Did you know the squat thrust has a history stretching back to the 1930s, was used in military fitness testing, and is actually different from a burpee? The humble squat thrust might look like a simple bodyweight exercise, but there is considerably more to it than meets the eye.
As part of the August Squat Thrust Exercise Challenge, AugThrust, we have put together 31 interesting squat thrust facts covering the exercise’s history, origins, fitness benefits, variations and its sometimes confusing relationship with the burpee.
You will discover who the burpee was named after, what the original Burpee test actually looked like, why squat thrusts became associated with military fitness testing, and why searching for “squat thrust” online can produce several surprisingly different exercises.
Whether you are taking part in AugThrust, learning how to do squat thrusts for the first time, or simply curious about the history behind this classic bodyweight exercise, these 31 facts should give you plenty of “I didn’t know that!” moments.
And if you are taking part in the AugThrust challenge, why not use these facts alongside our 31 Squat Thrust Exercise Tips to learn something new while you work your way through August?
1: The squat thrust predates the modern burpee. 🕰️
The squat thrust movement has a longer history than the modern fitness-class version of the burpee. The two exercises are closely related, but their names and definitions have changed over time.
2: The burpee is named after a person. 👨🔬
The name burpee comes from Royal H. Burpee, an American physiologist who developed a fitness test involving the movement in the 1930s. His surname eventually became the name of the exercise.
3: The original Burpee was a fitness test. 🧪
Royal H. Burpee developed his movement as a quick way of assessing physical fitness, particularly agility and coordination. It was not originally designed as the punishment exercise many people know today.
4: The original movement was much simpler. 4️⃣
The original four-count Burpee involved moving from standing into a squat, extending the feet backwards, bringing them back in and standing again. A press-up was not part of the original movement.
5: A squat thrust is part of a burpee. 🧩
The squat thrust forms the central floor movement of a traditional burpee. A burpee can therefore be thought of as a squat thrust combined with additional movements, depending on the variation being performed.
6: Squat thrust and burpee are not always the same thing. 🤔
The terms are frequently used interchangeably, but they can describe different movements. In the AugThrust challenge, the squat thrust finishes on the floor rather than adding the standing jump associated with a burpee.
7: The original Burpee was only four counts. 🔢
The movement created by Royal H. Burpee was known as a four-count Burpee. Modern burpees can involve considerably more movement, particularly when a press-up and jump are included.
8: The US military adopted the movement. 🇺🇸
Squat thrusts based on the Burpee movement were incorporated into US military fitness testing during the Second World War. The exercise was used because it provided a quick way of testing physical performance.
9: The military test became much tougher. 🎖️
The military later increased the duration of the test dramatically. Historical accounts describe a progression from a 20-second test to a one-minute version, creating a very different challenge from Burpee’s original short assessment.
10: The original inventor actually had reservations about high-volume versions. ⚠️
Royal H. Burpee did not intend his original fitness test to become an unlimited-repetition endurance challenge. Historical accounts report that he considered the military’s later high-volume version particularly strenuous.
11: Squat thrusts test more than your legs. 💪
Although the name starts with “squat”, the exercise also requires your shoulders, arms and core to support your body when your hands are on the floor.
12: Your shoulders can work continuously. 🏋️
Unlike a movement where you stand upright after every repetition, a continuous squat-thrust set can keep your arms and shoulders supporting your body for repeated repetitions.
That makes the exercise particularly demanding as fatigue builds.
13: Your core has an important job. 🎯
The core helps stabilise your trunk while your feet rapidly move between the squat and plank positions.
Good core control helps prevent excessive movement through the hips and lower back.
14: No equipment is required. 🙌
A squat thrust can be performed using nothing more than your bodyweight and enough floor space to move safely.
That makes it particularly useful for home workouts, travel and equipment-free fitness challenges.
15: Squat thrusts can be scaled. 📈
The movement does not have to be all-or-nothing. Stepping the feet rather than jumping them can reduce impact and make the exercise more accessible.
More explosive variations can increase the challenge.
16: A step-back version changes the impact. 🚶
Stepping one foot back at a time instead of jumping both feet backwards reduces the explosive component of the movement.
It is one of the simplest ways to make a squat thrust more accessible.
17: The exercise can become a cardio challenge. ❤️
A single squat thrust is a relatively brief movement, but performing repetitions continuously can quickly raise your heart rate.
That is why squat thrusts are commonly used in conditioning circuits and high-intensity workouts.
18: Squat thrusts combine strength and conditioning. 🔥
The movement requires your body to repeatedly support and reposition itself while also moving quickly.
This combination makes squat thrusts useful in workouts designed to challenge both muscular endurance and cardiovascular conditioning.
19: The exercise has a coordination component. 🧠
Your hands need to remain stable while your feet rapidly change position.
That means a squat thrust is not simply a test of strength or fitness. Timing and coordination matter too.
20: The original Burpee was specifically designed around coordination. 🧠
Royal H. Burpee’s original test was intended to provide a quick measure of agility and coordination as well as physical fitness.
21: The press-up is not essential to a squat thrust. 🚫
A traditional squat thrust does not require a press-up between the plank and squat positions.
Adding a press-up turns the movement into a different, more demanding variation commonly associated with the burpee.
22: The jump at the end is not essential either. 🦘
A squat thrust can finish without jumping vertically. Adding a standing jump increases the explosive component and is one reason the burpee is generally perceived as a more demanding variation.
23: “Half burpee” is another name for the movement. ½
Squat thrusts are often called half burpees because they share the central floor movement of a burpee but omit some of the additional movements.
The terminology is not completely standardised, which explains why different fitness programmes can use the names differently.
24: The internet has a squat-thrust identity crisis. 🌐
Search for “squat thrust” online and you will often find exercises that include a press-up, vertical jump or both.
There is genuine variation in how the terms are used, which can make identifying the exact movement surprisingly difficult.
25: Squat thrusts have appeared in fitness testing for decades. 📋
Versions of squat thrusts and burpees have been used in physical fitness testing and training since at least the 1940s, including military and athletic settings.
26: The movement is older than CrossFit. 🏋️
CrossFit helped make burpees hugely visible in modern fitness culture, but the movement’s history goes back several decades before CrossFit existed.
The original Burpee test dates to the 1930s.
27: Squat thrusts can be surprisingly space-efficient. 📐
You do not need a running track, weights or a large gym floor to perform them.
A small area of clear floor can be enough, making squat thrusts particularly practical for short home workouts.
28: The movement takes you from horizontal to vertical movement patterns. ↕️
A squat thrust repeatedly changes your body position between a floor-based plank position and a compact squat position.
That rapid transition is one reason the exercise feels much harder than its simple appearance suggests.
29: Speed is not the only way to make it harder. ⚙️
You can increase the challenge through faster repetitions, more repetitions, shorter rests or more explosive variations.
You do not necessarily need to add weights to progress the movement.
30. The squat thrust is essentially a bodyweight movement laboratory. 🧪
One exercise combines squatting, jumping or stepping, plank stability, shoulder support, core control, coordination and repeated changes in body position.
That is a lot of work from one deceptively simple movement.
31. The squat thrust has been through quite an evolution. 🔄
What began as a simple fitness assessment movement in the 1930s became part of military testing, evolved into numerous squat-thrust and burpee variations, and eventually became a staple of modern fitness training.
Not bad for four simple counts. 🏆
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Frequently Asked Questions About Skipping
A squat thrust is a bodyweight exercise in which the feet move rapidly between a squat position and a plank or prone-support position. In the AugThrust version, the exercise remains on the floor, without the vertical jump associated with a burpee.
The burpee is named after Royal H. Burpee, an American physiologist who developed a four-count movement as part of a fitness assessment in the 1930s.
Not necessarily. The terms are often used interchangeably, but a squat thrust generally refers to the floor-based portion of the movement, while a burpee can add a standing position, a jump and, in many modern versions, a press-up.
Squat thrusts combine repeated lower-body movement with upper-body support, core stabilisation and cardiovascular conditioning. They can therefore be used as part of bodyweight strength, conditioning and fitness workouts.
Yes. Squat thrusts can be modified by stepping the feet backwards and forward rather than jumping. This reduces the explosive component and makes the movement more accessible.