Running isn’t for everyone and if you are not a fan yourself you should know that it is not the most efficient method for burning calories, too. Although the average person burns around 10 calories in a minute of running it can be difficult to make ourselves do it 3 or 4 times a week to achieve good results. If you dread jogging, check out these 10 exercises that rank higher than running when it comes to burning calories and losing pounds.

Exercises that Burn More Calories

1. Kettlebell Swings

This powerful exercise works the whole body, especially the big and important muscles like core, back, chest, glutes, and quads. Kettlebell swings will help you pack on muscle, burn a lot of calories and break down the fat stored in your body. With this workout, you can burn up to 20 calories in a single minute and it will totally send your heart to overdrive – around 93% of its maximum for the course of a 20-minute session. Kettlebells are a great investment for those of you who prefer to work out at home and who want to burn calories like crazy and really sculpt their body and look sexy.

2. Burpees

There is nothing not to love about burpees. You don’t need an equipment to perform them, you can do them practically everywhere and they work and sculpt your whole body. They are one of those exercises that everybody hates but the truth is they offer so many benefits for your health and looks. Burpees are an amazing workout for reducing that stored body fat. An average man of 180 pounds can burn around 1.5 calories per one burpee. This means that if you shoot for doing 10 burpees in every 60 seconds you will burn around 15 calories. Now, that’s a lot of calories! If that’s a lot for you, you can aim for doing at least seven burpees in 60 seconds and you are already burning 10 calories. Why should you aim for doing more burpees at a fast pace? Because burpees will totally speed up your metabolism and will get you stronger. (Source)

3. Jumping Rope

Jumping rope was maybe your favorite childhood playground game but did you know that it is an amazing workout that uses more muscle groups than running? This routine improves your balance and coordination, gets your heart rate up, stimulates your whole body and it can help you burn up to 13 calories per minute with moderate intensity jumping (100-120 skips in a minute). Jumping rope is a cheap cardio workout routine and burns calories very efficiently, especially if you practice drills which require extra effort by using hand and foot skills. Compared to jogging, you would have to run an eight-minute mile to burn more calories than you would work off by jumping rope.  (Source)  

4. Battle Ropes

Compared to various workout styles battle rope training come in first when it comes to the number of burning calories and the oxygen consumption. These exercises seem to be the key to a great workout. Battling ropes will get your heart rate up, boost total oxygen consumption and achieve a calorie burn of around 10.5 per minute.  Battling ropes are one of the best shoulder workouts and result in some amazing fat burn. It is best to do them anytime you want to rev up your heart or at the end of your shoulder lift days. (Source)

5. Tabata Jump Squats

Tabata jump squats are 4-minute miracle exercise that burns major calories during a workout and afterwards. If you do 8 rounds of Tabata jump squats for 20 seconds, separated by 10 seconds of rest you will burn around 13.5 calories in one minute, rev up your heart and double your post-exercise metabolic rate for at least half an hour. Jump squats are an amazing time saver when you try to find excuses to skip training. I can assure you that you’ll feel amazing once you are done. Just remember you should always aim for more height instead of doing more reps.

6. Walking Uphill With a Load

It turns out that hill walking is an amazing way to get your body into shape. Walking uphill is difficult by itself and walking uphill while carrying weight gets even more difficult but is highly beneficial for your overall health. Even though this is a pretty cost effective exercise you will still need a hill and a strong backpack with some rocks, books or beverages inside (add around 10 pounds) and you are ready to head for high altitude. With this workout, you can burn around 400 calories per hour with a moderate walking routine. That is 57 calories more than you would burn on a standard walk without the weight. Over and above, your heart rate will go up, your body will need to work harder and more oxygen will start to flow through your body which will give you an amazing energy boost. Unlike running, walking uphill with a load doesn’t put a lot of stress on your feet and knees. However, you should stretch rightly before your hill walk.

7. Dancing

Dancing is a great way to rev up your heart, build a muscle and get rid of extra body fat. On the plus side, most of the people really enjoy dancing and this means that the likelihood of devotion is high and that is the most important thing in any exercise routine to help you get your body into shape. With an average dancing routine, you can burn around 440 calories in one hour. The number of burnt calories varies depending on the type of dancing you do like ballet, hip-hop, Zumba, Tap, club dancing etc. Whatever is your whim, make sure you hit the floor on a regular basis because dancing is a sure way to kill calories quickly.

8. Roller Skating

Although it seems like an easy workout routine, roller skating provides a very intense calorie burning training and at the same time is way more fun than jogging. On average, rollerblading burns 420 calories per hour. At the same time, this fun activity works most muscle groups (glutes, abs, calves, quads, and arms), increases muscle stamina and gives you energy boost. On the plus side, roller skating causes 50% less stress on the joints compared to jogging.

9. Boxing

Boxing not only makes you feel tough and look fierce but also will make you extra fit. In addition, it is a great sport for mindset and mental toughness (source). One average boxing session burns approximately 720 calories in an hour. Boxing is a two-in-one cardio and strength total body workout that at the same time may help you boost your metabolism and improve your balance, agility and coordination. Primarily focused on your upper body, boxing is one of the best abs workouts, because is downright taxing the core.  Boxing is a never-ending challenge that safely pushes your limits, there is always something new to learn and that means your body will continue improving too. 

 10. Fat-Tire Biking

This is one of the fast-growing cycling sports and there is a strong reason for that. By pedaling this heavy, hard to turn fat-tire bike and tackling different kinds of terrain, you can burn up to 1.500 astonishing calories in one hour, or about 25 calories in a minute. Of course, the number of burnt calories highly depends on your strength, skills, and fitness level. However, it is a hell of a workout you should consider giving a try.

So, which one of these will you try first?

Summing Up

Now you know the other cardio options that burn a lot of calories and you are no longer limited to jogging or elliptical. However, you must remember that to truly speed up your metabolism and see positive changes in your body and muscles you need to make the workout of your choosing a part of a focused exercise and diet plan, like the science-based 3-week diet meal plan.

Krista is a passionate and analytical journalist, always wondering what is her today’s mission in the world. Her life motto is: start your day with coffee, sing your favorite song and find excitement in everything you do. She also loves to read books, watch TV shows, travel to new places, practice yoga, meditate and learn foreign languages. Check her fashion and beauty blog Fashion Corner to find out more about her.

Please Share!