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.
If you’d like to know the exact number, work with a personal trainer. They can determine your individual calorie burn during a workout.
HIGH-KNEE RUNNING
Calories burned in 30 minutes:
240 to 355.5
High-knee running is a vigorous cardio workout. It raises your heart rate while strengthening your lower body. As a high-intensity exercise, high-knee running is useful for burning calories in a short amount of time.
To do this exercise: BOLD
Run in place while lifting your knees as high as possible.
Quickly pump your arms up and down.
BUTT KICKS
Calories burned in 30 minutes:
240 to 355.5
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: BOLD
Lift one heel toward your butt.
Repeat with the other heel.
Rapidly alternate your heels while pumping your arms.
MOUNTAIN CLIMBERS
Calories burned in 30 minutes:
240 to 355.5
The mountain climber is a cardio exercise that doubles as a full-body workout. Since you need to use your entire body, you’ll burn a lot of calories in a short period of time.
To do this exercise:
Start in plank position. Place your shoulders over your hands.
Engage your core. Lift your right knee toward your chest.
Return to plank. Repeat with your left knee.
Repeat quickly.
SWIMMING
Calories burned in 30 minutes:
198 to 294
Swimming is a low-impact workout that burns energy while improving muscle strength, blood flow, and lung and heart capacity. Thirty minutes of casual swimming burns about the same number of calories as 30 minutes of jogging.
However, swimming is less stressful on the body. It may be an appropriate exercise if you have joint problems or limited mobility.
To increase your caloric burn during swimming, do laps or water aerobics.
STATIONARY BICYCLING
Calories burned in 30 minutes:
210 to 311
If you have access to a stationary bike, try intervals of high-intensity cycling. 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. Your recovery intervals should be at 5 to 6.
Sprints
Calories burned in 30 minutes:
240 to 355.5
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.
Before sprinting, warm up by doing jumping jacks or high-knee running.
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:
If you’d like to know the exact number, work with a personal trainer. They can determine your individual calorie burn during a workout.
HIGH-KNEE RUNNING
Calories burned in 30 minutes: 240 to 355.5
High-knee running is a vigorous cardio workout. It raises your heart rate while strengthening your lower body. As a high-intensity exercise, high-knee running is useful for burning calories in a short amount of time.
To do this exercise: BOLD
BUTT KICKS
Calories burned in 30 minutes: 240 to 355.5
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: BOLD
MOUNTAIN CLIMBERS
Calories burned in 30 minutes: 240 to 355.5
The mountain climber is a cardio exercise that doubles as a full-body workout. Since you need to use your entire body, you’ll burn a lot of calories in a short period of time.
To do this exercise:
SWIMMING
Calories burned in 30 minutes: 198 to 294
Swimming is a low-impact workout that burns energy while improving muscle strength, blood flow, and lung and heart capacity. Thirty minutes of casual swimming burns about the same number of calories as 30 minutes of jogging.
However, swimming is less stressful on the body. It may be an appropriate exercise if you have joint problems or limited mobility.
To increase your caloric burn during swimming, do laps or water aerobics.
STATIONARY BICYCLING
Calories burned in 30 minutes: 210 to 311
If you have access to a stationary bike, try intervals of high-intensity cycling. 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. Your recovery intervals should be at 5 to 6.
Sprints
Calories burned in 30 minutes: 240 to 355.5
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.
Before sprinting, warm up by doing jumping jacks or high-knee running.