Maddie Curious as to what exercises burn the most calories? In this post we’ll go over the top fat-burning cardio and strength exercises!
Many of us want the most bang for our buck during our workouts, so here we are providing a game-changing list of what exercises burn the most calories!
While all 49 of these fat-burning exercises are great to try in a gym, many of them can also be performed in the comfort of your own home. There are tons of different exercise options below, so we’re confident you’ll find something that fits you!
This post is all about what exercises burn the most calories.
*Note: This post includes several Amazon affiliate links, which means I’ll receive a commission if you purchase through my link (at no extra cost to you). Please read full disclosure here. Also, I am not a doctor or dietician. I am a personal trainer and powerlifting coach. It’s always best to speak with your doctor before making any changes to your diet and/or lifestyle.
What exercises burn the most calories?
What we’ll cover…
- Calorie-burning cardio exercises
- Calorie-burning strength training exercises
- What are HIIT workouts?
- At-home workouts
- How to effectively structure strength workouts
- Warming up
After reading this post, don’t forget to check out…
4 Valuable Benefits of Resistance Training: Does Weight Lifting Burn Fat?
6 Things You NEED to Know About Working Out at Home for Beginners
6 of the BEST Exercises When Starting Strength Training
7 Awesome Tips You Must Know for Strength Training to Lose Weight
Calorie-burning cardio exercises
All cardio is GREAT for burning calories (even walking)! However, below I’ll list some of the best calorie-burning cardio exercises:
- Running
- Running is regarded as the best exercise for burning the most calories per hour
- Running should be avoided if an individual is overweight or obese
- High intensity interval training (HIIT)
- HIITs are generally a mix of both cardio and strength training
- Rowing
- Swimming
- Swimming is a wonderful (and fun!) low-impact exercise
- Cycling
- Jumping rope
- Boxing
- Inclined walking
- Stairs
- Battle ropes
Calorie-burning resistance training exercises
Firstly, I feel that it’s essential to emphasize the fact that cardio typically burns more calories than strength training does in a single session.
However, weight training is SO important for long-term fat loss; gaining muscle means you’ll increase your BMR over time because muscle tissue burns more calories than fat tissue does. Therefore, it’s a good idea to incorporate both cardio and strength exercises into your routine when wanting to lose fat.
Compound exercises: why are they important?
When strength training to burn calories, it’s crucial to consider compound exercises. Compound exercises (ex. squat) burn far more calories than isolation exercises (ex. bicep curls) do. Therefore, doing lots of compound movements for fat loss is ideal.
In simple terms, compound exercises are those that use more than one muscle group at a time. I will provide examples of compound movements below:
- Squats
- Bench press
- Deadlifts
- Overhead press
- Lunges
- Dips
- Push-ups
- Chin-ups
What are HIIT workouts?
HIIT stands for high-intensity interval training. In a nutshell, HIIT workouts include short bouts of intense cardio lasting up to one minute. During the high-intensity work, the individual is supposed to go all out and give 100% effort. A rest period follows (it could also be lower intensity exercise) and it’s usually very short, but it depends on the person and his/her fitness level. This cycle is repeated multiple times.
Here is an awesome HIIT workout that we put together!
What exercise burns the most calories at home?
If you have access to a gym, you can use a barbell for several of the above exercises such as squats, bench presses, deadlifts, and overhead presses. Though I understand that not everyone has access to a gym, and in that case, you can perform dumbbell or even bodyweight variations of many of these exercises.
Eventually, bodyweight exercises may become too easy. In that case, you can try different variations or invest in some free weights (or a gym membership). Even resistance bands are great for adding in some extra challenge.
We will get into what exercise burns the most calories at home below!
Renoj Resistance Bands
Resistance bands are an awesome but CHEAP way to make your strength exercises more challenging.
If bodyweight movements start to become too easy, try giving these Renoj workout bands a go!
Here are some killer home-friendly exercises!
Dumbbell (DB) compound exercises
- Basic DB squats
- DB goblet squats
- Lying DB press
- DB deadlifts
- DB Romanian deadlifts
- DB standing press
- DB Arnold press
- DB walking lunges
Bodyweight (BW) compound exercises
- BW basic squats
- Wall sits
- Step-ups
- Single leg deadlifts
- BW pulse squats
- Push-ups
- Tricep dips
- BW lunges
- Pike press
HIIT exercises that burn the most calories
You may be asking yourself, what exercise burns the most calories besides running? HIITs are the answer!
Doing HIIT workouts at home is a phenomenal way to burn tons of calories in a short amount of time. They can also be done with minimal equipment which is PERFECT for home workouts.
I put together a killer HIIT workout above, but I’ll also provide some HIIT exercises that burn the most calories here:
- Burpees
- Push-ups
- Inchworms
- Planks
- Air squats
- Jump squats
- Bicycle crunches
- Lunges
- Jumping jacks
- Jump rope
- High knees
- Mountain climbers
- Dumbbell clean and press
- Plank jacks
Choose 5-8 exercises from this list and do each one for 20-30 seconds at max effort. Take a 15-second break between each exercise and repeat. You should complete 4-5 rounds in total.
It’s best if you are able to choose exercises that will create a total-body workout (e.g. avoid choosing leg-only exercises).
Again, HIITs are awesome for getting in a high-quality workout in a short amount of time. You are able to get some strength training in while also getting your heart rate up, and your metabolic rate is actually higher for hours after doing a HIIT.
Overall, they’re a great option for anyone who wants to do effective fat-burning workouts at home!
Polyfit Adjustable Kettlebell
It’s important to have a variety of weights to achieve successful strength workouts. For example, tricep exercises will require a much lighter weight than quad exercises will.
So, check out this awesome adjustable kettlebell by Polyfit!
How to effectively structure strength workouts
I have an entire post dedicated to creating an effective workout routine (for home and gym workouts), so I’ll link that post here.
(RELATED POST: 7 Awesome Tips You MUST Know for Strength Training to Lose Weight)
I’ll do my best to summarize the main points below. Keep in mind that these tips best apply to strength workouts.
- Strength train 2-3x per week
- Start with full-body workouts
- Include 5-8 exercises in each workout
- At least half of those should be compound movements
- Compound (or larger muscle group) exercises should always come first in the workout
- 3 sets of 8-12 reps per exercise is a great place to start
- Rest 30-90 seconds between sets
- Be sure to always apply progressive overload
By following these general rules of effective strength workouts for beginners, you’ll find yourself making progress in the gym as quickly as possible.
So many people have no idea the importance of a quality-structured workout, but it can really make all the difference in the world.
Warming up
Properly warming up before getting into your workout is essential; a good warm-up gets your blood flowing and it also helps to prevent injury. For your warm-up, it is suggested that you do five minutes of low-intensity cardio such as walking. The cardio should be followed by a few dynamic stretches.
Dynamic stretches are also known as active stretches–your joints and muscles go through a full range of motion. Here are a few examples:
- Lunges
- Squats
- Arm circles
- Knee cradle
- Bear crawl
The dynamic stretches you perform should be specific to the body parts that you’ll be working out.
For example, if you have an upper body workout, most of your dynamic stretches should be specific to your upper body.
Warming up doesn’t have to be an inconvenience. Between light cardio and stretches, your warm-up doesn’t need to last longer than 10 minutes.
The takeaway
Your workouts don’t need to be super fancy in order to be effective.
All cardio is great for fat loss. Even something as simple as walking more often can have a huge impact on your weight loss journey.
When your goal is to burn calories through strength training, you’ll want to put your focus on compound exercises and full-body workouts.
HIIT workouts are an awesome option for exercising at home as well. They allow you to gain muscle and improve your cardiovascular fitness and overall health in just 20-30 minutes.
Don’t forget to warm up, though! A proper warm-up decreases your risk of injury and allows for a smoother, more enjoyable workout.
