If the thought of spending time on the treadmill scares you, we’ve got the good news: Running isn’t the only form of cardio that burns fat and burns calories. Often favored to be easily accessible and relatively inexpensive, the average person will burn between 85 and 140 calories per mile, or between 280 and 520 calories per 30 minutes of running.
That said, if you can’t run because of an injury, or you just don’t like it, there are plenty of other forms of cardio that are equally, if not more, effective, according to Dan Harris, personal trainer. To Direct electric bikes. So take your Fitness tracker, dig your jumping rope and get ready to sweat.
- Cardio exercises that burn more calories than running
- 1. HIIT workout – up to 450 calories in 30 minutes
- 2. Cycling – up to 600 calories per 60 minutes
- 3. Trampoline – up to 1000 calories per 60 minutes
- 4. Indoor rowing – up to 662 calories per 60 minutes
- 5. Jump rope – up to 375 calories per 30 minutes
Cardio exercises that burn more calories than running
Do you hate running? Instead, add these killer cardio exercises to your routine.
1. HIIT workout – up to 450 calories in 30 minutes
High-intensity interval training, or HIIT as it’s often called, is a series of short periods of exercise, followed by a period of rest. A typical HIIT workout will include burpees, high knees, medicine ball slams, and mountain climbers.
As your heart rate continuously increases and decreases throughout its duration, the calories burned are often high. Unless you’re in a Barry’s class, when you go for a run you will usually continue to move at a constant pace, keeping your heart rate relatively stable and thus burning fewer calories.
Plus, a large portion of the calories burned is excessive post-exercise oxygen uptake, or EPOCs. EPOC relates to the number of calories the body burns after training as it tries to heal the wear and tear. Since HIIT by its nature has a very high impact, calories burned after training are often high. Here’s our guide to the best HIIT workouts for beginners you can do at home.
2. Cycling – up to 600 calories per 60 minutes
If running takes too much of a strain on your joints, cycling is another great way to burn calories. While a gentle bike ride around the park is likely to burn around 364 calories per hour, an intense spin class can burn up to 600 calories per hour.
Cycling has a much lower impact on your joints, which means you can often go on for longer. A 2014 study by the University of North Carolina compared competitive cyclists and runners who exercise for two and a half hours for three days. The study found that runners had 87% more muscle pain and 133% more muscle damage over a 48-hour recovery period compared to cyclists. Discover our selection of the best exercise bikes.
3. Trampoline – up to 1000 calories per 60 minutes
You may not have been on a trampoline since you were a kid, but just ten minutes of bouncing can burn as much fat as 30 minutes of running. On average, men will burn 12.4 calories per minute while jumping on a trampoline, and women will burn 9.4. Research by NASA also found that the trampoline can build more bone and muscle mass than running, due to the increase in G-force when you bounce.
Before you start buying a trampoline, let’s talk about technique. To optimize your calorie burn, Harris recommends that you stay on the soles of your feet, lean forward, and bend your knees. Bounce deep into the trampoline and squeeze the core. This ensures that all the muscles in the body are used.
4. Indoor rowing – up to 662 calories per 60 minutes
Indoor rowing is fast becoming one of the most popular ways to train in the gym and at home, with brands like Peloton rumored to add a rower to their collection. This is great for people who sit all day, as it requires them to sit with their backs straight while running. (Here are the best exercises if you sit all day). Additionally, if your technique is correct it can also be a full body workout as rowing targets hamstrings, glutes, quads, core, lats, shoulders, back. , triceps and biceps. It’s also less impactful than going for a run.
If sitting on an indoor rower for an hour seems as hellish as trudging on a treadmill, try joining your local rowing club.
5. Jump rope – up to 375 calories per 30 minutes
Another one that you may not have done since you were on the playground, rope jumping is a great way to improve coordination, balance, endurance, and circulation. Thanks to the recent trend of skipping TikTok, more of us are investing in one of the best skipping ropes, or by adding a weighted jump rope for a more intense workout.
Skipping burns 30% more calories than running, but if 30 minutes of jumping seems too hard, Harris recommends mixing it up as part of a HIIT or circuit routine.
It’s important to note here that exercise isn’t just about burning calories or losing weight. Exercise releases endorphins that improve your mood, promote better sleep, can help reduce health problems, and have a positive impact on your mental health. For a workout routine to hold, you have to take advantage of it, so if you prefer hiking, yoga, or Pilates to any of the exercises mentioned above, that’s fine too!
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