Most days, I want to get in and out of the gym as efficiently as possible. Sometimes that means focusing on a slow and controlled strength training sesh, and other times, it means getting my heart pumping, body sweating, and calories burning as fast as I can. Whether you’re squeezing in a session between meetings or trying to maximize a short window in your day, knowing which workouts are most aligned with your goals can help you make the most of every minute. If your goal is calorie burn (and that’s just one piece of the fitness puzzle!), the best calorie burning exercises can help you optimize your time and effort.
The thing is, certain workouts are way better at calorie-torching than others. While cardio often gets the credit as the ultimate burner, there’s more to the story—and the sustainable effects of strength training for weight loss might just surprise you.
It’s true that people tend to expend more calories while doing cardio, like running or jumping rope, compared to lifting weights, says Laura Miranda, CSCS, DPT, a physical therapist and fitness coach. “But anaerobic workouts (think weights) keep our excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC), or post-workout calorie-burn, going from hours to days,” she explains.
Meet the experts: Laura Miranda, CSCS, DPT, is a strength and conditioning specialist and founder of Pursuit. Jennifer Jacobs, CPT, is a personal trainer, creator of Beachbody’s Job 1, and founder of the J Method. Gabbi Berkow, CPT, RD, is a personal trainer and registered dietitian. Noam Tamir, CSCS, is a strength and conditioning specialist and founder of TS Fitness.
The reason weight training has a prolonged calorie-burning effect? When you work at that higher intensity, your body takes in more oxygen afterward to recover and repair muscles, Miranda says. By choosing exercises that ramp up that after-burn effect, “you get more bang for your buck in the long-term,” she says. “Muscle is the most metabolically active tissue, so the more of it we have, the more effective we are at burning calories all day long.”
And while the number of calories burned is an important part of weight loss, remember it’s only part of the equation. “Calories won’t measure the amount of strength you gain, your progress, or your improved endurance and stamina,” says Jennifer Jacobs, CPT, creator of Beachbody’s Job 1 and founder of the J METHOD.
Here’s what to know about the workouts with the highest calorie burn and how to up that number in any session, according to trainers.
Best Calorie Burning Exercises
TL;DR: Jumping rope boasts the highest calorie burn. You can torch up to 495 calories jumping rope for 30 minutes. But, it’s not the only worthwhile workout option if your goal is to maximize calories burned. The list below ranks the top 9 trainer-backed weight loss exercises by calories burned according to estimates by the American Council on Exercise. (FYI: The range of calories burned used for this list is s estimated for a 125 to 185-pound person.)
1. Jumping Rope
Calories burned: 667–990 calories/hour (at 120 skips per minute)
Yep, this blast from your playground past is a total torcher. Plus, “jumping rope is great for developing coordination, calf and ankle strength, core strength, posture, and cardiovascular endurance,” says Gabbi Berkow, CPT, a personal trainer and nutritionist. “It also helps build bone density, which guards against bone loss, osteoporosis, and bone loss.”
Ideally, the best way to start jumping rope is to start with a slow and sustainable pace, in 20- to 30-second intervals, Berkow suggests. Once you’ve mastered that flick-of-the-wrist and your footwork timing, work on increasing your speed and duration to burn more calories.
For a full-body workout challenge, give this calorie-torching jump rope workout from Carrie Underwood’s trainer a try. (It helped her score those iconic legs!)
Bonus burn: Use a weighted jump rope to engage your arms and shoulders even more.
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2. Running Sprints
Calories burned: 639–946 calories/hour
Whether you’re on a tread, at a track, or on the sidewalk, charging ahead at top speeds during a sprint workout is guaranteed to rev that inner engine.
“Sprinting is a maximal effort that requires a lot of power from your glutes and hamstrings,” says Berkow. By alternating between maximal efforts and recovery periods, you build cardiovascular endurance and promote fat-burning, she adds.
To make the most of your efforts, “you want to sprint at a pace you can only maintain for about 20 seconds,” Miranda says. “Follow that with a recovery run at half of the intensity but double the time.”
Bonus burn: To kick up the heat, take your sprints up a hill or up stairs and you also fight against gravity, which increases the intensity even more. Miranda recommends starting with 10 to 15 stairs at a time. Once you’ve found your groove, you can even take two steps at a time to amp up the power required of each stride, suggests Berkow.
3. Kickboxing
Calories burned: 582–864 calories/hour
“Kickboxing works your upper body and core without a lot of impact to your legs, so it’s great if you can’t jump or have knee pain while jumping,” says Berkow. Plus, kickboxing has been shown to improve cardio, strength, agility, balance, coordination, upper body fitness, and aerobic power, per research published in Muscles, Ligaments, and Tendons. And, let’s be real: Hitting something is seriously stress-relieving.
Bonus burn: Turn up the intensity by resting for just 30 seconds for every 90 seconds of sparring.
To get started, you’ll want to learn common boxing moves (like jabs, crosses, uppercuts, and hooks) and be ready to incorporate squats, lunges, and ducks.
Pro tip: Learn the handwork before you start the footwork, and decrease rest times between sets.
4. Indoor Cycling
Calories burned: 568–841 calories/hour
“Cycling is great for no-impact cardio and for strengthening your knees and hamstrings,” says Berkow, making it an excellent form of cardio if you have knee pain when running or jumping, or are recovering from knee issues. In addition to improving both aerobic and anaerobic function, doing intervals on an exercise bike has also been shown to be particularly effective for reducing body fat, per research published in the Journal of Education and Training Studies.
For best results, “make sure you maintain good posture (chest up, shoulders back and down, and a flat back) as you cycle,” says Berkow. From there, “adding sprint intervals at fast paces and recovery intervals and a moderate pace will burn more calories and yield a greater after-burn than a steady state ride.”
Bonus burn: Try an instructor-led spin class to guarantee you’ll hit those intervals hard. If cycling alone, alternate between one minute of high-intensity effort and 30 seconds at a calmer pace.
5. Running
Calories burned: 566–839 calories/hour (10-minute mile pace)
One major reason running is such an effective weight loss exercise? In addition to working the large muscles in your legs, it’s high-impact. “You have to push your body weight off of the ground with every stride,” says Berkow.
If you’re just getting started (or if running at a steady pace bothers your ankles or knees), opt for intervals, alternating running with light jogging or walking. “If you are new to running, use a 1:2 work to rest ratio, or recover for twice as long as you run,” Berkow says. Or, give yourself the goal of running a half-marathon or full marathon to make those miles really count.
Bonus burn: Run at a strong, steady pace (a seven out of 10 effort), and you’ll continue to burn extra calories over the rest of the day.
6. Kettlebell Circuits
Calories burned: 554–822 calories/hour
Haven’t hopped on the KB train yet? “Kettlebell circuits or complexes (sequence of movements you perform without putting your weight down) are my favorite calorie-burning exercise because they work both strength and cardio,” says Berkow. “You’re lifting weights in a way that keeps your heart rate up the whole time, so you build muscle and burn fat!”
Yep, working with kettlebells consistently has been shown to both improve overall strength and boost your metabolism, according to findings published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research.
The key to KB success: “Include a squat, swing, push, pull, and core move in order to work your entire body,” says Berkow. Personal trainer Noam Tamir, CSCS, recommends alternating between upper- and lower-body movements so you can keep going for longer before fatiguing.
Want to really work your abs? Check out these kettlebell moves:
If you’ve never done a kettlebell complex before, try this: Perform a kettlebell deadlift to squat clean, then a kettlebell push press, and repeat. (You can also pick and choose some other moves from the best kettlebell exercises.)
Bonus burn: Perform your kettlebell magic high-intensity interval training-style (HIIT), working for one minute, resting for 30 seconds, and repeating.
7. Rowing
Calories burned: 481–713 calories/hour (150 watts, which you can check on the machine)
Because rowing engages both your cardiovascular system and major muscle groups, it’s a highly effective full-body workout for fat loss and muscle-building. “Rowing works your entire body—glutes, hamstrings, back, core, hips, and arms,” says Berkow. “It’s great for strengthening your posterior chain, a.k.a., the back of your body.”The result: Rowing can help you shed body fat and rev your metabolism, according to research published in the Annals of Rehabilitation Medicine.
Of course, proper form is key (and easy to miss): As you start each pull, “your legs push back first, then your torso leans back to about 45 degrees, and then your arms pull into your chest,” Berkow says. To reverse the movement, your arms reach forward past your knees, then you hinge your torso forward, and then your legs return to the starting position.” And while rowing might look like a mostly upper-body movement, the majority of the work—about 60%—comes from your legs!
Bonus burn: For maximum torching power, alternate super-fast, one-minute rowing intervals with 30- to 60-second active rest periods of squats, pushups, and planks.
8. Loaded Kettlebell Carries
Calories burned: 476–705 calories/hour
“Kettlebell (or dumbbell) carries are one of the best exercises you can do for your core and posture,” says Berkow. Kettlebell carries are a total-body move and can help build serious strength, especially if you keep upping your weights over time.
To really burn calories, “your weights should be heavy enough that you feel like you have to lead with your glutes,” Berkow says. “Hold the weights at your sides with shoulders down and back, chest open, lats engaged, abs tight, glutes squeezing, and shoulders and hips square.”
Bonus burn: Try Miranda’s 3-in-1 carry burner by walking as far as you can with weights extended up overhead, then as far as you can with weights on shoulders, and then as far as you can with weights down at sides. Rest for a minute, then repeat.
9. Stairs
Calories burned: 452–670 calories/hour (77 steps per minute)
If sprinting up stairs just doesn’t appeal (or sounds like a banged shin just waiting to happen), you can walk your way up and still burn the calories necessary to support weight loss.
“Stairs burn a ton of calories and work your legs and hips, which are muscles that really need to be strengthened after sitting all day,” says Berkow. In addition to promoting fat loss, stair-climbing can help lower cholesterol and boost your anaerobic fitness, according to research published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.
Whether you’re working the StairMaster or running steps around town, à la Rocky, stair-climbing forces you to work against gravity and strengthen your muscles.
Bonus burn: To up the ante, hold light dumbbells in each hand to get your upper body fired up, too. Or, start taking two steps at a time.
How To Burn More Calories In Your Workout
The number one way to burn more calories is to keep moving, says Jacobs. “There’s not one magic exercise, and if there were we’d all know about it and we’d all be doing it,” she says. How long and hard you work plays an important role in torching calories, whether that be cardio or strength training, she explains.
Think about it this way. The more time you spend exercising and the higher the intensity, the more calories you burn during the session.
Time + intensity = calories burned
But that doesn’t mean you need to train for hours on end, stresses Jacobs. “Too much of a good thing isn’t always great, because a longer duration or higher intensity could lead to overtraining and mental burnout.”
Activity beyond your 30, 60, or more minutes in the gym actually matters more. Focus on training efficiently and adding intentional movement into other parts of your day, Jacobs adds. Take a walk after lunch, use the stairs instead of the elevator, or add yoga to your morning routine.
It’s important to note that the amount of time you train is a small fraction of the total calories expended within a day, says Jacobs. When it comes to caloric burn, non-exercise activity thermogenesis (the energy expended for everything we do that is not sleeping, eating, or sports-like exercise) accounts for 10 to 20 percent of your daily energy expenditure, and your basal metabolic rate (the amount of calories your body burns while performing basic life-sustaining functions like breathing, growing hair, and digesting food) accounts for 60 to 70 percent, she explains.
Andi Breitowich is a Chicago-based writer and graduate student at Northwestern Medill. She’s a mass consumer of social media and cares about women’s rights, holistic wellness, and non-stigmatizing reproductive care. As a former collegiate pole vaulter, she has a love for all things fitness and is currently obsessed with Peloton Tread workouts and hot yoga.
Ashley Mateo is a writer, editor, and UESCA- and RRCA-certified running coach who has contributed to Runner’s World, Bicycling, Women’s Health, Health, Shape, Self, and more. She’ll go anywhere in the world once—even if it’s just for a good story. Also into: good pizza, good beer, and good photos.
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