The 14 Best Calorie-Burning Exercises

For most of us, that one hour we get in the gym at our boot camp could be all the activity you are getting, so you definitely want to make sure that it is worth your time, right? Okay, but you've heard some people say cardio is the ultimate calorie-burner, while other swear by weight lifting—so what the heck gets you the most burn for your buck? (HELP!) To set the record straight: it is true that we tend to expend more energy in the moment when doing cardio, but the reason weight training has such a prolonged calorie-burn effect is because the greater the intensity, the more oxygen your body will need post-workout to recover and repair your muscles. Exercises that enhance that afterburn effect will get you more bang for your buck in the long term. Muscle is the most metabolically active tissue, so the more of it we have, the more effective we are at burning calories all day long. Here are a few other very effective ways to torch those calories & how many you can potentially burn /hr:

1. Jump rope - Burns 667 to 990 calories /hour

2. Stair sprints - Burns 689 to 946 calories /hour (max effort)

3. Kickboxing - Burns 584 to 864 calories /hour

4. Stationary bike - Burns to 479 to 738 calories /hour

5. Running - Burns to 566 to 839 calories /hour

6. Kettlebell circuit - Burns 554 to 822 calories /hour

7. Rowing machine - Burns 481 to 713 calories /hour (at a high intensity)

8. Strength training - Burns 341 to 504 calories /hour

9. Battle Ropes - Burns 285 to 425 calories /hour