What Exercises Burn the Most Calories?

The answer to that question is a bit complex, as the calorie burn of any exercise depends on several factors including the intensity, duration and the amount of weight a person is carrying. This is especially true for cardio exercises that elevate the heart rate.

Calories burned during exercise are also affected by the amount of time a person spends working out, their age and metabolism and their genetics. Some exercises are more calorie-intensive than others, but the most effective way to lose fat is to combine a variety of exercise routines that include both cardio and strength training.

Running, High-Knee Jogging, Jump Rope

The most calorie-torching workouts are ones that use your whole body and elevate the heart rate, such as running, high-knee jogging, jumping rope, cycling, swimming and weightlifting. All of these exercises have many benefits, including helping a person to build strong bones and muscles, improve balance and flexibility and reduce stress levels.

Running

According to Healthline, a 155-pound person can burn over 800 calories per hour running at a moderate pace of 6 miles per hour. A 185-pound person can burn nearly 900 calories running at a more vigorous pace of 7 miles per hour.

Cycling

While it doesn’t burn as many calories as running, cycling is a gentler cardio workout and helps to strengthen the knees and hamstrings. It also doesn’t put as much impact on the joints, which is great news for people who have arthritis or other joint issues.

Interval Training

HIIT is a type of exercise that includes short bursts of intense activity followed by periods of rest. It can increase a person’s metabolism even after the workout ends and may burn more calories than longer, lower-intensity exercise routines.

Rowing

Like cycling, rowing is a low-impact form of cardio that’s good for strengthening the knees and hamstrings. Research suggests that you can burn around 400 calories an hour while rowing at a moderate pace. But if you push yourself and do intervals, the calorie burn will skyrocket, Clayton says.

Skipping

The cardio benefits of skipping are similar to jumping rope, but it involves more muscle involvement. A 155-pound person can burn up to 700 calories an hour performing 30 minutes of skipping at a moderate pace.

Weightlifting

Another total-body exercise that’s a calorie-torching workout, weightlifting can help to burn up to 112 calories in a half-hour. To maximize the calorie burn, try adding resistance with weighted balls or dumbbells.

Cross Chops

Using a weighted ball or dumbbell, hold it at chest height and extend your arms. Then bend both your knees and pivot feet to the side, lowering the ball toward your left shin. Repeat on the other leg, rotating to the right.

These movements can be done on a regular or specialized cross-trainer to target specific muscles and burn more calories. If you don’t have a cross-trainer, try using a free weight or barbell.

These calorie-torching exercises are easy to do at home or in the gym, and can be performed by people of any fitness level. The most important thing is that you keep it challenging and don’t let boredom set in.