rep

6

Push-ups per rep

1, chest to floor

Equipment

None

Primary muscles

Quads, glutes, hamstrings, calves, core

Secondary

Chest, shoulders, triceps; cardiovascular system

Time per rep

Roughly 4–5 seconds at a steady pace

Difficulty

Beginner-accessible; 50 in 20 minutes is Level 1B, 325 in 20 minutes is Graduation

Weekly volume in BDP

40 minutes (two 20-minute sessions)

How to do a 6-count burpee, count by count

1. 1Counts 1–2: Drop and kick backFrom standing, squat and place your hands flat on the floor (one). Kick both feet back into a plank, body in a straight line, core braced (two). The legs and posterior chain do the work here.
2. 2Counts 3–4: The push-upLower your chest to the floor (three) and press back up to a full plank (four). This is the upper body's turn: chest, shoulders and triceps.
3. 3Counts 5–6: Jump in and standJump your feet back to your hands (five) and stand up tall (six). That is one rep. Call out the count; no jump, no clap, straight into the next rep.

Watch the tutorial

What the 6-count burpee builds

The 6-count's distinction is lower-body endurance and cardiovascular capacity. Two of its three phases are leg-driven, and at the volumes the programme asks for (200 reps in 20 minutes at Level 2A is 400 squats-to-plank-and-back plus 200 push-ups) it produces the kind of engine that most people associate with running or rowing, without leaving a two-metre patch of floor.

It also builds full-body strength and a great deal of work capacity: the ability to keep producing quality reps when tired. Max Edwards reports his resting heart rate falling from about 70 to 45 beats per minute over 18 months of 6-count training. In the language of the programme, 6-counts build engines.

What it does not do as well as its partner movement is build upper-body muscle. One push-up per rep is not enough pressing volume; that is what the Navy Seal burpee, with three, is for.

Navy Seal burpee vs 6-count burpee vs CrossFit burpee

Three movements share the name "burpee" and have very little else in common. The table shows what actually happens in each rep.

How many 6-count burpees should you be able to do in 20 minutes?

Every level of the Busy Dad Program is unlocked by a Landmark Workout: as many 6-count burpees as you can complete in a strict 20-minute window, every count called out. These are the targets.

Fifty in 20 minutes (Level 1B) is a realistic first goal for a sedentary beginner within a few weeks. Two hundred in 20 minutes (Level 2A) is a line many professional athletes could not cross on their first attempt. Graduation is 325, in the same week as 150 Navy Seal burpees.

Common mistakes

• Adding a jump at the topThe military burpee has no jump. It spends energy that should go into the next rep and it makes the count sloppy.
• Worming the push-upHips down first, then chest, is not a push-up. Chest to the floor and back up in a straight line, every rep.
• Feet landing wide or short on count 5Jump the feet all the way back to the hands so you can stand cleanly. Landing short turns count 6 into a good-morning.
• Going out too fastA 20-minute Landmark Workout is paced. Start at a rate you can hold for 20 minutes and let the count climb over months.
• Silent repsCall out all six counts. It sets the rhythm, regulates breathing, and is the standard the benchmarks assume.

Frequently asked questions

What is a 6-count burpee?

A 6-count burpee is the American military burpee counted in six parts: squat and hands down, kick back to plank, chest to the floor, press up, jump the feet in, stand. There is no jump or clap. It is one of the two Sacred Movements of the Busy Dad Program.

What is the difference between a 6-count burpee and a regular burpee?

The gym-class or CrossFit burpee ends with a jump and an overhead clap and often skips the full push-up. The 6-count has a full chest-to-floor push-up, no jump, and a fixed count, which makes it repeatable for hundreds of reps with the same form. It is a training movement rather than a metabolic finisher.

What muscles does a 6-count burpee work?

Quads, glutes, hamstrings and calves from the squat, kick-back, jump-in and stand; core throughout the plank phases; chest, shoulders and triceps from the push-up. Its main training effects are leg endurance and cardiovascular capacity.

How many 6-count burpees should I be able to do in 20 minutes?

The Busy Dad Program's 20-minute benchmarks are: 1 (Level 1A), 50 (1B), 100 (1C), 150 (1D), 200 (2A), 225 (2B), 250 (3A), 260 (3B), 275 (4A), 300 (4B) and 325 for Graduation.

Are 6-count burpees good for weight loss?

They are one of the most time-efficient conditioning movements available: whole-body, high heart rate, no equipment, and easy to sustain for 20 minutes. Combined with a sensible diet, four 20-minute sessions a week is enough vigorous activity to sit inside the WHO's recommended range.

Who invented the 6-count burpee?

The original four-count burpee was devised by American physiologist Royal H. Burpee in 1939 as a fitness test. The US military added the push-up (counts 3 and 4) to turn it into a conditioning exercise, producing the 6-count. Max Edwards built the Busy Dad Program around the 6-count and the 10-count Navy Seal burpee.

Is the 6-count burpee suitable for beginners?

Yes. It is the entry point of the Busy Dad Program: a single rep in 20 minutes qualifies you for Level 1A, and the first real milestone is 50 in 20 minutes. Because there is no jump, it is also easier on the knees and lower back than a gym-class burpee.

What is a 4-count burpee?

The 4-count burpee is Royal Burpee's original: squat and hands down, kick back, jump in, stand, with no push-up. It is a 6-count minus counts 3 and 4. The Busy Dad Program treats it as an accessory movement, not a Sacred Movement.

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