Exercise is essential for maintaining good health. Furthermore, some people also use exercise to burn calories, which can aid weight loss. However, the question arises: which exercise is the most effective for burning calories?
Some sports such as running, cycling, and High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT), are some examples of sports that burn the most calories.
Running can burn the most calories per hour. However, some people may not be suited to running, especially those with knee joint problems.
To do this, you can try other physical exercises, such as HIIT, jumping rope, or even swimming. You can combine or choose the exercises that best suit your needs and health level.
How many calories you can burn during an exercise session is influenced by several factors, such as:
- Duration of exercise
- Intensity
- Weight and height
- Practice pace
In general, the heavier your body weight, the more calories you will burn during exercise.
The sport that burns the most calories
There are several types of sports that burn the most calories, for example running, cycling, gymnastics, jumping rope, swimming, hiking, rowing machines, and many more.
Unfortunately, some people may not have much time to do these exercises. In fact, some types of exercise can usually only be done at a fitness center or gym. But does that mean they can't exercise at all?
Don't worry, you can still do calorie-burning exercise even if you don't have much free time. The key is to focus on high-intensity exercises that quickly increase your heart rate.
HIIT is one of the best exercise options. HIIT involves short bursts of cardio, typically lasting around 10–30 minutes. One popular HIIT method involves alternating 30-second bursts with 1-minute rest intervals.
Regularly doing HIIT can help you burn a lot of calories in 30 minutes or even less. Here are some examples of exercises you can try:
High-Knee Running
High-knee running is a high-intensity cardio exercise. This exercise can increase your heart rate while strengthening your lower body. High-knee running is very beneficial for burning a lot of calories in a short time.
How to do high-knee running:
- Run in place while lifting your knees as high as possible.
- Move your arms up and down quickly.
Estimated calories burned in 30 minutes: 240 to 355.5 calories.
Mountain climbers
Mountain climbers are a cardio exercise that can also be used as a full-body workout . Because this exercise uses your entire body, you'll burn more calories in a shorter amount of time.
How to do mountain climbers:
- Start in a plank position.
- Lock your stomach, then lift your right leg and bring your knee toward your chest.
- Return to the plank position.
- Repeat by lifting your left leg and bringing your knee to your chest.
- Repeat this movement quickly.
Estimated calories burned in 30 minutes: 240 to 355.5 calories.
Walk
Walking is the simplest way to burn calories at home. It's also an ideal exercise if you're recovering from an injury. You can walk around your house or in your backyard.
Walking is the simplest, cheapest, and easiest exercise you can do. It's even highly recommended for people with obesity. If you walk while doing some household chores, you can burn even more calories.
Estimated calories burned per minute: 3.1 to 4.6 calories.
Jumping jack
Jumping jacks are a basic cardio exercise that can help increase your heart rate. Besides being a cardio exercise, jumping jacks are also an excellent full-body workout.
Also read: Benefits of Jumping Jacks for Health
You don't need a special space to do jumping jacks. You can easily do them at home.
How to do jumping jacks:
- Stand straight with your feet together. Keep your arms at your sides.
- Jump with your feet shoulder-width apart. Raise your arms until they are above your head.
- Repeat in quick movements.
Depending on the intensity, jumping jacks can be part of a warm-up, HIIT, or regular workout.
Estimated calories burned per minute: 8 to 11.8 calories.
Jump rope
Jumping rope can increase your heart rate and burn calories, while also helping build leg and lower body strength. Furthermore, it doesn't require much equipment or space; all you need is a jump rope, which is easy to use and store.
Estimated calories burned per minute: 7.6 to 9.8 calories.
Besides doing these exercises, there are several other things you can consider if you want to burn more calories, for example:
Cardio training vs weight training
Cardio exercise is just one way to burn calories effectively. Besides cardio, you can also do weight training or strength training.
Compared to a single weight training session, cardio typically burns more calories per session. However, weight training is essential for increasing muscle mass.
The more muscle you have, the more calories you'll burn at rest. This means your body will burn more calories over time, even while you're sleeping or just sitting at your desk.
Exercise that includes cardio and weight lifting can be an ideal choice for those of you who want to burn more calories while shaping your body.
Don't forget to always warm up before exercising, whether cardio or weight training. Warming up increases body temperature and blood flow, which in turn prepares the body for exercise. Warming up can also reduce the risk of injury during exercise.
If you have ever had an injury, or you have certain health conditions such as arthritis, then don't forget to consult your doctor or personal trainer first , to adjust what form of exercise you can do safely.
If you don't have any special conditions, you can easily do some of the high-calorie exercises mentioned above. To get more motivated, you can purchase some of the exercise equipment you need at SVRG . Let's start exercising and become healthier, starting today!
