What Exercises Burn the Most Fat According to Experts

Basics of fat loss

So, which is better for fat loss: strength training or cardio? Well, you should go with a healthy mix of the two. However, if we’re talking about which of the two has the most significant effect on fat loss, strength training takes the cake. The reason behind this is that your body burns the most fat according to your basal metabolic rate (BMR). Your BMR is a direct product of the amount of lean muscle mass you have in your body.

When done right, strength training will inherently lead to an increase in lean muscle mass over time. As your lean muscle mass increases, so does your BMR, allowing you to burn more calories while at rest. 

The effects of long, low-intensity cardio like running may burn fat and calories, but only for the duration of the exercise. On the other hand, when you create healthy tears in your muscles by resistance training with weights, your body works for up to 48 hours to repair those muscles. So while the old adage of cardio being the key to fat loss may hold true to some extent, strength training can take you to far greater heights in the long run.

So, what exercises burn the most fat?

Despite strength training being the long-term key towards fat loss, cardio and other exercises are still great avenues for burning fat too. Here are some of the best exercises when it comes to fat loss. 

Jumping rope

The calories you burn when jumping rope will vary depending on a few factors, namely:

• Your weight
• The number of jumps you do
• The length of your workout

Typically, if you jump at a rate of 100 jumps per minute for 60 minutes, you will burn an average of 600-900 calories. 

Running at an incline

Running at an incline adds an extra level of difficulty than running on a level surface. You’re going to feel the burn that much more in your calves and your quads as you climb up a hill or on an inclined treadmill. Sprinting will also put your body under much more duress and really squeeze those calories out of you. This exercise can help you burn as many calories as jumping rope at about 600-900 per hour. 

Water polo

Water polo is the sport that is a cross between soccer and swimming. The objective of this sport is to score goals by throwing a ball into the opposing team’s goal post. It’s intense, to say the least, and a whole load of fun. Expect to burn about 500-850 calories per hour of playing. 

Cycling or spinning

Spinning is one of the best exercises in burning fat too. It is an organized sport that focuses on endurance, strength, high intensity, intervals, and recovery. Whether it’s sprints or climbs, this sport is sure to get your heart racing and sweat dripping. An hour of interval training should help you burn about 500-700 calories per hour. 

Rowing

If you’ve ever seen a rower, you’d know that they’re all in fantastic shape. The training and physical strain that comes with rowing are some of the most intense, as it is an incredibly physically demanding sport. However, rowing machines may also provide a similar intensity, depending on how you set them. Rowing targets a large chunk of your body’s muscles, so you’re not only burning calories but gaining strength as well. Rowing burns about 420-600 calories per hour. 

Kettlebell swings

Kettlebells are an extremely flexible piece of gym equipment, and you can use them in a variety of different exercises. One of those is the kettlebell swings. It’s a low impact workout that works your core, glutes, hip flexors, lower back, and hamstrings. Like rowing, swings are a cross between cardio and strength training. Expect to burn about 400-600 calories per hour with this exercise.