Being fit is an end in itself. That’s what we tell ourselves, right? But if you’re anything like the rest of us, you’re really hoping to lose all those extra pounds, and as quickly as is safe too.
The quickest, safest way to lose excess pounds and get toned is exercise. We’re all so busy, we need to choose the right workouts. To make sure you’re using your time optimally. If you’re ready to learn which sport burns the most calories, read on!
Which Sport Burns the Most Calories?
Get your workout gear on, and get warm. Now, let’s burn some calories, whether you’re at home, in the park, or at the gym. Here comes the list of the best sports for burning fat.
Tennis
Tennis is a great, social sport for anyone not keen on team sports or who get bored by running. The regular short sprints the sport demands will ensure an element of high-intensity interval training, which we’ll dive more into next.
A game of tennis can be a laugh with friends or a chance to bond with a colleague, all while burning around 400 calories an hour. Now, where did you put that racquet?
High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) Gym Workouts
Right – it’s not really a sport. But it is a workout that can practically liquefy excess fat, so let’s talk about it. High-intensity interval training (HIIT) is a workout where you do short bursts of high-intensity cardio or strength exercises, then a brief active recovery, before amping up the intensity again.
Start slow, with shorter classes and then begin to raise the bar. These workouts will leave you drenched in sweat no matter your level of fitness, and you know that’s a great sign for calorie burning. You can do HIIT workouts with friends as a class at the gym, or take some kettlebells to the park and make your own circuit.
Because this workout is so intense, you’ll only need about 30 minutes of it a few times a week to see results. You can burn around 9-13 calories a minute during the workout.
CrossFit
Finally, gym junkies can call what they do a sport! CrossFit is a big fitness fad, but not without reason. Lifting heavy weights and pounding the gym floor with each box jump and burpee will chalk up around 500 calories in 30 minutes.
You can find a CrossFit group at most gyms these days. It’s a good idea to have a strong fitness base before you start though, to protect your back and joints from higher-stress CrossFit activities. Consider mixing up a weight-program with a bunch of gym classes every week for a month or so before you dive into CrossFit.
Rowing
You can get into rowing on a machine at your local gym, or, if you’re lucky enough to live near a river with a rowing club, sign up there. The gym option is an advantage in bad weather, but what could beat having sunrise all to yourself while paddling about out there on the water?
If you’re working it hard, you’ll burn in the region of 700 calories an hour rowing. If you’re on a rowing machine, type in your stats like age and weight to get a more precise reading of how many calories you’ve burned.
Swimming
Picture an Olympic swimmer – male or female. What do you see? Lean bodies with an even distribution of muscles, right?
Swimming can be a relaxing, almost meditative sport since you’ve got to focus on so much at once. From the position of your body in the water, your movements, breathing and getting it all together in the right rhythm, you’re unlikely to get bored or distracted.
For the same reason, it’s a winner for burning calories – roughly 700 an hour. It won’t put stress on joints thanks to the buoyancy of water but it will offer plenty of calorie-burning resistance to sprints.
If self-motivation is an issue for you, sign up for squad so you have more reason to get up and get o the pool, and more motivation to push yourself to your upper limits once you get there.
Cycling
Make friends with two wheels if you’re ready to burn calories. Whether out in fresh air or on a stationary bike in front of the TV, you can burn 600 calories an hour cycling. It’s about more than moving your feet in a circle though – if you’re not sweating, you’re not doing it right.
If you are at home, try working it like an outdoor cycle, by upping resistance every little while and throwing in some 30-second sprints. Cycling can be a Godsend to runners wanting to take the pressure of their knees for a bit without losing their fitness level.
Running
To burn calories, you might just need to get out there and pound the pavement. Running can burn around more than 500 calories per hour, though you might need to start out by intermittently running or jogging and then having walk breaks.
Work to shorten the periods you are walking until you can complete the full hour running. You can find a bunch of couch-to-5km programs online and even as audio tracks to help you out.
Why Pick One?
You’ve got a list here of some sports that really pack a punch when it comes to burning calories. But to get (and keep) the weight off, you need to consistently shock your metabolism. Instead of asking which sport burns the most calories to only focus on one, why not mix up different kinds of fitness activities every week?
Challenge a group of friends or family to a fundraiser fun-run or mini-triathlon. You can share time while training together each week, focusing on good health. Maybe even bet on an event together – read more here if that sounds like you.
At the end of all that work you’ll have a personal best race time, and most likely a new, lean and toned body to boot! If you enjoyed this article, check out other great fitness articles at our blog right here.
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