If your fitness goal is to torch the highest amount of calories possible, you need to know where to focus your energy.

Between the infinite mass of workouts to choose from, it can feel overwhelming figuring out which will help you reach that goal. What you want are exercises that boost your heart rate and utilize as many muscle groups as possible.

This is the magic formula for roasting the max amount of calories.

Even though these types of workouts will make you break a sweat, other factors contribute to how many calories you burn, including your weight and how hard you push yourself. With that in mind, you can burn the most calories by doing the five sweat-inducing workouts listed below.

Cycling

Whether outdoors on a perfect spring afternoon or inside at a cycle class, cycling is one of the best ways to torch calories and burn fat. 

But there’s a catch! 

The key to burning the most calories with cycling is alternating between high and low-intensity intervals. This way, you’ll continue burning calories after the fact.

If you’re a newbie at cycling, alternating between intervals can be a bit of a challenge. So if you only cycle at a moderate pace for 30 minutes, you’ll still burn between 200-230 calories.

And hey, cycling is also phenomenal for toning your legs! 

Interested in taking a whack at this workout? Check out Fit Factory’s FIT Cycle group fitness class and give it a spin! 

HIIT

If time is of the essence and you’re looking for a quick way to scorch as many calories as possible, high-intensity interval training (HIIT) is your secret weapon.

When doing a HIIT workout, you alternate between 20-30 seconds of intense bursts of exercise followed by 30-60 seconds of rest or low-intensity movement. Repeat this cycle for a period of anywhere between 15-45 minutes. Doing this increases your metabolic rate and allows your body to burn calories even after you’re finished.

It’s an insanely effective calorie-burning workout!

Curious what kind of exercises can you do for HIIT? There’s a lot to choose from but some common ones are:

- Burpees
- Jumping squats
- Oblique mountain climbers
- High knees
- Jumping lunges
- Push-ups

As a Fit Factory member, you have unlimited access to group fitness classes that incorporate HIIT like Total Body Burn. Another awesome alternative class is H.I.I.T N Strength Circuit. Be sure to look at your club’s schedule for class times!

Rowing

Not only is rowing exceptional for muscle-building and upping your heart rate, but it’s also another beneficial exercise for burning many, many calories. 

Rowing is essentially mimicking the rowing stroke on a stationary machine. And while not every person burns the same number of calories, the amount burned depends on three factors:

- Intensity

- Duration

- Weight

One of our amazing FIT Row and Sculpt instructors, Kelsey Weymouth from North Attleboro knows a thing or two about the benefits of this calorie-torching workout.

"I feel like most people don’t know that when rowing you are actually activating the entire body from start to finish! Quads, hamstrings, core, arms and back are being worked. Increasing your cardio stamina while activating muscles at the same time is a no brainer which is why I love it so much!”

Plus, there are infinite workouts you can do on a rowing machine. One example is pyramid rowing.

For this workout, start with a 10-minute warm-up of easy rowing. Next, you’ll row for 1 minute followed by 1 minute of rest, then 2 minutes of rowing followed by 2 minutes of rest. Repeat this until you get up to 4 minutes, then work your way back down to 1 minute of rowing and rest.

Just be sure to keep your stroke rate between 26-32 and keep the same intensity throughout. You’ll burn around 450 calories!

There’s no shortage of rowing machines at Fit Factory. The Foxboro, North Attleboro, Berlin, MA, and both Texas clubs have rowing studios, but all clubs have rowing machines available for use. If you’re having trouble finding them, don’t hesitate to ask staff to show you the way!

Jumping Rope

This old playground pastime is your best friend for breaking a massive sweat. It’s fun, a bit challenging, and the way to burn 15-20 calories per minute. 

Although, jumping rope–or skipping–does way more for the body than burn fat. With consistent practice, it helps develop:

- Coordination

- Posture

- Cardiovascular endurance

- Calf and core strength

First, start with mastering the timing and flick-of-the-wrist movement. Once you have that coordination down to a tee, work on increasing your speed and duration of jumping rope. Make this workout even more fun by playing some bangin’ music and trying moves like high-knees and alternate foot jumps.

For a quick beginner’s workout, split the below circuit into two, five-minute sets. If you’re up for the challenge, use a weighted jump rope for the first set.

- 30 seconds jumping, 30 seconds of rest
- 30 seconds alternate foot jumping, 30 seconds rest
- Rest for one minute, then complete the next set
- 40 seconds jumping, 20 seconds of rest
- 40 seconds alternate foot jumping, 20 seconds rest

Every Fit Factory location has a turf area where members can practice this epic calorie-torching workout. If the group fitness studio is empty, you’re more than welcome to get your burn on in there! Either check with the front desk for available jump ropes or bring your own!

Kickboxing

Looking for a seriously fun way to roast calories? Look no further!

Kickboxing is an explosive type of cardio that strengthens and tones your entire body while improving your agility, balance, and endurance. It’s the secret sauce for toning muscle while burning fat.

Since kickboxing is a high-intensity workout that keeps you constantly in motion, it raises your heart rate and burns a buttload of calories. But just like any of the previous exercises, you’ll want to incorporate high intensity for best results.

You can take advantage of exciting group classes like FIT Kickboxing and Abs or FIT Cardio Kick at select Fit Factory clubs. But not to worry! Fit Factory also offers Virtual FIT Cardio Kick & Total Body Sculpt on Tuesdays at 5:30 pm.

Get Moving 

Whether you're in a time crunch or just want a workout that's enjoyable and effectively burns the most calories, this list is a great place to start. Just remember to have high intensity and keep the workout duration long for optimal results.

If you need a little guidance along the way, check out your local club's group fitness schedule to join a class or schedule a free Fitness Consultation with a Fitness Director!


Like this article? Check out some of our other blog posts!:
Getting That Workout Glow: The Beauty Benefits of Exercise
How to Clean Your Workout Gear
Does Exercise Balance Your Hormones? [It Does, Find out How!]