What exercises burn the most calories?
What exercises burn the most calories?
There are countless exercises you can do to burn calories. From cardio exercises like running, swimming and cycling to weight lifting, there’s plenty of choice.
But which exercises burn the most calories?
In this article, we’ll cover some of the best exercises you can do outdoors or from home and give you an indication of how many calories you could lose with each one.
But first…
What factors affect calorie burn during exercise?
How many calories you burn while exercising depends on several factors, including:
- duration of exercise
- pace
- intensity
- your weight and height
A general rule of thumb is that the more you weigh, the more calories you will burn during exercise.
To help you track the exact number of calories burned during a workout, we recommend downloading an app. For some advice on a few different apps, check out this link here!
What exercises burn the most calories?
The following list includes 10 of the top calorie-burning exercises. These exercises burn the most calories per hour. However, please note the calories listed are only an estimate. The exact number of calories you will burn will depend on factors such as exercise intensity, duration, and your weight and height.
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Pushed for time?
You can do exercises that burn lots of calories even if you don’t have much time. The key is to focus on high-intensity workouts that quickly increase your heart rate.
High-intensity interval training, or HIIT, is a popular way to do this. It involves short bursts of exercise at more than 70 percent of your aerobic capacity.
One HIIT method involves alternating between 30-second speed and 1-minute rest intervals. By doing high-intensity workouts, you can burn a lot of calories in 30 minutes or less.
Try these exercises for burning a lot of calories when you’re on a squeezed for time.
High-knee running
Calories burned in 30 minutes: 240 to 355
High-knee running is an intense cardio workout. It increases your heart rate while strengthening your lower body. As high-knee running is a high-intensity exercise it helps burn calories in a shorter space of time.
To do this exercise:
- Run on the spot while lifting your knees as high as possible.
- Quickly move your arms up and down.
Butt kicks
Calories burned in 30 minutes: 240 to 355
Butt kicks are another great cardio workout. A 30 minutes high-intensity routine will burn a high number of calories.
To do this exercise:
- Start by jogging in place, lifting one heel toward your butt at a time.
- Rapidly switch your heels while moving your arms.
Mountain climbers
Calories burned in 30 minutes: 240 to 355
The mountain climber is a cardio exercise that works the entire body, so you’ll burn a lot of calories in a short period of time.
To do this exercise:
- Start in a press-up position. Place your shoulders over your hands.
- Engage your core. Lift your right knee toward your chest.
- Return to the press-up position. Then repeat the exercise with your left knee.
- Increase the intensity when you get used to the movement.
Swimming
Calories burned in 30 minutes: 198 to 294
Swimming is an excellent exercise that gives multiple benefits. As well as improving muscle strength, it also your blood flow, and lung and heart capacity. Thirty minutes of casual swimming burns around the same number of calories as 30 minutes of jogging.
However, swimming is less intense on the body, so it may be a more appropriate exercise for people with joint pains or injuries.
To increase your caloric burn during swimming, you can do laps.
Stationary bicycling
Calories burned in 30 minutes: 210 to 311
As a high-intensity cardio workout, stationary bicycling can burn a significant number of calories in 30 minutes.
You can start with a five-minute warmup and alternate between one-minute speed and two-minute recovery intervals.
See this video for an example.
Sprinting
Calories burned in 30 minutes: 240 to 355
Although running is generally regarded as one of the best calorie-burning exercises, if you don’t have enough time to go on a run, you can shorten your workout into high-intensity sprints. Sprinting will still burn a lot of calories in a short space of time.
Before sprinting, warm up by doing some stretches to avoid injury.
Walking
Calories burned per minute: 3.1 to 4.6
Walking is probably the easiest way to burn calories. It’s also ideal if you’re recovering from an injury.
You don’t have to go outside to walk, as you can walk around our house or in your backyard.
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Running
Calories burned per minute: 10.8 to 16
As we mentioned earlier, running is one of the best workouts for burning calories. The added advantage is it can be done anywhere.
Running improves your muscles flexibility, and increases endurance while burning calories fast.
The faster you run, the more calories you’ll burn.
Jumping jacks
Calories burned per minute: 8 to 11.8
Jumping jacks are another simple cardio exercise that acts as a full-body workout and you can even do it from home.
To do this exercise:
- Stand with your feet together. Place your arms at your sides.
- Jump with your legs shoulder-width apart. Lift your arms over your head and clap as you jump.
- Bring your hands put to your sides as you return to your starting position.
- Repeat the exercise for 10–12 reps.
Jumping rope
Calories burned per minute: 7.6 to 9.8
Exercising using a Jumping rope increases your heart rate and burns calories while building lower leg strength. They’re also a great exercise to do from home as you don’t need much space.
To do this exercise, see an example here.
Other important tips when exercising
If you’d like to do exercises that burn lots of calories, there are a few things to consider.
Adding weight training
Cardio exercises are only one way to burn calories effectively.
While a single cardio session typically burns more calories than a session of weight training, weight training is still essential in order to build and increase your muscle mass.
The more muscle you have, the more calories you burn while resting and sleeping, so it’s really important you don’t overlook strength training.
An exercise program that combines both cardio and weight training is the most effective way to lose calories at all times, not just while you’re exercising.
Remember you don’t have to join a gym to do weight training. You can buy some dumbbells and do your training from home if that’s easier.
Warm up
It’s essential that you always warm up before doing any cardio exercise. This reduces your risk of injury, whilst also increasing your body temperature and blood flow, preparing your body for the more intense exercise to follow.
Speak to a qualified health professional
Before starting a new exercise program, consider talking to a qualified health professional first, to agree on the best and safest workout plan for your individual goals.
If you have any pre-medical conditions, they’ll also be able to advise you if you need to take any special precautions.
When starting a new workout plan, start with:
- simple, basic exercises
- low reps
- low weights
This will minimize your risk of pain and injury and get your body adjusted to the exercises you are doing
You could also consider working with a personal trainer to plan an appropriate exercise routine for your specific goals.
Conclusion
High-intensity (HIIT) exercises are a great way to burn calories fast as they increase your heart rate and consume more energy in a shorter period of time.
However, there are plenty of other simpler and less intense exercises you could consider if you’re just starting out.
The most effective exercise plans combine cardio and weight training workouts as these will not only help you burn calories faster, but turn fat into muscle mass, and help you look leaner.
It’s also essential that you eat a healthy diet if you want to keep those calories off. To learn more about how to eat healthier, check out our article here.
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DISCLOSURE: Some of the links in this article are affiliate links. This means at no additional cost to you, I may earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. These commissions help me create free valuable content like this article. Any representations are aspirational statements only and results are not typical. There is no guarantee that you’ll receive the same results or any results at all. Your results will depend entirely on your work ethic.
