Everybody seems to be worried about how many calories they are burning these days. For this reason, a lot of people are always looking for the exercises that burn the most calories.
On top of that, many people want their workout to be as quick as possible. This is understandable too, because we all have busy lives.
A lot of us look at the fat loss results we earn as a direct result of how many calories we burn. We think of it in terms of cause and effect. However, this isn't really the case. It is why a lot of people wonder what exercise burns the most calories, though.
So, what exercise burns the most calories? Well, it really depends.
It depends on the effort that you put in. It depends on the length of your workout. It depends on a whole lot more than those two factors as well!
For you to get the full picture, let's start with how your body burns calories as a whole. Because if you want to look and feel your best, it’s not about how many calories you can burn. Instead, it’s about burning enough calories to put yourself at a sustainable calorie deficit. I’ll explain this in depth later so you know exactly what I mean!
How Our Bodies Burn Calories
Our bodies actually burn a lot of calories every day. I know it might not feel like it, but it’s true.
Between all of the different things we do on a daily basis, the calories we burn add up quickly. Really, there are three main ways that the body burns calories. So let’s take a look at these now!
1. Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR)
This is something that might also be talked about as your basal metabolic rate (BMR). Some people will also refer to this as your resting metabolism. Just know that these are all referring to the same thing.
For most of us, our RMR is responsible for most of the calories we burn every day. Typically, this ends up being about 60% of the calories a normal person burns every day (1).
But, what the heck is your RMR? Well, it's referring to the calories that you burn naturally. If you were to sit on the couch all day, you would still be burning calories. I’m talking about just laying there, not even moving a muscle.
This happens because every tissue in the body burns calories at rest. Some burn more than others, but this is why we burn calories at rest.
While there are more accurate ways to get an idea of how many calories this is, a lot of people take their body weight multiplied by 10. This can at least give you a rough idea of what your RMR may be.
2. Thermic Effect of Food (TEF)
The thermic effect of food also plays a role in the calories we burn every day.
This is the total number of calories that we burn while eating. This includes picking up your food. This includes chewing your food. This even includes digesting your food, and will depend on the food itself.
As an added bit of knowledge, protein has the highest TEF. It takes at least 2-3x more calories to digest and utilize protein than it does for carbs and fats (2)!
Now, with that being said, TEF is only responsible for an average 10% of the calories a normal person burns every day (1).
3. Exercise Activity
Exercise activity is something that can break up into two different categories. Those are intentional exercise and non-exercise activity thermogenesis.
Intentional exercise is the planned activity that you have. This could be resistance training, walking, running, and everything in between. The idea is that you are doing these activities with the intention of exercising your body.
Non-exercise activity thermogenesis or NEAT is your daily movement. Think about bouncing your knee when you’re sitting at your desk. Think getting up and walking to the bathroom during the day. Think talking with your hands. All of these things add up and burn calories.
Your exercise activity as a whole tends to account for about 30% of your total calories burned (1). But again, this is on average. These ranges can vary from person to person.
Now that you know all about the main ways that you burn calories, let’s get back to your original question.
What exercise burns the most calories?
What Exercise Burns The Most Calories?
While there is a lot that goes into which exercise burns the most calories, there's a lot of data that suggest high-intensity interval training (HIIT) burns the most (3).
What is HIIT though?
HIIT is a type of training that includes short intervals of high-intensity exercise with rest or lower-intensity intervals. These rest intervals allow for enough recovery to repeat these high-intensity intervals.
The idea is for your body to adapt to the high intensity, and it can help you begin to recover quicker over time (13). The high intensity also allows you to burn a lot of calories in a shorter amount of time.
There’s even data to support that you can burn as many as 461 calories in a 44-minute HIIT workout (4)!
You can do HIIT with many different exercise types too because it’s a style of training rather than an exercise. So you can do HIIT with weights, running, swimming, biking, and more.
However, I’m not saying that HIIT will actually help you burn the most calories. There are a number of factors that can impact how many calories you burn through exercise.
Things such as workout intensity, duration, and the specific exercises you choose in the workout all play a role.
For this reason, you'll get a wide variety of different answers.
Some people say weight training burns the most. Some people say cardio training burns the most. Some people say other forms burn the most.
Personally, I'd say intensity plays a major role in how many calories you burn. So for whatever exercises you choose, how hard you push yourself will make the biggest difference.
When it comes to intense exercises, there are quite a few. Here is a list of some of the exercises that burn the most calories…
• Swimming
• Jumping Rope
• Long Distance Running
• Kickboxing
• High Impact Aerobics
• Cycling
• Circuit Training
• Playing Sports
1. Swimming
Swimming is an exercise that I don’t believe gets enough credit. The workout that it can put your body through is like nothing else!
In my experience, it’s a fantastic way to burn calories. But in addition to that, it’s a way to get a workout that is easier on your body too! Compared to running, for example, swimming has much less of an impact on your joints.
Swimming has shown to burn as many as 500 calories in a one hour session (5).
2. Jumping Rope
Jumping rope always brings me back to my childhood. Can you say the same? Well, not only is it nostalgic, but it can also be an excellent workout!
It helps to tie in coordination, using multiple muscle groups, and a lot more too!
You can burn nearly 450 calories in about 45 minutes of jump roping (6)!
3. Long Distance Running
Distance running can be another exercise that can burn quite a few calories.
The total calories burned will be largely dependent on a number of things. This includes how fast you run, how long you run for, and the distance that you run.
When we’re talking about marathons, it’s said that the average person burns nearly 2,800 calories (7)!
4. Kickboxing
We've all had times where we could let out a little frustration. Either that, or maybe I'm just a little intense! Regardless, kickboxing is a great chance to blow off some steam and burn calories.
You can get in a great workout by throwing punches, kicking, and more!
Depending on the intensity of your training, it’s said that you can burn between 500-1000 calories in just an hour (8).
5. High Impact Aerobics
A number of different things can fall into this category. I’d even say that these are some of the more creative ways to get your workouts in!
This can include dance classes, plyometric movements, and even aerobics classes. Oftentimes, these exercises are done with a group of others. The community and atmosphere alone can be a great way to stay consistent.
Depending on the style and intensity, an aerobic dance class can help burn as many as 700 calories an hour (9).
6. Cycling
Cycling has become a very popular option when it comes to getting a good workout. The cool thing about cycling is how versatile it can be. For example, you can do it indoors, outdoors, over a long distance, in intervals, and in a number of other ways.
No matter how you choose to cycle, it's an exercise that can burn quite a few calories. Like anything else the number of calories burned looks different for everybody.
A 45 minute ride at 50-75% intensity has been shown to burn nearly 600 calories (10)!
7. Circuit Training
Circuit training is where you alternate between multiple exercises in a row. For example, you might have four exercises that you go through in order for three sets total.
This is a form of exercise that has gotten more popular as time has gone on. With circuit training, you can burn just over 200 calories for every 24 minutes (11). This can also vary from person to person.
8. Playing Sports
There are quite a few different sports that can be great for burning calories. This is especially true if the sport is one that keeps you moving. At the same time though, how many calories you can burn will vary quite a bit.
Sports like tennis, pickleball, basketball, soccer, and many more can be great options. Even just one hour of pick-up basketball can burn as many as 750 calories (12). As an ex-athlete, I'll personally choose sports over other cardiovascular exercises any day!
Burning More Calories Doesn't Mean Better Results
Remember what I mentioned earlier? Burning more calories isn't always going to mean better results. Plus, it all depends on what kind of results you're looking for.
If you're trying to build muscle, you actually don't want to burn more calories per-say. You have to be eating more calories than you're burning. At least, you'll need to eat enough calories and protein to help your body build new muscle.
On the other hand, for fat loss, you don't want to burn too many calories. I say this because your body can lose weight from both muscle and body fat. But, if you're trying to achieve a lean and "toned" look, you want to preserve as much muscle as you can.
Remember when I said that all tissue in the body burns calories at rest? Well, muscle tissue burns more calories at rest than body fat. This can make it easier to stay lean long term. Not only that, but muscle is what gives the body more shape.
How To Burn The Most Calories In Your Workout
I’m going to start this off by calling out the obvious…
If you want to burn more calories in your workouts, then you have to work harder.
This could be lifting heavier weights. This could be hitting more sets or reps. This could be extending your workouts. This could be taking fewer or shorter rest periods. There are endless ways that you can burn more calories.
However, it’s also important that you know why burning calories is so important to you.
Are you wanting to burn calories to lose weight? Are you wanting to burn calories to lose body fat? Or are you wanting to burn calories for another reason? Whatever the case may be, the plan of attack can be different.
Earning the best results is a combination of several variables. Like I said too, burning more calories isn't always the answer. You need to have a solid game plan put together when it comes to your workouts and nutrition.
Obviously, it can be hard to know exactly what to do here. That's why we're here to help! At 1st Phorm, our mission is to help real people earn real and long term results. For that reason, we created the ultimate all-in-one tool to help: the 1st Phorm App.
The 1st Phorm App simplifies the process of earning results so you can focus on what matters most: putting in the work to reach your goals! Inside the app, you'll get access to every tool and resource you need to be successful...
• Nutrition tracking - Log your food & water to stay on track. The 1st Phorm App is connected to a massive food database to make it easy.
• A full library of workout programs catered to help you reach your goals. Choose between at-home programs, weightlifting, crosstraining, and so much more!
• Daily activity and step tracking to set goals and encourage a healthier lifestyle.
• Educational live streams 5x a week that cover a wide variety of topics from nutrition to training and supplementation. Equip yourself with the knowledge to earn and maintain your results long-term!
• Progress & body metric tools to help you measure your progress over time.
...and so much more!
With the premium version of the 1st Phorm App, you'll even get your own advisor! This is a Certified Personal Trainer & Nutrition Coach you can message 24/7. They'll help you make adjustments, answer your questions, and even hold you accountable when you need it most!
Hundreds of thousands of people have already transformed their lives with the 1st Phorm App. You can too! No matter where you're starting from or how crazy your schedule and lifestyle are ... the 1st Phorm App can help you achieve the results you've always wanted.
Download the 1st Phorm App now and get started today!
If you have any questions in the meantime, don't hesitate to reach out.
We have a full team of NASM Certified Personal Trainers and Nutrition Coaches right here in St. Louis, Missouri. Just give us a call at 1-800-409-9732 or send us an email at CustomerService@1stPhorm.com any day from 6 AM to 10 PM Central. We'll be more than happy to help in any way we can!
References:
(1) Popson MS, Dimri M, Borger J. Biochemistry, Heat and Calories. [Updated 2023 Jun 12]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2024 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK538294.
(2) Ravn, Anne-Marie et al. “Thermic effect of a meal and appetite in adults: an individual participant data meta-analysis of meal-test trials.” Food & nutrition research vol. 57 10.3402/fnr.v57i0.19676. 23 Dec. 2013, doi:10.3402/fnr.v57i0.19676.
(3) Falcone, Paul H et al. “Caloric expenditure of aerobic, resistance, or combined high-intensity interval training using a hydraulic resistance system in healthy men.” Journal of strength and conditioning research vol. 29,3 (2015): 779-85. doi:10.1519/JSC.0000000000000661.
(4) Willis, Erik A et al. “Energy Expenditure and Intensity of Group-Based High-Intensity Functional Training: A Brief Report.” Journal of physical activity & health vol. 16,6 (2019): 470-476. doi:10.1123/jpah.2017-0585.
(5) Sidebotham, Charlotte. “Viewpoint: Swimming.” The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners vol. 68,671 (2018): 278. doi:10.3399/bjgp18X696377.
(6) Fountaine, Charles J, and Brad J Schmidt. “Metabolic cost of rope training.” Journal of strength and conditioning research vol. 29,4 (2015): 889-93. doi:10.1519/JSC.0b013e3182a35da8.
(7) Loftin, Mark et al. “Energy expenditure and influence of physiologic factors during marathon running.” Journal of strength and conditioning research vol. 21,4 (2007): 1188-91. doi:10.1519/R-22666.1.
(8) Zohdi, T I. “On the biomechanical analysis of the calories expended in a straight boxing jab.” Journal of the Royal Society, Interface vol. 14,129 (2017): 20170153. doi:10.1098/rsif.2017.0153.
(9) Rixon, Kendall P et al. “Analysis of the assessment of caloric expenditure in four modes of aerobic dance.” Journal of strength and conditioning research vol. 20,3 (2006): 593-6. doi:10.1519/R-16464.1.
(10) Knab, Amy M et al. “A 45-minute vigorous exercise bout increases metabolic rate for 14 hours.” Medicine and science in sports and exercise vol. 43,9 (2011): 1643-8. doi:10.1249/MSS.0b013e3182118891.
(11) Wood, Kimberly M et al. “Dissimilar Physiological and Perceptual Responses Between Sprint Interval Training and High-Intensity Interval Training.” Journal of strength and conditioning research vol. 30,1 (2016): 244-50. doi:10.1519/JSC.0000000000001042.
(12) Shao, Zhigong et al. “Individual characteristics of physical and mental development and their connection with regular physical exercises when playing basketball.” Current psychology (New Brunswick, N.J.), 1-10. 9 Sep. 2022, doi:10.1007/s12144-022-03692-w.
(13) Atakan MM, Li Y, Koşar ŞN, Turnagöl HH, Yan X. Evidence-Based Effects of High-Intensity Interval Training on Exercise Capacity and Health: A Review with Historical Perspective. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021 Jul 5;18(13):7201. doi: 10.3390/ijerph18137201. PMID: 34281138; PMCID: PMC8294064.
