If you’re dedicating valuable time in your day to a sweat sesh, chances are you want to know it’s actually worth your time, right? Okay, now raise your hand if you’ve heard different fitness philosophies about the most-effective way to rev your heart rate. Specifically, some people say cardio is the ultimate calorie-burner, while other swear by strength training. Well, it’s time to set the record straight.
It’s true that people tend to expend more calories while doing cardio exercise like running when compared to lifting weights, says Laura Miranda, a doctor of physical therapy, fitness nutrition specialist, and certified personal trainer. “But weights, or anaerobic workouts, keep our excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC), or post-workout calorie burn, going from hours to .” So you shouldn’t count them out entirely when you’re creating a cardio training plan.
The reason weight training has such a prolonged calorie-burn effect is because the greater the intensity, the more oxygen your body will need post-workout to recover and repair muscles, explains Miranda. By choosing exercises that ramp up that afterburn effect, “you get more bang for your buck in the long term,” she says. “Muscle is the most metabolically active tissue, so the more of it we have, the more effective we are at burning calories all day long.”
But yeah, which exercises burn the most calories Unsurprisingly, on a list of the best burners below — ranked in order of effectiveness — aerobic exercise tends to win in terms of immediate results. (FYI: Calorie burn is estimated for a 56-kilo person and a 84-kilo person, according to guidelines from the American College of Sports Medicine. The more you weigh, the more calories you tend to burn on any particular task — but a lot of other factors come in to play, too, so this isn’t an exact science.) But there a quite a few top contenders from the weight category too.
No matter which type of workouts you choose, opt for the “bonus burn” — tips from Miranda and New York City-based trainer Noam Tamir, owner of TS Fitness — to torch even more total calories.
10 Best Exercises For Weight Loss
1. Jumping rope
The burn: 667–990 calories/hour if you’re jumping at 120 skips per minute
The bonus burn: Try using a weighted jump rope to engage your arms and shoulders even more.
2. Running Up Hill/Stair Sprints
The burn: 639–946 calories/hour
The bonus burn: “You want to sprint at a pace that you can only maintain for about 20 seconds, and follow that with a recovery run at half of the intensity of the sprint and double the time,” says Miranda.
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3. Kickboxing
The burn: 582–864 calories/hour
The bonus burn: Make sure you keep the rest periods between rounds of jabs and kicks super short. Aim for 30 seconds of rest for every 90 seconds of sparring.
4. Cycling intervals
The burn: 568–841 calories/hour
The bonus burn: Adding high-intensity intervals throughout a steady-state or low-intensity ride will increase the afterburn even more.
5. Running
The burn: 566–839 calories/hour at a 10-minute mile pace
The bonus burn: Run at a steady-state pace (i.e. a 7 out of 10 in terms of effort), and you’ll continue to burn extra calories over the rest of the day.
To torch more during and after your workout, add short bursts of sprints or faster running into your jog, says Tamir. He recommends keeping a 2:1 work-to-rest ratio to get the most afterburn. For example, if you run for 60 seconds, walk 30 seconds.
6. Kettlebell circuit
The burn: 554–822 calories/hour
The bonus burn: Tamir says that a HIIT circuit using kettlebells can keep the afterburn going for 36 hours after you leave the gym. To get the best results, make sure you’re not stopping to rest between each move.
Tamir recommends switching between upper- and lower-body movements so you can keep exercising for a longer period of time. Try doing a set of kettlebell swings, kettlebell squats, and kettlebell push presses. Then, rest for 15 to 20 seconds after completing the three moves.
7. Stationary bike
The burn: 498–738 calories/hour (at a vigorous pace)
The bonus burn: To get the most afterburn, Tamir says to start with 10 seconds of intense pedalling (100 RPMs or more) and 50 seconds of rest. Then, move to 15 seconds of sprints and 45 seconds of rest, and do 20 seconds of sprints 40 seconds of rest after that. Don’t forget to turn up the resistance as you progress!
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8. Rowing machine
The burn: 481–713 calories/hour at 150 watts, which you can check on the machine
The bonus burn: To get maximum torching power, row in super-fast, one-minute intervals (150 watts), and take 30- to 60-second active rest periods by alternating between squats, pushups, and planks.
9. Loaded kettlebell carries
The burn: 476–705 calories/hour
The bonus burn: Walking with weighted kettlebells forces you to practice strong posture and core control. “My fav method is the three-in-one,” says Miranda. “Start walking with two kettlebells overhead, walk as far as you can until you need to stop. Then, drop the bells to the front racked position and continue walking until you need to stop again. Finally, drop them down to the farmer’s carry position (at your sides), and continue walking as long as you can.” This is one cycle, rest two minutes, then repeat.
10. Stairs
The burn: 452–670 calories/hour when going 77 steps per minute
The bonus burn: To up the ante, hold a two- to four-kilo dumbbell in each hand to get your upper body fired up, too.
Bottom line: Whether you’re working the Stair Master or running steps around town, à la Rocky, stair climbing provides a good mix of aerobic anaerobic exercise.
