10 Calorie-Burning Exercises to Try This Week

Not all workouts burn the same number of calories—activities like running or high-intensity training push your body harder and use more energy. In addition, the number of calories burned depends on factors like your age, weight, and how hard you are training.

Jump to Key Takeaways.

1. Weight Lifting

Lifting weights builds muscle mass, which burns more calories than fat.

A vigorous 30-minute weight-lifting session can burn about 216 calories for a person who weighs about 150 pounds. Adding strength training to your cardio workout can also increase the calories burned.

2. Jumping Rope

Jumping rope works the upper and lower body and core muscles with resistance. Along with improving heart health and supporting weight management, jumping rope can help you burn more than 260 calories per 30-minute session.

This is more than other activities like:

• Walking
• Swimming
• Biking
• Tennis

3. High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)

High-intensity interval training (HIIT) alternates short bursts of high-intensity exercises with short periods of lower-intensity exercise or recovery. It’s often utilized for its benefits, like:

Due to how the body uses oxygen during recovery, HIIT workouts burn up to 15% more calories than other forms of traditional, steady-rate exercise. Also, this workout can be effectively completed quickly, potentially burning as many as 353 calories per half-hour session.

4. Running

Running is a high-intensity activity that burns up to about 300 calories per 30-minute run at a five-mile-per-hour (mph) pace. If you increase that speed to a sprint faster than 10 mph, you can burn more than 600 calories in 30 minutes.

Running has multiple health benefits, including strengthening muscles, supporting bone density, improving body composition, and potentially protecting against chronic diseases.

5. Biking

Biking typically burns more calories than other activities, depending on speed, effort, incline, and whether you’re using a stationary bike or cycling outdoors. For someone who weighs about 154 pounds, bicycling at a speed of at least 10 mph can burn around 295 calories per 30-minute session.

6. Hiking

Hiking combines aerobic activity and strength training by utilizing different muscle groups. It’s estimated that a 150-lb. person may burn about 210 calories per 30-minute hike.

Research shows that exercising in outdoor spaces may be more beneficial than performing exercise indoors. Outdoor hiking can also improve mood, reduce stress, and boost the immune system.

7. Tennis

Evidence shows that tennis offers both physical and mental health benefits, like a lower risk of developing heart disease, obesity, and depression.

Playing singles tennis for 30 minutes can burn about 200 calories for a person who weighs around 150 pounds. Doubles tennis is also a moderate-intensity activity that’s safe to play daily.

8. Swimming

Because it involves muscular and cardiovascular exertion, swimming freestyle laps at a relatively slow pace can burn around 255 calories per 30-minute session.

Swimming is also easy on the joints, so it’s recommended as a low-impact (but higher-intensity) fitness activity for people recovering from injuries or rehabilitating from a cardiac event, or looking to improve muscle control with Parkinson’s disease and other movement disorders.

9. Stair Climbing

Intentionally climbing stairs counts as a physical activity, and it can burn additional calories if you add weights. Stair climbing can boost your calorie burn by 8 to 10 times, compared to the amount of calories you burn at rest. A 30-minute stair climbing workout may burn about 281 calories for a person who weighs 154 pounds.

10. Dancing

You can burn about 165 calories during a 30-minute dance session, although the exact number may vary depending on the type. Research suggests that dancing supports muscular, heart, and bone health by reducing fat, blood pressure, and LDL (or “bad”) cholesterol levels.

Factors That Impact Calorie Burn

Several factors determine how many calories you burn during a particular workout and at rest. These include:

• Age: Muscle mass naturally decreases as you age, which can reduce the rate at which you burn calories.
• Body weight: People with a higher body weight expend more energy in physical activities than people of average weight or lower, and, in turn, can burn more calories when exercising at a comparable level.
• Muscle mass: Because muscle burns more calories than fat, people with additional muscle mass typically burn more calories.
• Sex: Data suggest that people assigned male at birth burn more calories than those assigned female during the same exercises, likely due to body composition factors.
• Duration, intensity, and type of exercise: The length of time you perform different physical activities will have varying calorie burns associated with them.

Tips for Burning More Calories During Exercise

There are several ways you can increase your calorie burn during exercise, such as:

• Add weights to your activity to help build muscle mass and boost calories burned.
• Keep moving quickly to maintain your calorie burn.
• Take more steps throughout your workout session, like parking your car farther from the gym entrance or taking the long way around the tennis court before a game.
• Wear a smartwatch to track your fitness session, your daily steps, and other health markers.
• Use a playlist with upbeat music to help boost your motivation and fitness intensity.

Other Ways to Burn More Calories Throughout the Day

Small lifestyle changes can add up to more calories burned throughout the day, which can include:

• Stand instead of sitting on the phone or reading work emails, as standing can burn more calories than sitting (186 calories compared to 139 calories).
• Choose the stairs, rather than using an escalator or elevator.
• Check chores off your to-do list like vacuuming, gardening, or raking leaves.
• Limit screen time, as sedentary habits add to less physical activity time.
• Try putting on shoes while standing instead of sitting to get in a quick balance challenge.
• Take regular breaks from work or other activities and use this time to stretch.
• Shop in person, rather than online, to get more steps in.

Key Takeaways

• All physical activity burns calories, but high-intensity exercises like HIIT, running, stair climbing, and weight lifting typically burn more due to increased energy demands.
• These workouts also help build strength, cardiovascular fitness, and other health benefits.
• Always consult a healthcare provider before starting a new fitness routine, especially if you have a health condition or injury.