In my post Cardio Workouts and Weight Loss, I discuss the common misconception that exercise is the main catalyst for weight loss, and why focusing instead on your diet is a far more effective approach. Yet, I also state that although it shouldn’t primarily be used for losing weight, cardio can still aid in this process. Therefore, I’ll go over some of the best cardio exercises to burn calories efficiently, which when paired with a good diet, can amplify your daily calorie deficit and help you more quickly reach your weight loss goals.
Jump Roping
Jump roping is a great exercise if you want to burn a lot of calories and have fun while doing so. Although it looks easy, if you’ve ever done it you’ll know that it can get extremely tiring very quickly.
It’s an activity that really elevates your heart rate and takes a toll on your body. Unsurprisingly, this makes it a great option for burning calories at a very efficient rate of 350-500 calories per 30 minutes.
In fact, it’s such a great exercise for weight loss and cardiovascular health that I’ve written an entire post on why you should jump rope.
Boxing
Boxing is an activity that has many benefits. First of all, it’s a very intense form of cardio, and depending on your body weight and level of exertion, you can easily burn 300-400 calories in 30 minutes, if not more.
On top of that, boxing is also very effective for training your strength, endurance, coordination, and agility. Especially if most of your exercise comes from lifting weights, boxing can teach you a very different set of physical skills, such as how to generate quick bursts of power, develop quick reflexes, and stay light on your feet.
Lastly, it’s incredibly fun. I’ve taken several boxing classes, and it was something I really enjoyed. Whether it’s just something different from your normal exercise, an outlet for expressing your anger, or a chance to be like your favorite professional fighter, it’s an activity that consumes you physically and mentally. With boxing, maintaining a high level of exertion isn’t much of a concern, because it’s hard not to give it your all once you get going.
HIIT
HIIT, which stands for high-intensity interval training, is a popular form of cardio that burns more calories in less time than typical stationary, low-intensity forms of cardio you might otherwise do as part of your workout. If you search for HIIT workouts online, you’ll come across infinite variations of it, which is part of its appeal: you can really customize it however you want.
HIIT focuses on alternating between periods of intense, explosive exercise and brief periods of rest, so you have unlimited options as to what kinds of exercises to actually include in the workout. Popular exercises to incorporate include burpees, jumping jacks, mountain climbers, and variations of lunges and squats, among many others.
With so much flexibility, it can be hard to estimate how many calories you’ll actually burn, but it’s not uncommon to burn 400-500 calories in 30 minutes. However, because HIIT can be so exhausting, most people aren’t able to, and also don’t really need to, keep it up for more than 15-20 minutes at a time.
Cycling
Cycling is a terrific, low-impact sport that still manages to be quite effective as a calorie-burning exercise. You can expect to burn calories at a baseline rate of 200-300 calories per 30 minutes from cycling. This is similar to the rate achieved from jogging, but there are many ways to further increase this rate.
If you can maintain a fast pace, alternate between intervals of high and low intensity, or use more resistance, you can easily find yourself burning up to 350-450 calories in 30 minutes.
While you can achieve this with a stationary bike, I particularly like outdoor cycling for a variety of reasons. It gives you a chance to go outside and enjoy the weather, as well as explore different routes and trails. As a result, going for a bike ride can be very interesting, which makes it easier to do it for longer periods of time. In addition, because of the naturally occurring terrain, you’re forced to incorporate periods of high resistance and intensity without needing to make a conscious effort to do so.
Swimming
Like cycling, swimming is another ideal, low-impact exercise for those who either aren’t able to or don’t like to run. Furthermore, it’s also another activity in which the number of calories you burn greatly varies with intensity. Obviously, wading around in the pool won’t do much, but if you’re doing laps vigorously, you can increase this rate to about 300-400 calories per 30 minutes.
With swimming, how much energy you use also depends on the stroke you use. You can burn more calories with butterfly or freestyle than with less intense movements like breaststroke or backstroke.
What Makes Cardio Effective?
While these are my top recommendations for efficient calorie-burning exercises, the truth is that there are many different types of cardio that can achieve the same result. Anything can use up lots of calories if you sustain it for a long period of time and maintain a high overall level of intensity, so it’s really just about finding activities that’ll allow you to more easily satisfy those requirements. In other words, you need to find something you actually like to do.
For example, going for a fast-paced run is one of the most effective forms of cardio for burning calories. However, I find it very difficult to do for long periods of time not only due to a lack of stamina, but also due to a lack of motivation. It’s not an activity that I enjoy, so for me, it’s not the best option for burning a lot of calories. On the other hand, I’d much rather engage in the activities I’ve listed above because in my opinion, they can genuinely be fun and interesting aside from being high-intensity exercises.
You might agree with me, in which case you’ll hopefully find something from this list that proves to be very effective for you. However, if you’re not satisfied with the options here, I absolutely encourage you to keep exploring until you find something you’re consistently willing to engage in and put your best effort into.
