12 Exercises That Burn the Most Calories

If you want to get the most calorie bang for your buck, you might want to take up running. Running burns the most calories per hour.

But if running isn’t your thing, there are other calorie-burning exercises like HIIT workouts, jumping rope, and swimming. You can do any combination of these exercises according to your preferences and fitness level.

How many calories you burn depends on several factors, including:

• duration of exercise
• pace
• intensity
• your weight and height

Generally, the more you weigh, the more calories you will burn during physical activity.

Work with a personal trainer if you’d like to know the exact number. They can determine your individual calorie burn during a workout.

Alternatively, you could opt for a calories-burned calculator. Here are a few examples:

• acefitness.org
• calculator.net
• omnicalculator.com
• calories.info

The following table includes the top 12 calorie-burning exercises. These exercises burn the most calories per hour.

Remember, the calories listed are an estimate. Your exact calorie burn depends on factors like intensity, duration, and your weight.

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. High intensity workouts can burn a lot of calories in 30 minutes or less.

Try these exercises to burn a lot of calories when you’re on a time crunch. Or perform them as part of a circuit training routine.

High-knee running

High-knee running is a vigorous cardio workout that raises your heart rate while strengthening your lower body. As a high intensity exercise, it is useful for burning calories quickly.

To do this exercise:

1. Run in place while lifting your knees as high as possible.
2. Quickly pump your arms up and down.

Butt kicks

Butt kicks are a cardio workout, just like high-knee running. You can quickly burn calories within 30 minutes by doing butt kicks at a high intensity.

To do this exercise:

1. Lift one heel toward your butt.
2. Repeat with the other heel.
3. Rapidly alternate your heels while pumping your arms.

Mountain climbers

The is a cardio exercise that doubles as a full-body workout. Since you use your entire body, you burn a lot of calories in a short period of time.

To do this exercise:

1. Start in a plank position. Place your shoulders over your hands.
2. Engage your core. Lift your right knee toward your chest.
3. Return to plank. Repeat with your left knee.
4. Repeat quickly.

Swimming

Swimming is a low impact workout that burns energy while improving:

• muscle strength
• blood flow
• lung and heart capacity

Thirty minutes of casual swimming burns about the same number of calories as 30 minutes of jogging.

However, swimming causes less stress on the body. It may be an appropriate exercise for people with joint pain or limited mobility.

Do laps or water aerobics to increase your caloric burn during swimming.

Stationary bicycling

Try intervals of high intensity cycling if you have access to a stationary bike. As a vigorous cardio workout, stationary bicycling can burn a significant number of calories in 30 minutes.

Start with a five-minute warmup and alternate between one-minute speed and two-minute recovery intervals. On a scale from 0 to 10, your speed intervals should be 7 to 9, and your recovery intervals should be 5 to 6.

Sprints

Generally, running is the best calorie-burning exercise. But if you don’t have enough time to go on a run, you can shorten your workout into high intensity sprints. Your body will rapidly burn calories to fuel your workout.

You can try to do 3 sets of 100 meter sprints 3 times to complete a 30-minute workout, or another form of sprint interval training.

Make sure you warm up by doing jumping jacks or high-knee running before sprinting.

If you’re at home and don’t have gym equipment, you can still do high-calorie-burning exercises.

The HIIT bodyweight workouts listed above can be done at home. Exercises like high-knee running, butt kicks, and mountain climbers require limited space.

In addition to HIIT, the following workouts are excellent for burning calories.

Walking

Walking is the simplest way to burn calories at home. It’s also ideal if you’re recovering from an injury. You can do it around your house or in your backyard, so it’s extremely convenient.

If you do housework while walking around your home, you’ll burn even more calories per minute.

Running

Running is the best workout for burning calories, improving flexibility, and increasing endurance. Since running doesn’t require any equipment, it’s convenient enough to do anywhere.

The faster you run, the more calories you’ll burn per minute.

Aerobic dance

Calorie-burning exercises aren’t limited to running and high intensity training. If you like to dance, you can burn calories by doing a high-energy dance workout at home.

Dancing is cardio exercise disguised as a recreational activity. It’s a fun way to raise your heart rate and burn calories.

Try a popular dance workout like Zumba or Bokwa.

Jumping jacks

Jumping jacks are a basic cardio exercise that raises your heart rate. It also offers an awesome full-body workout. You don’t need much space to do jumping jacks, so it’s easy to do at home.

To do this exercise:

1. Stand with your feet together. Place your arms at your sides.
2. Jump with your legs shoulder-width apart. Lift your arms over your head.
3. Repeat as necessary.

Depending on the intensity, jumping jacks can be part of your warmup, HIIT workout, or general routine.

Jumping rope

Jumping rope increases your heart rate and burns calories while building lower leg strength. Additionally, jump ropes are compact and easy to store. They’re great for people who don’t have much space at home.

If you’d like to do exercises that burn lots of calories, there are a few things to consider.

Cardio vs. weight training

Cardio is just one way to burn calories effectively. Weight training, or strength training, is also important.

Compared to a session of weight training, cardio typically burns more calories in a single session. However, weight training increases muscle mass, which burns more calories than fat.

The more calories you’ll burn at rest the more muscle you have. This means your body will burn more calories over time, even when you’re sleeping or sitting at your desk.

A fitness regimen that includes both cardio and weight training will maximize your individual calorie burn.

Warm up and cool down

Always warm up before doing cardio. This will increase your body temperature and blood flow, which prepares your body for exercise. It also reduces your risk of injury.

Consider doing modified exercises if you have:

• an injury
• limited mobility
• certain health conditions (like arthritis)

Additionally, cooling down is also an important part of your workout. It allows your heart rate to gradually decrease, instead of stopping quickly, which can lead to feeling sick or passing out.

Talk with a doctor, personal trainer, or physical therapist. These specialists can demonstrate how to safely perform calorie-burning exercises and recommend other modifications and moves for your goals.

Before starting a new exercise plan, talk with your doctor first. Your doctor can suggest the best type of exercise for your current health and fitness level. They will also explain any safety measures you should take.

For example, if you have type 1 diabetes, you’ll need to monitor your blood glucose levels during and after exercise.

When you’re ready to start a workout regimen, begin with:

• simple, basic moves
• low reps
• low weights

This will minimize your risk of pain and injury.

Consider working with a certified personal trainer if weight loss is your goal. A personal trainer can plan an appropriate exercise routine for your specific goals and overall health.

Running is the winner for most calories burned per hour. Stationary bicycling, jogging, and swimming are excellent options as well.

HIIT exercises are also great for burning calories. After a HIIT workout, your body will continue to burn calories for up to 24 hours.

If you’d like to start an exercise routine, check with your doctor first. You can also consult a personal trainer or physical therapist for individualized guidance. These specialists can help you exercise safely and effectively.