5 Best Exercises That Burn the Most Calories

Exercises That Burn the Most Calories

Exercises that burn the most calories include cycling, running, and swimming. Compound moves like planks and jump lunges also engage your muscles to boost calorie burn.

What Workouts Burn the Most Calories?

High-intensity cardio typically burns more calories than light- or moderate-intensity cardio.

Here’s how many calories the average 150-pound person might burn during 30 minutes of exercise:

Type of Activity	Calories Burned per 30 Minutes
Sprinting (10 miles per hour)	640
High-intensity interval training (HIIT)	353
Jump roping	300
Biking (10 miles per hour or faster)	287
Running (5 miles per hour)	287
Swimming (slow freestyle laps)	248
Rowing (moderate-intensity)	102-205
Skierg (moderate-intensity)	102–205
Kettlebell circuit with light weights	107

Does Strength Training Help With Calorie Burn?

Strength training builds muscle and helps prevent bone density loss as you age. Muscle burns more calories than fat, which helps increase your overall calorie burn. Moderate strength training slightly affects the calories you burn from your muscles. Adding strength training to your cardio exercises can still burn calories.

What Affects How Many Calories You Burn?

The number of calories you burn depends on several factors, such as:

• Age: You lose muscle mass as you age, which slows how fast you burn calories while exercising.
• Body weight: The more you weigh, the more calories you burn during exercise. People who weigh more require more energy for physical activity.
• Duration and intensity: Slow walking will burn fewer calories than walking at a moderate speed.
• Muscle mass: Muscle burns more calories than fat. People with more muscle may burn more calories at rest and while exercising.
• Sex: Men usually burn more calories during the same exercises compared to women. They often have more muscle mass and weigh more.

What Are Some Compound Moves To Try?

Compound moves involve using more than one muscle group at a time. They burn a lot of calories because they require more effort than other exercises.

Each compound exercise incorporates a strength exercise and movement to get your heart pumping.

1. Planks

Follow these steps to get into a front plank:

• Lie on your stomach on the ground.
• Position your hands under your shoulders, and engage your abs.
• Lift your torso off the ground, keeping your back flat and pulling your toes toward your shins.

Tip: You can also try plank variations like hip raises, rainbow planks, or side-plank lifts. Adding more work with these variations can burn more calories.

2. Squat to Press 

Follow these steps to do a squat to press:

• Hold a weight in each hand, and stand with your feet shoulder-width apart.
• Bend your elbows at a 90-degree angle and face your palms inward.
• Slowly lower into a squat position with your weight over your heels and your chest up. Hold for two seconds.
• Push through your heels to stand while raising your weights above your head.
• Repeat for your desired number of reps.

3. Renegade Row 

Follow these steps to do a renegade row:

• Begin in a plank position, holding a weight in each hand for support.
• Lift one arm, leading with your elbow bent at 90 degrees, simulating a rowing motion.
• Hold for two counts. Engage your abs, and keep your hips as even as possible.
• Lower back down to the starting position, then repeat on the opposite arm.

How To Burn Calories Lifting Weights

4. Stairs (With Weights)

Follow these steps for a weighted stairs workout:

• Carry light weights in each hand.
• Climb five or more flights of stairs going up and down the stairs in your home, using a stair stepper in a gym, or finding a location with many flights of stairs to climb.
• Rest for a few minutes, and then repeat for your desired number of reps.

Tip: Try climbing the stairs instead of using an elevator or escalator whenever possible. It uses nearly 8-10 times the calories you burn at rest.16

5. Jump Lunges

Follow these steps to do jump lunges:

• Start with your feet together and elbows bent at a 90-degree angle.
• Lunge forward while keeping your chest up. Make sure that your weight is on the heel of your front foot.
• Jump straight up as you raise your hands to the ceiling while keeping your elbows bent.
• Land in a lunge with your opposite foot forward.
• Repeat on the opposite foot, alternating sides for each rep.

13 Plank Exercises and Variations To Strengthen Your Core

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Tips for Maximizing Your Workout

Ways to maximize your exercises to boost how many calories you burn include:

• Add weights to build muscle.
• Climb the stairs whenever you can.
• Listen to upbeat music to raise the intensity of your workouts.
• Make exercise fun by bowling, swimming, or walking with your loved ones.
• Move quickly to increase your heart rate.
• Try pacing when you talk on the phone or take walking breaks while working.
• Use a smartwatch or wearable device to keep track of your steps.