When it comes to burning calories, being efficient means maximizing the number of calories burned in the least amount of time. This allows you to burn more calories overall by packing your exercise and daily activities with high calorie-burning movements.
There are a few key factors that determine how many calories an activity burns:
- Intensity – Higher intensity activities burn more calories per minute
- Duration – Longer activities allow you to burn calories over an extended period
- Frequency – Fitting in multiple activity sessions throughout the day increases total calorie burn
- Body weight – Heavier individuals require more energy (calories) to complete activities
With these factors in mind, the most efficient ways to burn calories will combine high intensity exercises, longer durations, greater frequencies, and utilize body weight.
High Intensity Exercises
High intensity interval training (HIIT) is one of the most efficient ways to burn calories fast. HIIT involves alternating short bursts of max effort with recovery periods. This allows you to raise your heart rate and metabolism in minimal time.
Some great HIIT exercises include:
- Sprints – Run or cycle at max pace for 30-60 seconds, recover for 1-2 minutes.
- Jumping jacks – Go as fast as possible for 20-30 seconds, recover for 10 seconds.
- Mountain climbers – In push-up position, quickly alternate bringing knees to chest for 30-60 seconds.
- Burpees – Do a push-up, jump feet back, stand and jump up.
- Jump rope – Time yourself and jump rope as fast as possible for 30-90 seconds.
Studies show HIIT can burn 25-30% more calories compared to traditional moderate steady-state cardio. It skyrockets your metabolism and continues burning calories even after you’re done exercising.
Aim for 20-60 minutes of HIIT style training 3-5 days per week for maximum calorie burning efficiency.
Longer Duration Activities
While HIIT offers an efficient calorie burn for the time investment, longer duration lower intensity cardio is still recommended for overall health.
The longer you can sustain an elevated heart rate, the more calories you’ll use. Your body will tap into fat stores for fuel.
Some great options include:
- Walking – Burns 200-300 calories per hour
- Jogging – Burns 400-500 calories per hour
- Cycling – Burns 400-600 calories per hour
- Swimming – Burns 400-700 calories per hour
Aim for at least 150 minutes of traditional cardio exercise per week. This equates to 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week. But more is even better for calorie burning.
Going on longer 60-120 minute cardio sessions 1-2 days a week will really boost your calorie burn.
Increasing Frequency
In addition to set exercise sessions, look for ways to increase your general daily movement for more efficient calorie burning. The more often you can get your body moving, the more calories you’ll use.
Simple ways to move more throughout the day include:
- Take the stairs
- Walk during lunch and breaks at work
- Choose to stand when possible – e.g. standing desk
- Park farther away and walk extra distances
- Set reminders to get up and move every 30-60 minutes
- Go for a walk after meals
- Do bodyweight exercises like squats, lunges and pushups in between tasks
Studies show taking an extra 2,000-4,000 steps per day can burn an additional 100 or more calories. It doesn’t seem like much, but these small calorie burns add up significantly over the course of a week or month.
Leveraging Body Weight
Your body weight provides built-in resistance for certain exercises. Using exercises that lift or move your body weight require more energy expenditure from your body.
Bodyweight exercises that maximize calorie burn include:
- Burpees
- Jumping jacks
- Push-ups
- Pull-ups
- Planks
- Squats
- Lunges
High repetition bodyweight circuits are an excellent tool for burning calories efficiently. The more repetitions performed, the greater the calorie burn.
Shoot for 100-500 repetitions per workout, broken into circuits of 10-50 repetitions of 3-5 different bodyweight exercises. Keep rest periods between exercises and circuits short to keep heart rate elevated.
High Calorie Burning Workouts
Putting together optimized workouts that combine HIIT, longer steady state cardio, and bodyweight exercises will maximize the amount of calories burned in a short workout session.
Here are two high calorie burning circuit workout examples:
Workout 1
| Exercise | Reps | Rest |
| Jumping jacks | 50 | 30 seconds |
| Burpees | 10 | 30 seconds |
| Squats | 20 | 30 seconds |
| Push-ups | 20 | 30 seconds |
| Plank hold | 30 seconds | 30 seconds |
Complete circuit 3-5 times with no rest between rounds.
Workout 2
| Exercise | Time | Rest |
| Jog in place | 60 seconds | 30 seconds |
| Bodyweight squats | 30 seconds | 30 seconds |
| Push-ups | 30 seconds | 30 seconds |
| High knees | 30 seconds | 30 seconds |
| Lunges | 30 seconds | 30 seconds |
Complete circuit 3-5 times with no rest between rounds.
These types of high intensity bodyweight circuits can burn 300-500 calories in just 30 minutes when performed at max effort!
Weight Training
Lifting weights builds muscle, and muscle burns more calories at rest than fat. The more muscle you build, the more calories your body will burn on a daily basis.
When it comes to efficient calorie burning workouts, opt for lighter weights and higher reps. Focus on shorter rest periods and circuit style training to keep your heart rate up.
For example, perform 12-15 reps of an exercise then go directly into the next exercise with no more than 30-60 seconds rest between sets. Complete 3 full circuits.
Some great calorie burning weight training exercises include:
- Dumbbell squats
- Dumbbell lunges
- Dumbbell deadlifts
- Push presses
- Bent over rows
- Dumbbell bench press
- Shoulder press
- Bicep curls
- Tricep extensions
Aim for 2-4 days a week of resistance training to build metabolically active muscle and burn extra calories.
Everyday Activities
Aside from dedicated workouts, there are small tweaks you can make to your regular daily activities that will maximize calorie burning:
- Take the stairs – Burns about 10 calories per flight. Take them every chance you get!
- Walk more – Opt to walk to close locations rather than drive. Aim for at least 30 minutes of walking per day.
- Fidget – Tap your feet, pace around, fidget your hands…anything to move more!
- Stand when possible – Burn 20-50 more calories per hour standing compared to sitting.
- Park farther away – And walk the extra distance.
- Workout during TV – Do bodyweight exercises, jog in place, etc. during commercial breaks.
- Walk and talk – Pace during phone calls rather than sitting.
Even small efforts to increase non-exercise activity and daily movement add up!
High Calorie Burning Activities
Some physical activities simply require more energy and burn more calories per hour. Incorporating these into your workouts or leisure time is an efficient way to torch calories:
Calorie Burning Activities
| Activity | Calories Burned Per Hour |
| Running (6mph) | 700 |
| Hiking with pack | 700 |
| Singles tennis | 600 |
| Biking (>10mph) | 600 |
| Basketball | 600 |
| Swimming laps | 550 |
| Rollerblading | 550 |
| Skiing cross country | 550 |
| Soccer | 550 |
As you can see, vigorous activities that involve constant motion such as running, hiking, tennis, basketball and soccer burn the most calories per hour. Work these types of exercises into your routine 1-3 days per week.
High Calorie Burning Work and Chores
You can incorporate physical activity into your everyday work and chores as well. Here are some great options:
- Digging, loading and pushing wheelbarrow
- Shoveling gravel, sand or dirt
- Moving boxes
- Traditional mowing with push mower
- Scrubbing floors
- Washing windows
- Sweeping
- Building fence
- Laying bricks or tile
All of these types of labor intensive tasks burn over 300 calories per hour. Choose active chores over more passive options like using power tools or riding mowers. Get the whole family involved and make it a fun calorie burning activity!
Healthy Eating for Calorie Burning
Aside from exercise, your diet also influences calorie burning. Follow these nutrition tips to maximize the calories you expend each day:
- Eat plenty of protein – Takes more energy to digest compared to carbs/fat.
- Eat spicy foods – Capsaicin can boost metabolism.
- Stay hydrated – Drinking water energizes muscles.
- Consume prebiotics – Improve gut health/metabolism.
- Increase fiber – Uses more calories during digestion.
- Eat more frequently – Keep metabolism fired up.
- Don’t over restrict – Severe calorie deficits slow metabolism.
Focus on whole, single-ingredient foods over processed items. Home cooked meals maximize nutrients for calorie burning.
Supplements that Increase Calorie Burning
Certain supplements may also assist with fat burning and weight loss efforts. Some top options include:
Top Calorie Burning Supplements
| Supplement | Benefits |
| Caffeine | Boosts metabolism and releases fat. |
| Green tea extract | Contains EGCG which increases fat oxidation. |
| Protein powder | Builds muscle and reduces appetite. |
| Conjugated linoleic acid | Decreases body fat percentage. |
| Probiotics | Supports healthy gut bacteria for weight management. |
Aim for recommended doses and consult your doctor before starting any new supplements.
Conclusion
Maximizing calorie burn doesn’t require exhaustive hours of exercise. Using research-backed strategies to incorporate efficient calorie burning activities throughout your day is the most effective approach.
Follow these best practices for optimal fat burning:
- Engage in short, high intensity interval training workouts 3-5 days per week.
- Include longer steady state cardio for at least 150 minutes per week.
- Increase general daily movement and NEAT calories.
- Leverage bodyweight, higher repetition exercises.
- Perform circuit style lifting for muscle building calorie burn.
- Participate in vigorous calorie burning activities.
- Increase activity in work, chores and daily tasks.
- Follow a metabolism boosting diet.
- Consider targeted fat burning supplements.
With consistency over time, these efficient calorie burning tips will maximize your daily energy expenditure, boost your metabolism, and help you shed body fat. The most effective approach combines multiple methods rather than relying solely on one strategy. Find ways to incorporate more movement and activity into your regular routine for sustainable, efficient calorie burning.