5 Exercises That Burn More Calories Than Running | NIRMAL NEWS

Of course! Here is an article about five exercises that can burn more calories than running.

Beyond the Treadmill: 5 Exercises That Burn More Calories Than Running

For decades, running has been the gold standard for anyone looking to shed pounds and torch calories. It’s accessible, effective, and requires minimal equipment. But what if pounding the pavement isn’t your thing? Or what if you’re looking for a more efficient way to maximize your workout time?

The good news is that running isn’t the undisputed king of calorie burning. Several other exercises, particularly those that engage multiple muscle groups at high intensity, can burn an equal number of—or even more—calories in the same amount of time. The secret lies in full-body engagement and pushing your cardiovascular system to its limits, which also triggers a greater “afterburn effect” (known as EPOC, or excess post-exercise oxygen consumption), where your body continues to burn calories long after you’ve stopped moving.

If you’re ready to supercharge your fitness routine, here are five exercises that can leave running in the dust.

1. Kettlebell Swings

Why it Works: The kettlebell swing isn’t just a shoulder exercise; it’s a total-body powerhouse. This explosive movement engages your glutes, hamstrings, hips, core, and back, all while sending your heart rate soaring. It combines resistance training and cardiovascular conditioning into one fluid, calorie-incinerating motion.

Estimated Calorie Burn: Up to 20 calories per minute (or 400 calories in a 20-minute workout), depending on intensity and the weight of the kettlebell.

How to Do It:

1. Stand with your feet slightly wider than your shoulders, with a kettlebell about a foot in front of you.
2. Hinge at your hips, keeping your back flat, and grip the kettlebell with both hands.
3. Hike the kettlebell back between your legs.
4. In one explosive motion, drive your hips forward, straighten your legs, and squeeze your glutes, allowing the momentum to swing the kettlebell up to chest height.
5. Let gravity bring the kettlebell back down between your legs as you hinge at the hips again. That’s one rep.

Pro Tip: Focus on the hip hinge, not a squat. The power comes from your hips, not your arms.

2. Rowing

Why it Works: Often overlooked, the rowing machine is a silent calorie-killer. It provides a phenomenal full-body, low-impact workout, engaging over 85% of your body’s muscles—including your legs, core, back, and arms—with every single stroke. This high muscle engagement requires a massive amount of energy, making it one of the most efficient calorie-burning exercises available.

Estimated Calorie Burn: A 155-pound person can burn around 600-800 calories per hour at a vigorous pace.

How to Do It:

1. The Catch: Sit with your knees bent, arms straight, and back upright.
2. The Drive: Push powerfully with your legs. Once your legs are nearly straight, lean back slightly and pull the handle toward your lower chest.
3. The Finish: Your legs are extended, your core is engaged, and the handle is at your chest.
4. The Recovery: Extend your arms, lean forward from the hips, and then bend your knees to slide back to the starting position.

Pro Tip: The power should be about 60% legs, 20% core, and 20% arms. Don’t just pull with your back.

3. Jumping Rope

Why it Works: Don’t let its playground reputation fool you. Jumping rope is a high-impact, high-intensity exercise that requires coordination, agility, and serious cardiovascular endurance. It engages your leg muscles, core (for stability), and shoulders. Because you have to stay light on your feet and maintain a constant rhythm, it quickly elevates your heart rate to a high-intensity zone.

Estimated Calorie Burn: 10-16 calories per minute, meaning a 20-minute session can easily burn over 200-300 calories.

How to Do It:

1. Hold the rope handles and ensure the rope length is correct (when you stand on the middle of the rope, the handles should reach your armpits).
2. Stand with your feet together, keeping your elbows close to your body.
3. Use your wrists—not your arms—to turn the rope.
4. Jump just high enough to clear the rope, staying on the balls of your feet.

Pro Tip: Once you master the basic jump, try variations like high knees or double-unders (two rope rotations per jump) to further boost the intensity.

4. Battle Ropes

Why it Works: If you want to unleash your inner warrior while torching calories, grab some battle ropes. This exercise is a unique blend of strength and cardio that primarily targets your upper body and core in a way few other workouts can. The constant motion of creating waves, slams, or whips with the heavy ropes creates a massive metabolic demand, leaving you breathless in minutes.

Estimated Calorie Burn: 10-15 calories per minute.

How to Do It (Alternating Waves):

1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, facing the rope’s anchor point.
2. Get into a slight squat or athletic stance with your knees bent and core engaged.
3. Grab one end of the rope in each hand with an overhand grip.
4. Raise one arm up to shoulder level and then slam it down, creating a wave in the rope. As you slam one arm down, raise the other one up.
5. Continue this alternating motion at a fast, consistent pace.

Pro Tip: Keep your core tight and your spine neutral throughout the movement to protect your back.

5. High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) with Burpees

Why it Works: The burpee is the exercise everyone loves to hate for a reason: it’s brutally effective. As a full-body movement, it combines a squat, a push-up, and a jump into one seamless sequence. By performing burpees in a HIIT format (e.g., 30 seconds of all-out effort followed by 30 seconds of rest), you push your body to its absolute limit, maximizing calorie burn in a short period and triggering that coveted afterburn effect.

Estimated Calorie Burn: Vigorous burpees can burn 10-15+ calories per minute.

How to Do It:

1. Start standing, then drop into a squat position with your hands on the floor.
2. Kick your feet back into a plank position.
3. Perform one push-up.
4. Jump your feet back toward your hands.
5. Explode up into a jump, raising your arms overhead. Land softly and immediately begin the next rep.

Pro Tip: For a modification, you can step your feet back instead of jumping and skip the push-up. The key is to move quickly and with purpose during your work intervals.

The Takeaway

While running is a fantastic exercise, it’s far from your only option for effective calorie burning. By incorporating workouts that demand full-body engagement and high intensity, like kettlebell swings, rowing, and battle ropes, you can challenge your body in new ways, build functional strength, and burn more calories in less time. So, step off the beaten path and give one of these powerful alternatives a try. Your body—and your watch—will thank you.