Whether you are looking to switch your workout up or find your new favorite kind of exercise, these cardio workout ideas for weight loss are for you.
Cardio doesn’t burn as many calories as weight lifting in the long term. That does not mean that it can’t be a great addition to your weight loss routine. If you don’t like weight lifting or don’t have time to go to the gym these cardio workouts might just be the thing for you.
Burning fat with cardio workouts
How much fat you burn with cardio workouts doesn’t only depend on what kind of exercise you do. Here are some of the main things that influence how many calories you burn with the same kind of exercise:
- How long you exercise
- The intensity of your workout
- Your height, weight, age and gender
So if you want to get more out of your cardio workouts try to do them in a HIIT way. That means in a more intense fashion.
One of these factors you really need to pay attention to is the “weight” one. The more weight you lose during your weight loss journey, the less calories your workouts will burn. This is a common reason for weight loss plateaus.
Almost everyone encounters these. When you do you need to increase your workout duration or intensity and look at other health factors in your daily activities.
Predicting exactly how many calories you will burn with a workout is pretty difficult. However, you can find estimations for particular body weights.
1. Running
Running is the classic cardio workout and that’s no surprise. It’s extremely easy to start doing. The only things you need are shoes and some clothes right for the weather.
On top of that, running is one of the best calorie-burning cardio exercises. A person weighing 155 pounds (+-70 kg) can expect to burn around 335 calories with half an hour of running at 5.2 mph.
The mental positives are also real. There are not many cardio exercises more calming than running in nature with an awesome view.
2. Jumping rope
Jumping rope is both ideal for people who are looking for some calorie-burning action and people who only have a few spare minutes here and there to slip in some extra exercise.
Someone who weighs 155 pounds can expect to burn around 372 calories with half an hour of jumping rope.
3. Swimming
Swimming is a great calorie burning workout. If you don’t have a swimming pool it might be a bit more time-consuming.
How many calories you burn depends among others thing on swimming style. A 155-pound person can expect to burn about 298 calories by swimming (backstroke) for 30 minutes.
Using pretty much all the muscles in your body isn’t the only advantage of swimming.
When the water is cold enough you will burn extra calories due to producing more brown fat. As a result, your body will compensate for the cold by burning more fat to increase your body temperature.
4. Bicycling
Some people like it, some people hate it but it certainly helps you burn a nice amount of calories. You can do it on a stationairy bicycle or as a mode of transport to work.
If you are 155 pounds (+-70 kg) you can expect to burn around 260 calories with half an hour of bicycling.
Guidelines for weight loss cardio workouts
Like with any new exercise routine you will probably have to start small and build up from there. Nobody runs a marathon from day one. Over time you will be able to increase both intensity and duration.
If you stick to these cardio workouts for weight loss you will soon find yourself having a good time while burning some extra calories.
Before you commit yourself to a new exercise routine, do make sure you consider a few things. Not every kind of workout is right for every individual.
Good luck once you’ve decided on your new workout!
