We're coming out of two years of lock-down, so most people are looking to shed a few Covid
pounds- but what exercises are best for burning calories? Get ready to feel the burn with our
12 best exercises for burning calories enhanced by our official Infographics Weight Loss Tips!
Hiking
Hiking is a great exercise for those who love the outdoors or if you're into urban exploring.
However, don't count on it being the best for shedding pounds because it comes in pretty low
on the calories-per-hour scale. An average hike without too many steep inclines will burn about
350-400 calories per hour. Add some elevation gains to that hike though and you can really
boost the burned calories. Another good tip is to load up a backpack with extra weight,
in the military this is called “rucking” and it's great for building endurance.
Infographics Tip: A great way to burn extra calories on a hike is to find a large animal and
make it angry. Running away from an irritated bear or large elk can easily add hundreds of calories
burned to your hiking workout- and remember the Infographics rule of wildlife safety:
you don't have to be faster than the bear, just faster than your slowest friend.
11. Jogging
One step up from hiking is jogging, which can burn between 400 and 550 calories.
That doesn't really seem fair, because jogging definitely feels like a lot more work
than a pleasurable hike through nature. Trust us, we've checked.
Now the key to a good jog is to keep moving throughout an entire hour's worth of exercise,
that's why you see people jogging in place while waiting for green lights in the city.
Sure, it looks silly, but they're burning calories the entire time-
and like with most exercises the hardest thing to do is start back up when you've stopped.
Make sure you've got good shoes because jogging is a leading source of foot injury- or take a cue
from our ancestors and just jog barefoot. Just make sure you get treated for ringworm after.
Infographics Tip: The hardest part about jogging is staying motivated,
so next time you're out for a jog and feeling like you're losing motivation, snatch the next small
dog you see. Don't worry, you're giving it back at the end of your exercise- but the owner doesn't
know that and will likely provide at least a few miles of motivation for you to keep jogging.
10. Swimming
Yes, we're talking about casual swimming- which amounts to doing some laps around the pool.
An hour of slow but steady laps can burn as many calories as jogging, between 400 and 550 calories.
You might need to head to a public pool though because most backyard and apartment
pools are just too small, or if you're really up hard for moisture you can buy
one of those swimming trainers you can use at home. Treading water is also an excellent
calorie burner, and a fantastic way to get in shape- if you can last the full hour!
Infographics Tip: Swimming's great for losing calories,
but have you tried not drowning? Actively trying to not drown can increase the
calories you burn by two to three hundred per hour, so if you want to really feel the burn
hurl yourself into the nearest riptide or white water rapids and swim for your life!
9. Aerobic Dance
Do you like techno? Do you like dancing? No? Well too bad,
because aerobic dancing is a very efficient way to burn calories and get in shape.
You can top out at almost 600 calories an hour with a vigorous aerobic dance routine,
and as a plus you might even find yourself learning some sweet new moves for the dance floor.
The key to a good aerobic dance is to involve the entire body- this isn't your grandpa's slow
waltz we're dealing with. You're going to be kicking and flailing like VanDamne in his prime,
sweating off the calories. And remember to smile, always smile vigorously!
Infographics Tip: Aerobic dance is no joke-
it's an intense hour long calorie burning session of hotfooting around like a madman.
But it can be hard to stay motivated, so to keep those feet up we recommend you douse the floor
with thumbtacks. You'll be practically hopping to keep those feet up and those calories burning!
8. Rowing Machine
Rowing a boat is hard work and an excellent calorie burner, but if you don't live in the
17th century or are a poor potato farming peasant that can't afford their own boat,
you can just pick up a rowing machine for use at home. This intense upper body workout uses
resistance weights or tension to simulate rowing through choppy waters the consistency of molasses-
and it pays off in spades by burning up to a whopping 622 calories an hour.
Unlike other exercises though, rowing will help you develop better abdominal and arm definition,
so couple it with a weight lifting regime to get absolutely shredded in no time at all.
Infographics Tip: The biggest danger with rowing is the dull monotony of it which can
make it an unappealing and unexciting workout that can really start to feel like a chore. To
keep it exciting, we recommend you get a real boat to row and float it just in front of a waterfall.
Now you'll get all the excitement of rowing desperately for your life and a great workout!
7. Stationary Bicycling
Bicycling is a great workout that absolutely melts calories- up to 622 an hour putting it in range
of a rowing machine for efficiency. However, by simply adding some inclines to your routine you
can dramatically increase the burn. The best thing about a stationary bicycle is that unlike a real
bicycle you can take a route with many inclines and few declines- during which you're not burning
many calories. Plus, you're always only minutes away from home and there's no expensive bike
maintenance to perform- or thieves to steal your brand new bike. Just put on one of your
favorite shows and pedal your way to a slimmer waist and some seriously toned leg muscles.
Infographics Tip: Stationary bikes are convenient,
but to really add calories to that burn use a real bike and square tires.
6. Jump Rope
We all did it in elementary school, and you've seen Rocky do it in pretty much
all of his movies- but turns out that our favorite school age pastime is also one of
the most efficient ways to burn calories. Jump ropes can burn 671 calories an hour
and require almost nothing in startup costs but a few dollars- it's basically
the cheapest form of exercise aside from running or jogging. Plus, jumping rope is an excellent
way to build those calf muscles for all you basketball players trying to get some air.
Infographics Tip: Scorpions!
5. Circuit Training
Circuit training has exploded in popularity lately, and with good reason. It's a full-body
workout that involves many mini-exercises all rolled up into one action-packed hour of calorie
burning sweat. A typical routine will feature sections that focus on each part of the body:
Upper-body, core and trunk, lower-body, and total-body. You can start off with push ups
and bench dips and move on to sit ups and stomach crunches. Then add in some squat jumps and shuttle
runs for your legs, and finish off with some burpees and a brisk jog to bring it all home.
The plus side of circuit training is that you're always doing something new,
and an hour long training session can burn up to 710 calories.
The constantly rotating exercises help keep the training fresh and your mind engaged.
Infographics Tip: A great way to add calories to your routine
is to include resistance that- ha just kidding, the answer is also scorpions!
4. Calisthenics
Calisthenics are exercises that rely on little more than your own body weight, which makes it the
ideal exercise for when you're away from home or a gym, or if you're just plain poor. Routines vary,
and you'll definitely want to either get the help of an expert or watch some good guides
online to avoid the risk of injury. However, when done right calisthenics is both an excellent way
to lose weight and to get absolutely shredded. The humble pullup will burn fat and strengthen
your arms and back, and jump squats will nuke your glutes and thighs. The classic pushup is
a great calisthenic workout and there's a ton of variations to target different parts of the
arm muscles- try diamond pushups in combination with regular pushups to get a great arm workout.
A tough session of calisthenics can burn as many calories as circuit training, up to 710 an hour!
Infographics tip: Calisthenics can feature some exercises that are extremely difficult
for exercise beginners, like the pull up. To help with motivation, hang a solid metal bar off
the ledge of a tall building and do your pull ups there. The threat of imminent death will give you
all the motivation to bust out your first pull up, and slowly your strength will increase until you
can do many more. Or you'll fall to your death. Either way, calories are no longer a concern!
Now we're in the top three best exercises for burning calories.
3. Running
Yes, there's a difference between running and jogging. Jogging tends to keep a slower,
steadier pace that's focused on keeping you moving and is a great way to increase your
aerobic fitness level until you're ready to kick it up a notch. Running though is moving
at a much faster clip, typically around 6.5 to 8 miles per hour. The difference is dramatic,
and you can hit up to 710 calories by running over Jogging- as much as 200 extra calories.
If it seems hard, don't worry because your body is programmed to do it. Back in the savannah,
what made man an efficient predator wasn't claws or fangs- it was our ability to run extremely
long distances without overheating and dying. Early man would simply run their prey to death-
literally- and then run it all the way back home. So start off with some jogging
and soon you'll be hearing the call of your ancestors and running like a pro.
Infographics Tip: Much like jogging, maintaining a run for an entire hour requires a lot of
motivation- specially because to get the full benefit you want to be moving quickly.
So next time you're out for a run and your motivation slips, steal a baby.
Unlike with a pet, the cops will probably get involved and help keep your speed up- plus you'll
be helping them get their daily burn in too showing that you care about our boys in blue.
2. Water Polo
It's the sport of kings- well not really. It's really more like the sport of junior
high school if your high school was rich enough to have a pool. The game is simple:
you toss a volley ball around to your buddies who try to throw it into a net.
The real challenge though comes from the fact that you're constantly swimming,
which is a full-body workout. If you ever wonder why water polo players are shredded like lettuce
mix, it's because water polo is played in deep water and there's no standing up when you're
tired. What it lacks in skill, dignity, popular interest, and clothing, water polo more than makes
up for in sheer calories burned with a whopping 839 calories melting off your body every hour!
Infographics Tip: Add sharks.
1. Kickboxing or other Martial Arts
Martial arts can offer very high intensity workouts, specially if they involve full or
partial contact. Even just a casual spar can shred calories as you're constantly moving,jumping,
attacking, or defending. This is a full-body workout that has the side
benefit of teaching you some great self-defense moves, which puts it at
the very top of our list. A vigorous training session can burn as many calories as running,
but with the bonus of teaching you how to defend yourself. Just make sure you've
gotten a physical checkup first, and that you and your training partner know each other's limits.
Infographics Tip: To get the ultimate workout you're going to have to go beyond the limits
of human endurance- so ditch your training partner and break into your local zoo. Pick
a fight with the biggest animal you can find for a complete and total full-body workout.
Got a fancy event coming up or a hot date and nervous about your weight?
With extreme threat of limb loss, you will quite literally watch the pounds coming off your body,
making this our top choice for immediate weight loss.
Now go watch our I did Pushups for 30 days challenge,
or click this other video instead!