Medicine Ball Burpee Toss | Friends

Quick Intro

Two partners stand facing each other, a few metres apart, one holding a light medicine ball. The other partner does a burpee. As they land from the jump and stand steady, the partner with the ball tosses it underhand to them. They catch it, and now the first partner does a burpee, landing to a toss coming back the other way. The pair take turns like this, with the ball always going to whoever has just finished.

How to do a good burpee, from the drop to the floor through the push-up and the jump, is taught at Burpees. This guide covers the toss and the turn-taking: when to release the ball, how to catch it when breathing hard and how to keep the rhythm going safely.

What You’ll Need

A light, soft medicine ball, one to three kilograms.
A clear, non-slip floor with room for both partners to do a full burpee, about two metres each, three or four metres apart.

How It Works

Stand facing each other, three to four metres apart. Partner A holds the ball. Partner B has empty hands.
Partner B does a burpee: drop to the floor, push-up if you include one, feet back in and jump.
As B lands and stands steady, A tosses the ball underhand, a soft arc to B’s chest.
B catches it and holds it.
Now A does a burpee. As A lands, B tosses the ball back.
Continue taking turns for the agreed number of burpees each.

Timing the Toss

Toss to a partner who has landed. Wait until they are standing on both feet with the hands coming up. A ball arriving mid-jump or while they are still getting up is very hard to catch.

Underhand and soft. A gentle, rising arc to the chest is easy to read. A hard chest pass to someone gasping for breath is not.

Hold the ball while you rest. The holder’s job is to watch and toss on time. You are resting until you have tossed the ball, then it is your turn to work.

Keep your own pace. Each person does their burpee at a speed they can keep for the whole set. The toss waits for them, so nobody needs to rush.

How Many

Six to ten burpees each, taking turns. Rest a minute or two and repeat for two or three rounds. The turn-taking gives each person a short break, but burpees are tiring quickly, so keep the sets short at first.

Making It Easier or Harder

Easier: leave out the push-up and the jump and simply stand up from the floor. An even lighter ball also helps.
Harder: a full push-up and a tall jump on every burpee or more burpees each.

Staying Safe

A light, soft ball, since the catcher is tired and breathing hard.
A cleared, non-slip floor for the burpee.
Never toss to someone who has not landed.
Stop if catches start being dropped. It means the fatigue has caught up.

Common Mistakes

Tossing too early. Wait for your partner to land.
Throwing hard. Toss it underhand with a soft arc.
Rushing the burpee to get the ball. Your form matters more than speed.
Holding the breath on the catch. Breathe out as you land and catch.

Getting Better Over Time

Start without the push-up and with a light ball, and learn the timing of the toss. Once both of you can catch cleanly for a whole set, add the push-up, then a taller jump. Count how many burpees each of you does in the set, and aim to keep the catches clean as the number grows.

Fitting It Into a Session

Use it as a short conditioning block in the second half of a session. It is high in fatigue, so it does not need to be long.

Burpees is the solo version.
Echo Burpees has partners take turns copying each other’s burpees.
Work-Rest Relay shares burpees and other moves between partners in turns.

FAQ

Why take turns? Could we both do burpees at once?

Your hands are on the floor in a burpee, so you cannot hold a ball at the same time. Taking turns means the ball always has a free pair of hands to go to.

Can we skip the push-up?

Yes. Agree before you start whether each burpee includes one.

What if one of us is much fitter?

Each person works at their own speed. The fitter partner simply gets a slightly longer rest while the other finishes.

What if the catcher drops the ball?

Pick it up and carry on. If drops keep happening, slow the burpees down or use a softer ball.

Related to Burpees, Echo Burpees and Work-Rest Relay.