Exercises that burn the most calories include high-intensity workouts like biking, jogging, or running. Compound exercises engage multiple muscle groups to burn calories while building strength.
The more effort you put in, the higher the calorie burn. You can do many of these exercises at home without any special equipment.
Which Exercises Burn the Most Calories?
High-intensity cardio typically burns more calories than light- or moderate-intensity cardio.
Here’s how many calories you might burn per exercise in 30 minutes, based on an average 150-pound person:
| TYPE OF ACTIVITY | CALORIES BURNED PER 30 MINUTES |
| Sprinting (10 miles per hour) | 640 |
| High-intensity interval training (HIIT) | 353 |
| Jump roping | 300 |
| Biking (10 miles per hour or faster) | 287 |
| Running (5 miles per hour) | 287 |
| Swimming (slow freestyle laps) | 248 |
| Rowing (moderate-intensity) | 102-205 |
| Skierg (moderate-intensity) | 102–205 |
| Kettlebell circuit with light weights | 107 |
Does Strength Training Burn Calories?
Strength training builds muscle and protects against bone density loss as you age.6 It might help burn calories since muscle burns more calories than fat.7
Moderate strength training slightly affects the calories you burn from your muscles. Adding strength training to your cardio exercises can still burn calories.8
Examples of Compound Exercises
Compound exercises require you to use more than one muscle group at a time. They burn many calories because they take more work to complete than other exercises.
Each compound exercise incorporates a strength exercise (e.g., planks) and movement to get your heart pumping.
1. Planks
Follow these steps to get into a front plank
- Lay on your stomach on the ground.
- Place your hands right underneath your shoulders, and engage your abs.
- Lift your torso off the ground. Be sure to keep a flat back as you pull your toes toward your shins.
You can also try plank variations like hip raises, rainbow planks, or side-plank lifts. Adding more work with these variations can burn more calories.10
2. Squat to Press
Follow these steps to do a squat to press:
- Hold a weight in each hand and stand with your feet shoulder-width apart.
- Bend your elbows at a 90-degree angle and face your palms inward.
- Slowly lower into a squat position with your weight over your heels and your chest up. Hold for two seconds.
- Push through your heels to stand up straight while raising your weights toward the ceiling.
- Repeat for your desired number of reps.
3. Renegade Row
Follow these steps to do a renegade row:
- Start in a plank position.
- Keep one weight in each hand to support you.
- Lift one arm against your body, leading with your elbow that’s bent at a 90-degree angle to mimic a rowing motion.
- Hold for two counts. Engage your abs and keep your hips as even as possible.
- Lower back down to where you started and then repeat on the opposite arm.
4. Stairs (With Weights)
Try climbing the stairs instead of using an elevator or escalator whenever possible. Climbing stairs uses nearly 8-10 times the calories you burn at rest.13
Try adding weights to strengthen your muscles. Follow these steps for a weighted stairs workout:
- Carry light weights in each hand.
- Climb five or more flights of stairs going up and down the stairs in your home, using a stair stepper in a gym, or finding a location with many flights of stairs to climb.
- Rest for a few minutes, and then repeat for your desired number of reps.
5. Jump Lunges
Follow these steps to do jump lunges:
- Start with your feet together and elbows bent at a 90-degree angle.
- Lunge forward while keeping your chest up. Make sure that your weight is on the heel of your front foot.
- Jump straight up as you raise your hands to the ceiling while keeping your elbows bent.
- Land in a lunge with your opposite foot forward.
- Repeat on the opposite foot, alternating sides for each rep.
Factors That Impact Calorie Burn
The number of calories you burn depends on several factors, such as
- Age: You lose muscle mass as you age, which slows the speed at which you burn calories while exercising.
- Body weight: The number of calories you burn while exercising increases with weight. People who weigh more need more energy for physical activity.
- Duration and intensity: Slow walking will burn fewer calories than walking at a moderate speed.
- Muscle mass: Muscle burns more calories than fat. People with more muscle may burn more calories at rest and while exercising.
- Sex: Menburn more calories than women while doing the same exercises. Men typically have more muscle and weigh more than women.
Medically reviewed by Amy Kwan, PT
Tips To Get More Out of Your Workout
Here are a few ways to maximize your exercises to boost how many calories you burn:72
- Add weights to build muscle
- Climb the stairs whenever you can
- Listen to upbeat music to raise the intensity of your workouts
- Make exercise fun by bowling, swimming, or walking with your loved ones
- Move quickly to increase your heart rate
- Try pacing while you talk on the phone or take walk breaks while you work
- Use a smartwatch or wearable device to keep track of your steps
