Spinning has gained a lot of popularity over the past few years for being a fun way to torch major calories. And, true to this, it is believed that you could burn up to 600 calories in an hour long class.
But, group classes, loud pop music, and cycling in one place might not be everyone’s cup of tea. Besides, most classes could get very expensive. Luckily, there are plenty of other exercises out there that you can opt for. Here are a seven exercises that burn more calories than spinning.
1. Rowing
This exercise can be done outdoors or indoors. And, although it looks simple, rowing engages your entire body. This is why it’s a popular exercise for core strength, upper body strength, and back strength.1
An hour of rigorous rowing will help you burn 754 calories approximately. This makes it an excellent alternative to a spinning class.2
2. Skipping
Often dismissed as something that only kids do, skipping is a great way to burn calories. In fact, rigorous skipping burns up to 720 calories an hour depending on your body weight.3
The benefits of skipping go beyond the calorie burn. It also tones your legs and improves coordination and balance.4 Furthermore, certain studies indicate that skipping improves cognitive functioning. Skipping is also a more economical and portable option when compared to spinning.5
3. Battle Ropes
Battle ropes are all the rage in the fitness industry at the moment. And, true to this, most fitness bloggers showcase their battle rope routines on social media platforms. This exercise burns up to 618 calories in an hour depending on the intensity of your workout.
Besides the calorie burn, battle ropes tone your abs, upper body muscles, and glutes. And, they’re easy to customize, so you can incorporate other body weight exercises like squats and lunges in your routine. This makes it a more versatile routine as compared to spinning.6
4. Running
Popular with most fitness enthusiasts, running is a great way to burn 710 calories an hour.7 Besides this, running helps build strong bones, strengthens muscles, improves cardiovascular fitness, and maintains a healthy weight.8 Running is also extremely flexible, giving you the choice to either run outside or on a treadmill.
5. Boxing
Often the workout of choice for most celebrities, boxing’s appeal comes from its health benefits and major calorie burn. An hour of boxing can help you torch up to 800 calories.9
Boxing also helps you improve your posture, hand-eye coordination, balance, and cognitive functioning. Research indicates that boxing offers certain health benefits including a reduced risk of high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, and stroke. To add to this it builds stronger bones and muscles.10
6. Swimming
Apart from being a fun exercise, swimming doubles up as a good resistance workout. In fact, it is believed that resistance training in the water is 12%–14% more challenging than on the land. And, swimming improves flexibility, strength, endurance, muscular balance, and blood circulation. It also releases stress and tension.11
When it comes to calories, vigorous swimming burns upwards of 800 calories an hour. And, if you incorporate the breaststroke, butterfly, and backstroke, then you might burn up to 900 calories.12
7. Burpees
An integral part of most body weight exercises, burpees are very challenging. This is probably why they burn up to 700 calories an hour.13 Besides this, they also strengthen your muscles and improve your endurance. However, burpees are easy to get wrong so if you’re a beginner, be sure to do them under the guidance of a professional.14
Although calorie burn is an important part of any exercise, it shouldn’t be the driving force of any of your workouts. This is because the numbers tend to change depending on your body weight and the intensity of the exercise. But, the great part is that there are plenty of great exercise options out there for you to try. But, if you have any injuries or health conditions, be sure to consult a professional before you try any of these exercises.
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