Best Types of Cardio Workouts for Weight Loss


Losing weight is a matter of CICO (calories in, calories out) calculation. If you get fewer calories than you spend during the day, you will lose weight. If you get more calories, excess calories will be stored in your body (as fat or muscle, depending on other circumstances), which will cause you to gain weight. What makes cardio workouts so great for weight loss is the fact that they consistently make you burn calories. The number of calories burned depends on the type of cardio you choose, as well as your own body weight and your body composition.

To make the long story short,if you’re already dieting, cardio can help you see the results faster. You’ll probably already be in a caloric deficit. Only now, the decline will be steeper and results easier to notice. Remember, psychological addiction to food is a bigger problem than the physical hunger caused by a lack of calories, which is why you can use cardio exercise as a way to keep eating more and still lose weight. You should also keep in mind that endurance training (such as cardio) requires energy from carbohydrates, which is why, if you’re a huge fan of cardio as a means of weight loss, diets like Keto or any low-carb diets won’t give you the desired effect.

So, here are several most effective types of cardio workouts for weight loss.

Most Common Cardio Options

When talking about cardio exercise, there are four methods that immediately come to everyone’s mind.

1. Running

While running, you’re burning roughly 11 calories per minute. Naturally, this is relative to your weight and body composition. Remember that running is the simplest cardio activity (which doesn’t make it the easiest). It is also great for your cardiovascular health and can be done everywhere. Just make sure that you never underestimate the importance of proper footwear.

2. Walking

Walking is a lot safer form of cardio than running. Sure, it burns fewer calories per minute (around 4), but you can sustain it for a lot longer than running. Keep in mind that the pace of your walk and even the terrain might seriously offset the number of calories burned.

3. Swimming

The most important thing about swimming as a form of cardio is the fact that it almost completely eliminates the likelihood of an injury. It also helps work your entire body. Swimming for a full hour can burn around 600 to 900 calories, depending on your pace.

4. Cycling

The thing about cycling is that it’s both an effective means of commuting and cardio exercise. By cycling at a moderate pace, you will burn around 300 calories every single hour. Racers, however, can burn up to 1,000 calories within an hour, but these are really extreme conditions.

5. Individual Sports

Why individual and not group sports? Well, there are two main reasons why this is the case. First of all, in a group sport, you have a chance to slouch and still have your team perform decently (if everyone else does their job). Second, you will have a much easier time organizing the match with just one friend than if you had to have a complete team. The variety and nature of different individual sports are quite staggering, as well. For instance, you don’t have to pick the most popular of sports like tennis or boxing. Instead, you can go with something effective and unique like racquetball. This sport provides you with all you need to burn a sufficient number of calories.

Sure, some of these sports require an investment in equipment, but this is always money well-spent. After all, you buy them just once, which is why you should try to make an estimate of the number of hours that you will spend using them. Now, add to this your physical transformation, the social aspect of the sport, and the fact that you enjoy doing it. What you’ll get is the true image of what you’re getting for your money’s worth.

6. Jumping Rope

According to some estimates, by skipping rope for 20 minutes (100 skips per minute), you can burn around 200 calories. While this is slightly less than you would burn by running for 20 minutes, you need to consider some serious advantages to this method. First of all, a jumping rope costs roughly $2 (even a decent one). This means that when faced with whether to buy a treadmill or a jumping rope, cost should never be the issue, seeing as how this comparison is absurd.

Another thing worth mentioning is that you don’t have to run over unfavorable terrain (hard, uneven, etc.). One of the most important factors is that you get to use jumping rope indoors. This means that the weather is no longer an issue for you to worry about. The key thing worth mentioning is that you can always increase the pace of your skipping (thus increasing the number of calories burned). You also don’t have to restrict yourself to 20 minutes. If you can do it for longer, you should definitely go for it.

7. Burpees

If you are aiming at optimal efficiency and want to burn the most calories within a minute, you can’t go with anything better than burpees. Still, never underestimate just how hard this is to pull off. You can’t do burpees for 20-30 minutes in continuity (like some of the other entries on this list). Instead, burpees should only be done as a HIIT exercise. According to a rough estimate (again, based on your intensity and body weight), burpees can burn up to 12 calories per minute.

In Conclusion

The most important thing about a cardio workout is that it helps you lose weight and improves your health by quite the margin. It is also a great way to get some serotonin pumping and relieve stress. Keep in mind that there’s no reason for you to pick one method and be exclusive to it. In fact, walking, cycling, running, swimming, and occasionally skipping rope shouldn’t prevent you from showing interest in individual sports (or even group sports). If anything, this should help keep things less monotonous.



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